Ann de Beer (left) thanks Mark Dilchert after the presentation.
This question was posed by Mark Dilchert of Integr8. With cloud-based storage and communication, a company’s data goes in one end, (usually) comes out the other, without anyone really knowing whether it has been hacked in the process. This leaves companies vulnerable to industrial espionage and other nefarious uses of its data. This becomes even more open to misuse when radio links are used, as anyone who knows what they are doing can then listen in, even if it is via 4G or 5G networks.
So, what does one do?
The answer lies in encryption. While data generally goes through 128-bit encryption, this has become vulnerable to determined hackers. The better the encryption, the safer the data – so, if 128-bit encryption is becoming vulnerable, how does 2K or even 4K-bit encryption sound? Together with private keys at each end, the claim is that, using the correct router (in this case the Tosibox sold by Rubicon), a totally secure router-to-router link is created through the Internet, for a one-off cost, within minutes i.e. no monthly fees.
This is particularly useful in IoT applications, where one plant needs to communicate with another, going perhaps from one PLC to another. A direct point-to-point link is established, with perhaps the biggest chore being to make sure there are no IP address conflicts.
With security a growing concern in industrial applications, solutions like this can add peace of mind.
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