Intelligent Data Centres Issue 40 | Page 22

INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE POWERED BY THE DCA
to be more vigilant . After all , an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure .
This paper has therefore been designed to help data centre operators , who work tirelessly to ensure they have the in-house cybersecurity knowledge and expertise to make sound investments , stay a step ahead of attackers .
The risks
As soon as systems get connected to the IoT ( cloud ), proper protocols need to be in place . Potential forms of attack on connected lighting systems might include vectoring , Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) and sniffing .
DDoS A Distributed Denial of Service attack is an attempt to make an online service unavailable to its users by temporarily or disrupting services indefinitely .
Vectoring This occurs when there is a security breach that uses an unsecured system to gain access to other networked systems .
Sniffing An attacker sees a packet ( data ) in transmission from one point to other systems that utilise protocols that are not encrypted . Because it ’ s not encrypted , the information can be modified i . e . to turn off the lights or CCTV .
How to mitigate risk
When it comes to the physical building infrastructure ecosystem , there are many different facets that need to be considered before you can be assured that the product meets your security criteria .
When considering the threats , we recommend starting at the beginning with a rigorous procurement process , including developing trusted supply chain partnerships .
For example , when a luminaire or control system is specified , are you aware of every component that goes into that product ? Do you know if the manufacturer makes all components themselves or , do they rely on third-party suppliers ? If so , you ’ re placing an enormous amount of trust in a potentially unknown supply chain : leaving systems open to security risks and significantly affecting quality control standards
Quality assurance
So , what is the answer ?
We ’ d recommend always working with a single-source supplier who can prove where their components have been sourced and which offers full transparency of its supply chain partners .
For example , the Zumtobel Group is in complete control of its entire value chain .
The group comprises three core brands – Tridonic , Thorn and Zumtobel . Tridonic is a leading manufacturer of components and control gear used by various manufacturers worldwide due to its uncompromising reputation for product quality . Fortunately for Thorn and Zumtobel lighting , having a sister company that specialises in components and control gear certainly has its advantages since
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