Webinar Description
Key Takeaways
- Examines the shift from vendor-led remote access to federated control models in industrial environments
- Addresses authority, responsibility and oversight challenges when multiple parties require OT access
- Covers practical concerns including emergency access, vendor trust, compliance and legacy system integration
- Designed for OT managers, cybersecurity professionals, asset owners, machine builders and system integrators
Third-Party Access Governance in Industrial Environments
Industrial ecosystems have grown increasingly complex, with asset owners, machine builders, integrators and service partners all requiring different levels of remote access to operational technology environments. This complexity creates governance challenges: who holds authority, who bears responsibility and how oversight is maintained when access crosses organisational boundaries.
This webinar, hosted by Secomea, explores how organisations can move beyond traditional vendor-led access arrangements toward federated control models. Federated control distributes responsibilities across multiple parties while preserving clear accountability, a structure that reflects the reality of modern industrial operations where no single entity manages all access requirements.
From Vendor-Led Access to Federated Control
Traditional remote access models often placed vendors in control of connectivity to customer OT environments. As third-party access has become more prevalent, this approach creates tensions around security, compliance and operational efficiency. Asset owners may lack visibility into who accesses their systems and when, while vendors face constraints that slow service delivery.
Federated control offers an alternative by allowing organisations to distribute access management responsibilities while maintaining centralised oversight. The session examines how this model works in practice, including how to define authority boundaries and establish accountability frameworks that satisfy both operational and security requirements.
Operational and Security Challenges
The webinar addresses several real-world challenges that complicate remote access governance in OT environments:
- Emergency access: Balancing the need for rapid response with security controls
- Vendor trust: Establishing appropriate access levels for external parties without compromising security posture
- Compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements while enabling necessary third-party connectivity
- Legacy systems: Integrating older equipment into modern access governance frameworks
Who Should Attend
This session is relevant for professionals managing or requiring remote access to industrial OT environments. Asset owners and operators in manufacturing and critical infrastructure will find value in the governance frameworks discussed. OT managers, IT managers, cybersecurity leads and operations directors responsible for third-party access policies are the primary audience. Machine builders, OEMs, system integrators and service providers who need remote access to customer environments will gain perspective on how federated models affect their relationships with asset owners.