Rockwell Automation, Inc. recently announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Verve Industrial Protection, a cybersecurity software and services company that focuses specifically on industrial environments, expanding the offerings of Rockwell with an industry-leading asset inventory system and vulnerability management solution.

The Verve Security Center platform enables real-time asset inventory, vulnerability management, and risk remediation that will strengthen Rockwell’s current offerings and address these issues. Upon closure of the acquisition, Verve will report into Rockwell’s Lifecycle Services operating segment..

QUADRANT PERSPECTIVE

Quadrant Knowledge Solutions regularly tracks the Information Security market with a special focus on OT / ICS cyber security. According to Narayan Gokhale, Associate Research Director (IoT & Digitalization), the growing  trend of IT / OT / ET integration not only expands the attack surface, increasing the potential for cyberattacks but also leaving many organizations struggling to manage and protect these assets. This is due to the fact that organizations add both, hardware and software, alongside legacy equipment in plants. The ever rising number of attacks on operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) result in operational disruption in majority of the cases.

It is interesting to note that this move from Rockwell Automation follows just three months after Honeywell announced acquisition of SCADAfence. This clearly demonstrates the growing emphasis, Industrial automation / ICS companies are placing on cyber security, in order to fill the missing gap of a dedicated OT Cyber security platform, thereby strengthening existing capabilities and bolstering their cybersecurity portfolio.

Author: Narayan Gokhale, Associate Research Director At Quadrant Knowledge Solutions