The Challenge: Securely Bridging OT and Cloud
For this Fortune 100 manufacturer, the stakes were high. Each factory consumes millions of dollars’ worth of energy and water annually, and even minor dips in equipment performance could cause costs to spike. Unplanned breakdowns were even more serious, as every hour of downtime meant lost revenue and disrupted supply chains.
Leaders saw a clear solution: bring factory floor data into powerful third-party cloud analytics platforms. With real-time insights, maintenance teams could predict failures before they happened, prioritize critical repairs, and optimize resource usage across facilities.
But what seemed like a straightforward digital transformation plan quickly ran into roadblocks. The company’s IT security teams raised urgent concerns. Connecting legacy OT systems directly to the internet would expose them to a host of cyber risks. Many of these devices lacked modern security features or the ability to be patched, making them especially vulnerable. A single exposed data feed could create a dangerous entry point for ransomware or state-sponsored attackers.
At the same time, modifying or replacing production systems to accommodate modern connectivity was not an option. The risks of downtime and cost overruns were too high. The company needed a way to open the door to the cloud, but do so in a way that would not compromise the integrity of its production networks.
We needed a way to bring real-time factory data into the cloud without exposing our production systems to cyber risks. OPSWAT gave us that balance of visibility and security.
Director of OT Security
MetaDefender Optical Diode (Fend) with Cloud Integration
The manufacturer deployed MetaDefender Optical Diode, a secure AWS-based ingestion platform.
The architecture combines physical protection with modern cloud services:
- One-Way Data Transfer: Optical isolation guarantees that data flows out of the OT environment only. Malware, ransomware, and adversaries cannot get in.
- Protocol Conversion: Legacy protocols (e.g., Modbus) are transformed into modern formats like MQTT for seamless cloud integration.
- AWS Services: Data flows into AWS IoT services for ingestion, hosting, and API access, with AWS IoT Device Defender monitoring device health and connectivity.
- Scalable Onboarding: Fend Cloud allows rapid, consistent onboarding of legacy IIoT devices across multiple sites.
With MetaDefender Optical Diode, we can tap into AWS analytics without changing or replacing legacy OT equipment, saving time, cost, and risk.
VP of Operations
Outcome: Real-Time Insights Without Compromising Security
With MetaDefender Optical Diode (Fend), the manufacturer achieved:
- Complete OT/Cloud Isolation: Hardware-enforced one-way communication ensures no external threats can breach production networks.
- Real-Time Operational Insights: Factory floor data securely flows to AWS analytics platforms, supporting faster decision-making and predictive maintenance.
- Preserved Uptime: Legacy OT devices remain untouched, eliminating costly replacements or risky upgrades.
- Stronger Cybersecurity Posture: The solution eliminates attack vectors common to software-only or direct connection approaches.
- Alignment with Federal Guidance: The deployment follows best practices outlined by CISA, NIST SP 800-82r3, and DoD UFC 4-010-06.
Hardware-enforced one-way data transfer gave us confidence that threats couldn’t move back into our OT environment, while our teams gained the insights they needed.
IT Security Lead
Blick in die Zukunft
This project shows that manufacturers can safely bring the power of the cloud to legacy systems without opening the door to cyber threats. With OPSWAT MetaDefender Optical Diode (Fend) and AWS integration, critical infrastructure operators gain the insights they need while keeping operations resilient, compliant, and secure.
Are you ready to explore tailored, industry-leading cybersecurity solutions for your IT/OT environments?
