How To Converge Cyber And Physical Security To Futureproof Critical Infrastructure

Cyber and physical security are no longer separate. With the increased adoption of cloud-based technologies, cyber and physical security becomes more challenging to differentiate.

If you’re looking to futureproof your security strategy, you must keep the merging of cyber and physical security in mind.

To learn how to achieve this, keep reading. This guide will discuss how to converge cyber and physical security, futureproofing your critical infrastructure against the modern threat climate.

Install Access Control And Video Security For Any Space That Houses Sensitive Data

To converge cyber and physical security for your critical infrastructure, you should consider physical security essentially linked to your cybersecurity strategy. Your digital resources and assets are housed in your commercial building, and if you have a weak physical security strategy, this could cause a significant data breach.

To secure your digital resources, you must reinforce server rooms and rooms housing sensitive data using access control and video security. Access control secures the space from unauthorized users, while video security prevents someone from entering with stolen credentials.

By integrating both technologies, you can ensure that access control logs and video security feed is accessible on a single interface, allowing for easier retrieval of security data.

Additionally, you can use this platform to verify the identity of users entering these spaces to ensure no breach. To automate the identity verification process, you can integrate facial recognition software with your cloud-based security tools and ensure that the facial profile of the user matches the credentials they are using for entry.

Ensure Cyber And Physical Teams Are Coordinated When Planning A Strategy

There are a few reasons why you should consider merging your cyber and physical security teams:

• Your cloud-based physical security tools need protection from a cyber standpoint.
• Your digital assets need protection from a physical security standpoint.
• Both teams need to know which incidents fall under their domain if a breach occurs.

If you do not merge teams, you can create data silos between physical and cyber security, inhibiting your security response and awareness. A cyber breach could affect your physical security and vice versa. Thus, both teams should take a collaborative approach to security. Both teams should respond to security threats together to ensure your enterprise is secure from all fronts.

Additionally, by merging teams, you can reduce the workload of each unit and identify any inefficiencies, allowing you to streamline your teams and ensure maximum productivity.

Integrate Cybersecurity Strategies Into Cloud-Based Physical Security Hardware

Cybersecurity strategies and policies can be relevant in physical security now that cloud-based technologies are revolutionizing physical security.

Zero-trust is beneficial for network access but can also be relevant for commercial access control systems. Zero-trust doesn’t assume you can trust every user because they have permission to access the network. Instead, it implements role-based permissions to ensure individuals can only access limited resources. If their device or account is compromised, only a limited amount of security data becomes exposed.

You must trust only some interviewees, independent contractors, and visitors to the building. They should not gain access to areas housing sensitive data, resources, and assets. Users should gain role-based access permissions, permitting them to enter the building and the places they need for daily operations.

You can establish a database with access categories, allowing you to assign a building user a class quickly. You can update access permissions based on termination and increase their licenses based on promotions and role adjustments.

Automation And Workflows Using Integrated Building And Security Data

With a merged cyber and physical security strategy comes the need to create workflows for each team in response to security threats. Since threats can concern both physical and cyber security, you can use workflow automation software to establish response procedures from both angles when a security threat occurs. The software will automatically create and assign workflows based on your response procedures to speed up your incident response and reduce time-consuming manual tasks.

Additionally, you can establish physical security responses based on cybersecurity threats. You can ensure that your commercial access control system initiates a lockdown security system when a user fails too many login attempts on your system or an anomaly is detected. Physical security intervention allows you to contain the incident and prevent a data breach.

Summary

It is no longer possible to differentiate between cyber and physical security domains in the modern security climate. You must merge cyber and physical security to ensure your security strategy is equipped to manage current threats. By taking the steps listed above, you can ensure that your security strategies are futureproofed against upcoming threats that concern both the digital and physical security realms.