Remote Access to Plant Equipment

3 min read

Allowing remote access to plant equipment is quickly becoming a necessity. We have all experienced restrictions with the current pandemic that have made in-person support challenging, or impossible at times. Even in a normal state of operation, increasingly complicated machines may have safety or security reasons that restrict physical access.

Many manufacturers do not keep experts on staff who can support automation equipment. It is more economical to call a systems integrator (like Outlier) to provide support as needed. But that support can be time consuming and costly without remote access. If the issue cannot be resolved over the phone, you have to wait (and pay) for an engineer to come out to your facility to look at the equipment. The facility can sometimes be many miles (or even a plane flight) away.

So, why not enable remote access to your facility? Your biggest concern should be security. If the remote access solution is poorly designed, it can open up cybersecurity vulnerabilities with devastating consequences. Even with security in mind, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. There are many vendors to choose from and sometimes constraints with old equipment.  Most of the time, remote access starts with one piece of equipment and then grows to encompass more of the plant. It is extremely important that the solution is carefully designed from the bottom up, to accommodate growth, connection management, and security.

At Outlier, we have experience commissioning full machines remotely. We have utmost respect for security and are constantly researching ways to improve our practices. We recently teamed up with a group of end users, OEMs, system integrators, and automation vendors lead by OMAC to discuss and define best practices for developing remote access solutions. Our work was published in the guide, Practical Guide for Remote Access to Plant Equipment, available for download. The 90-page guide dives into a 7-step process for creating a comprehensive remote access plan:

1.       Assess your current situation

2.       Ensure there is good IT/OT collaboration

3.       Develop a remote access plan

4.       Understand your industrial automation network architecture

5.       Create levels of security for individuals seeking remote access

6.       Establish a verification process that allows you to connect to the correct device

7.       Implement and maintain cybersecurity throughout the process

You can use this guide to compare to your existing system, or you can use it when starting from scratch. The process can be complicated, but the benefits far exceed the effort.

Reach out to us here at Outlier if you want advice on evaluating or implementing a remote access solution. We are continuously researching this topic so that we can continue to provide our clients with the best support possible.