ICS

What is ICS?

ICS (Industrial Control Systems) is a collective term for all systems used to automate and control industrial processes. It encompasses SCADA systems, DCS, PLC controllers, engineering workstations, historian servers and the network infrastructure connecting these elements.

ICS forms the foundation of modern industry. These systems control electricity generation, gas distribution, water treatment, chemical processes, production lines and hundreds of other applications. Without ICS, it would be impossible to maintain the level of automation that is standard in today’s industry.

Historically, ICS were isolated from corporate networks and the internet. Today, this boundary is blurring - integration with business systems (ERP, MES), remote access for maintenance and the growing number of network-connected devices mean that ICS are becoming reachable from external networks.

Why does it matter?

Compromising ICS can have consequences that extend beyond the digital world - equipment damage, threats to worker health, environmental contamination or disruptions to public services. That is why protecting ICS requires a different approach than traditional IT security.

Organisations operating ICS should conduct an inventory of all OT assets, implement network segmentation in line with the zones and conduits model (IEC 62443), monitor network traffic for anomalies and develop incident response plans that account for the specifics of industrial environments.

Related topics

• SCADA
• DCS
• PLC
• OT security