Cybersecurity Awareness Month

By Jon Williamson

Ensuring the security of building systems is necessary to reduce the risk of a successful attack involving those systems. Therefore, you must make sure someone is taking the lead. If you are a facility manager, business leader or work with building systems or IT networks, this could be you – even if you are not a cybersecurity expert.

The first step in taking ownership of your building’s cybersecurity is to know what you have. Did you know that most audits reveal equipment that was previously unknown?

Once you know the full scope of what is running your building, it will be possible for you to have a more accurate risk assessment conducted. Your preparation will also include knowing how critical of an environment the building controls are managing. This will give you a better sense of the impact a cyber event could have before it happens and will help you to establish your cybersecurity risk acceptance level.

As an owner you should also understand enterprise security policies and regulations that could shut down building systems before they are even put into production and what will it take to keep them operational throughout their lifecycle. There have been many cases where a controls project was significantly delayed because the governing security policies and regulations were not understood upfront.

The good news is that you can reach out for help and Johnson Controls is one resource that can help you Own IT. We understand the systems that operate your building and what it takes to own the cybersecurity risk and what can happen if you don’t. With the right cyber planning of your building systems we believe you will reap the reward of ownership – lower risk. So go ahead - Own IT!

Jon Williamson is the Director of Cyber Solutions for Building Technologies & Solutions at Johnson Controls, a global diversified technology and multi industrial leader serving a wide range of customers in more than 150 countries. Jon is dedicated to driving the customer focused cyber experience with cybersecurity solutions to meet the evolving need for protecting the systems that run their building.