The situation
The builder makes industrial machines for international markets. Its machines are more and more digital, and each new piece of software is a possible weak point. Essential parts such as PLCs, HMIs, actuators and sensors have little or no security of their own.
Three teams felt the pressure. Quality saw security become a customer requirement. Sales saw it as a way to win. The technical department had to meet different standards in different countries without slowing down engineering.
What they needed
The builder looked at many industrial security products. Firewalls and switches with intrusion detection were too expensive for one machine. Other tools needed security experts the company did not have. Large vendors’ products did not integrate with the builder’s control software. Some got in the way of PLC programmers and maintenance technicians.
The builder needed something it could present as part of its own machine, that works with its control system and that its engineers can manage.
What we did
The builder replaced the basic network switch at the machine boundary with Edge Shield, supplied without our brand so it sells as the builder’s own technology.
Its engineers wrote security profiles for each machine state with our documentation. They built the controls into the machine HMI through the REST API, so the operator never leaves the machine’s own interface.
What changed
The builder now protects its machines without changing how they run or how they are serviced. It sells security upgrades on new machines and as retrofits on machines already installed. Fewer network misconfigurations mean fewer needless service calls.
Above all, it can tell customers how the machine is protected against network attacks that would stop production, and it can adapt as rules change in each region.