These days no company should consider itself immune to the possibility of cybercrime and data theft. Engineering documents hold the company’s crown jewels; data must always be kept secure. With careful planning you can still take advantage of the latest cloud and mobile technology; security does not mean lack of accessibility.
Outdated approaches to data management are the most vulnerable systems. There is nothing that says “STEAL ME” more than important documents just sitting naked in a file folder on the network. Once the external firewall is breached, these files become easy pickings. A comprehensive IT security solution for engineering/manufacturing data will include the user, the data management software, and the network, as well as application layer interfaces and interconnecting systems (such as PDM to SCM).
Older PDM/PLM systems were built with data, speed, and functionality in mind; security was a minor concern limited to user access rights. Today’s global networks, dispersed workforce, and cloud and/or mobile access to engineering data completely changes the security scene.
Using modern engineering document management software means you are using modern security. Companies who have not upgraded from management by file folders to a modern EDM system like Synergis Adept generally do not have modern IT security in place. These companies are also more likely to treat engineering IT as “their problem” and not include it in more general IT oversight of security issues.
Creating a data immunity system
Security experts say good IT security can be compared to the multiple levels of immunity in the human body. Skin is just the first of several protection layers. Each organ and functional system has separate immunity barriers and “protocols.” The brain has its own separate security protocol, the blood-brain barrier. Engineering IT security should operate in a similar fashion. If the “skin” of your company—the firewall from the outer world—is breached, the engineering data inside should still be secure.
A recent survey of 4,506 IT professionals found that an estimated 49% of an organization’s worth is derived from the information created inside the company. Security is not just protecting this information from the outside; those with access inside the company often are found to be the source of data theft.
Proper security for engineering data does not mean one more module in a PDM/EDM system. Security should not be an overlay; it should be embedded into in all systems at the lowest possible level. Security should never be separate from every aspect of using, managing, and storing data.
Synergis Adept provides built-in secure, controlled access to documents from any location. Whether you need a centralized vault or distributed vaults at each location, Adept’s unique smart vaulting maintains native folder structure and file names without scrambling or moving files. Yet at the same time it wraps documents in a tight layer of protection beyond that provided by your existing IT infrastructure. Adept becomes that extra layer of immunity beyond the skin provided by IT.
Randall S. Newton is the principal analyst and managing director at Consilia Vektor, a consulting firm serving the engineering software industry. He has been directly involved in engineering software in a number of roles since 1985. More information is available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallnewton.
