Let’s start with the bad news. Cybersecurity breaches can be particularly devastating for supply chains, which involve multiple parties and sensitive information. As operational technology (OT) devices become increasingly connected, blurring the gap between IT and OT environments, the risk of hackers targeting sensitive supply chain data increases. Now, for the good news. Microsoft Security offers a suite of tools and services, including Internet of Things (IoT) and OT solutions in Microsoft Defender for IoT and identity and access management (IAM) solutions in Microsoft Entra, that can help businesses secure their supply chains and prevent cybersecurity breaches.
With industry-leading AI, Microsoft synthesizes 65 trillion signals a day across many types of devices, apps, platforms, and endpoints—allowing for an unparalleled view of the evolving threat landscape.1
We recently announced the Microsoft Supply Chain Platform, an open, flexible, and collaborative platform designed to address the needs of supply chain leaders. This is done by enabling end-to-end visibility and control of processes and data across new or existing supply chain management and enterprise resource planning solutions.
Microsoft Security solutions are a key part of this platform. A cybersecurity breach can lead to operational disruptions, reputational damage, financial losses for companies involved in the supply chain, and even lead to loss of life in the case of critical industries like manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and transportation. That’s why it’s essential for organizations to invest in advanced security solutions to protect their supply chains.
According to Gartner, “By 2025, 60 percent of organizations will use cybersecurity risk as a significant determinant in conducting third-party transactions and business engagements.”2
Find out more about Microsoft Defender for IoT, Microsoft Entra and the rest of our Microsoft Security solutions that play a critical role in securing your supply chains at Hannover Messe, from April 17 to 21, 2023, at the Microsoft Stand, Hall 17. Explore how to interact with us while there and register for Microsoft’s “Supply Chain Reimagined at Hannover Messe” session on April 19, 2023, during the event. We hope to see you there!
Cloud-powered security with Microsoft Defender for IoT
IoT and OT devices proliferate throughout supply chains, hence why IoT and OT security solutions are an essential component of supply chain security. These solutions protect connected devices and systems, which can be vulnerable to attacks that seek to disrupt operations or, often, move laterally into IT environments to steal data or intellectual property.
IoT and OT environments have unique security challenges. Many legacy devices are unmanaged and older network monitoring systems are not familiar with IoT and OT protocols, making them unreliable. Microsoft provides a range of IoT and OT solutions, including Azure Sphere, Azure IoT Edge, and Azure Digital Twins, which enable organizations to securely connect, manage, and analyze their IoT and OT devices and systems.
Microsoft Defender IoT secures these environments, offering asset discovery, threat detection, incident response, compliance reporting, and more. Defender for IoT can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud and it integrates with Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Threat Intelligence, and Microsoft Sentinel to enable security operations center teams to collaborate more effectively and efficiently. Learn more about Defender for IoT and how a cloud-powered OT security solution delivers the best value.
“By combining Defender for IoT and Device Update for Azure IoT Hub, we’ll have the efficiency and flexibility to cover multiple use cases on more powerful hardware yet be able to protect multiple operating systems and applications on a single device.”
Secure access for suppliers and partners
IAM solutions are another critical component of supply chain security. By their very nature, supply chains include multiple organizations—such as suppliers, distributors, and retailers—whose employees and partners need to access information. Every organization must ensure that only the right users (such as employees, partners, vendors, contractors, and guests) have appropriate access at the right time.
Microsoft Entra is a cloud-based solution that offers complete identity and access management services for organizations. The granular authorization policies of Microsoft Entra ensure that only approved users and devices can access sensitive data and systems. This includes support for multifactor authentication with phishing-resistant systems and passwordless technologies. Microsoft Entra also integrates with other Microsoft services, such as Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Dynamics 365, for a seamless and secure experience for users accessing these services.
“We concluded that it would be much safer and more productive for us to understand and enjoy cloud services like Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure rather than taking the risks in maintaining our own systems.”
—Keita Nakano, Deputy Chief of Information Planning, Nissin Foods
One of the key advantages of Microsoft Security solutions in the Microsoft Supply Chain Platform is their ability to operate with other Microsoft products and services. For example, IAM solutions such as Microsoft Azure Active Directory (part of Microsoft Entra) can be integrated with other Microsoft Cloud services, such as Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. IoT and OT solutions can also be integrated with other Microsoft services, such as Azure AI and Azure Analytics, to enable organizations to gain insights into their IoT and OT data and use these insights to improve supply chain operations.
Another advantage of Microsoft Security solutions is their flexibility. These solutions can be deployed in a variety of environments, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. This allows organizations to choose the deployment model that best meets their specific security and compliance requirements. Microsoft Security solutions also offer advanced threat protection capabilities that use machine learning and AI to detect and respond to threats in real time, reducing the risk of data breaches and other cyberthreats.
In addition to IAM and IoT and OT solutions, data protection, compliance and governance, and security analytics help organizations protect their sensitive data, ensure compliance with regulations and standards, and gain insights into their security posture.
Cybersecurity breaches can significantly impact supply chains and contribute to the ongoing disruptions we face in meeting partner and customer needs. However, organizations can mitigate the risks by investing in advanced security solutions with Microsoft Security. With the ability to integrate with other Microsoft products and services, deploy in a variety of environments, and provide advanced threat protection capabilities, Microsoft Security solutions include a comprehensive set of tools and services for securing supply chains and ensuring the continuity of operations.
Learn more about cybersecurity and resiliency for supply chains
Get details on Microsoft Security solutions, including Microsoft Defender for IoT and our multicloud, identity and access capabilities with Microsoft Entra. And to dive deeper into Microsoft Security solutions, join us on April 13, 2023, for Microsoft Secure Technical Accelerator. Engage with our product and engineering teams through a live question and answer during each session, learn best practices, build community with your security peers, and get prescriptive technical guidance that will help you and your organization implement our comprehensive security solutions, Save the date and RSVP for event updates.
To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and Twitter (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.
1Microsoft Security reaches another milestone—Comprehensive, customer-centric solutions drive results, Vasu Jakkal. January 25, 2023.
2Gartner Unveils the Top Eight Cybersecurity Predictions for 2022-23, Gartner. June 21, 2022.
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