The manufacturing industry is in the midst of a phase of dramatic change. Markets and supply chains are changing at a rapid pace. This development is not only due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated surge in digitalization. Unilateral economic action by countries and the reorganization of international trade are also leading to an increasing regionalization of manufacturing supply chains. The role of traditional suppliers of raw materials and semi-finished products is changing, as is the importance of partners who provide products directly to consumers.

Realigning the ecosystem

All these changes make it necessary to rethink and structurally realign the entire ecosystem of customer, supplier and partner relationships. Companies that are able to communicate directly and digitally with third parties - suppliers, partners and customers - in real time have a competitive advantage. At the same time, this presents production companies with completely new challenges, for example in terms of security. Companies must align their IT with the new requirements. The latest Consumer Identity Breach Report 2021 from Forgerock found that most breaches (43 percent) are caused by unauthorized access. This unauthorized access allows criminals to insert the tools that enable a ransomware attack. So if we want to prevent the use of ransomware, we need to focus on preventing unauthorized access. This also has strong implications for Identity and Access Management (IAM). For example, suppliers' access to certain applications and data must be comprehensively checked for legitimacy. Over time, authorizations may have crept in that go beyond what is necessary. Security threats can also target weak points in the IAM infrastructure: Poorly managed passwords and usernames, static two-factor authentication or legacy applications on outdated IAM systems further increase the risk.

Another challenge: as part of Industry 4.0, the proliferation of devices and data points in production and throughout the entire ecosystem is increasing. Legitimate employees, suppliers and partners must be able to access the right information remotely at any time. The seamless transition from static, password-based single-factor authentication to dynamic and password-independent multi-factor authentication is important here, for example. If the company is also able to include the context such as location, IP address, device type, operating system or browser type, this increases security without restricting user-friendliness.

Authorization: Access only to relevant applications

Additional challenges arise when it comes to authorization. For example, it must be ensured that authorizations are adjusted, that internal and external users only ever have access to the relevant applications and that rights that are no longer required are deleted. Here too, modern technology can help to largely automate a typically manual process in order to dynamically adapt roles and authorizations to changes in the tasks of employees and suppliers.

Action is also required due to the growing importance of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the increase in non-human identities: Here, it must be ensured that the explosive increase in IoT devices does not lead to data and identity silos. Networked devices should be connected as seamlessly as possible with the relevant applications and data storage systems. The IoT should enable the entire manufacturing ecosystem and supply chain to be mapped transparently. An end-to-end IAM system (human and non-human identities on one platform) also allows a 360-degree view of users and their devices. This information helps companies and consumers to optimize the development and introduction of new products and services - for example in the connected car or smart home environment. Manufacturing companies should also consider how they can efficiently secure access to their hybrid IT infrastructure. Most companies will operate new cloud-based applications and existing applications in the data center in parallel over a longer period of time. A suitable IAM platform allows workflows to be configured independently of the location of the application and thus facilitates the gradual migration.

Mastering challenges with an intelligent IAM platform

As all these examples show, the manufacturing industry is facing immense IT challenges. They can be mastered with intelligent and sophisticated IAM platforms, such as the Forgerock identity platform. This takes the security of critical processes such as authentication, authorization, the integration of IoT devices and non-human identities as well as the phasing out of outdated, risky access solutions to a new level. For example, IT managers in companies can use it to implement dynamic and password-independent multi-factor authentication. Users do not have to remember a user name or password, but can use an external authentication feature (token) or biometric data. This makes all the risks associated with the use of passwords a thing of the past and simplifies login processes.

Users can also use the Forgerock Trust Network. This allows them to benefit from a technology ecosystem of more than 75 partners that offers access to a wide range of digital identity functions. This allows processes such as authentication, risk and fraud management, biometric procedures and identity verification to be optimized. In addition, IT administrators can simplify authorization processes (authorization management) and improve security. To this end, the identity platform offers functions that use artificial intelligence to improve compliance with legal regulations, reduce risks and cut costs. Machine learning techniques are used to collect and analyze identity data such as accounts, roles and authorizations in order to identify blind access points.

The Forgerock identity platform also supports manufacturing companies in modernizing their IT infrastructures. Hybrid IAM technologies can be used to seamlessly merge legacy and cloud applications. This allows IT managers to consolidate, standardize and secure all digital identities within a hybrid architecture. This makes the operation of hybrid environments much more efficient. Companies can also use an identity gateway to easily integrate their legacy applications, consolidate identity and security solutions and thus benefit from a cross-system IAM strategy.

The manufacturing industry must adapt to massive changes. Intelligent systems for identity and access management are needed to effectively manage the increasingly complex ecosystems and ensure IT security. By using the high-performance identity platform, companies are on the safe side here. This enables them to improve their competitiveness and increase their business agility.

Gerhard Zehethofer, Vice President IoT & Technology Partnerships, ForgeRock