Honeywell has launched its first industrial cyber security centre of excellence (COE) in Dubai, which will test and demonstrate process control network vulnerabilities, train customers with real-time attack simulations and provide advanced customer consultations
With the COE, Honeywell is set to address the industrial cyber security needs of customers in the Middle East region by leveraging globally proven expertise, technology and solutions.
This investment comes in support of regional government initiatives such as the Dubai Cyber Security Strategy, aiming to strengthen cyber security defences across industries.
“This COE provides a safe, real-world environment to learn in, allowing us to innovate and augment industrial cyber security skills. The centre is also a critical part of Honeywell’s network of global Cyber Security COEs dedicated to improving industrial cyber security for critical infrastructure, information technology and operational technology (IT/OT) convergence and digital transformation,” said Jeff Zindel, vice-president and general manager at Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security.
The centre contains distributed control systems, a physical plant process and the latest industrial cyber security software and solutions. It further includes data analytics and networking equipment capable of supporting training sessions, demonstrations, workshops and cyber-attack simulations.
“As threats to industrial control environments become more sophisticated, it will be crucial to train the workforce of the industry for effective cyber security implementation,” said Safdar Akhtar, business development director of industrial cyber security for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Honeywell Process Solutions.
“At the centre, we are able to demonstrate cyber security solutions and controls in attack scenarios to show which of them are most effective at combating various attacks,” Akhtar added.
The COE aims to provide a hub in the region to collect customer feedback and collaborate with global research and development teams to help develop solutions for the region and global markets. Some of the major Honeywell solutions in the centre include Risk Manager, Experion® PKS, Secure Media Exchange (SMX), Advanced Threat Intelligence Exchange (ATIX), ICS Shield and Industrial Managed Security Services.
