New consortium bringing managed operational technology (OT) security solution to North West businesses

Partnership hopes to lay the groundwork for Welsh and then UK-wide recognised control management systems for cyber in the OT arena

Collaborating organisations to include University of Manchester, Salford University, North West Cyber Resilience Centre, BRIM and IN4.0 Group

Manchester & Caerphilly 8 July 2022 – Siemens has partnered with Welsh cybersecurity software company Awen Collective to develop a new, accessible and affordable, managed OT security solution for small and medium enterprises.

The project has secured major backing from a consortium of North West-based academic, policing and business advocacy organisations who will support the project as it rolls out in the region, before looking to expand into Wales and across the rest of the UK.

Around half of small businesses (48%) and six in ten medium-sized businesses (59%) report having been impacted by some kind of cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months [1]. Digitalisation and the growing networking of machines and industrial systems also mean that operational technology (OT) is at an increased risk of cyber attack. Indeed, new cybercrime incidents are reported every day by UK businesses.

Despite this, many SMEs do not prioritise cybersecurity support, thinking that they either cannot afford it or do not need it.

Siemens’ partnership with Awen will allow North West businesses to buy into a managed security solution, protecting any networked, internet-connected technology starting from £10,000. Ordinarily, setting up and maintaining a security operations centre can cost a business hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The solution is built on Awen Collective’s Dot software, which has been developed with the support of Siemens. It performs Asset & Vulnerability Discovery on Operational Technology (OT), which would encompass everything from coffee machines, to large industrial robots; including ICS, SCADA and IIoT systems.

“Siemens has been working with the North West Cyber Resilience Centre since its conception. We as industry have partnered with law enforcement and academia as such alliances are vital to the way the digital industry will evolve in the years to come. Cyber security sits at the centre of digital transformation, understanding and adoption of it into the industrial control concepts is a must now.

Partnering with Awen and the consortium we will answer some of the concerns and challenges around cyber security the industry faces by delivering an IT and OT Operational Response Centre. This will enable SME’s to invest in a service that will provide cyber alarms when their control systems become compromised by cyber-attacks. The concept we have developed with the consortium has the potential to provide low-cost protection across the office and manufacturing space. It is a unique offering that will allow companies to build their cyber resilience while developing their business impact knowledge. A major step forward in improving the cyber maturity of our UK industry.”

Paul Hingley

Product Solution & Security Officer UK and Ireland for Siemens Digital Industries

Siemens applies IEC 62443 the highest industry standards globally for industrial cyber security. It is also creator of the Charter of Trust at the 2018 Munich Security Conference which has multi-national corporations such as AES, Airbus, Allianz, Atos, Cisco, Mercedes Benz Group (previously Daimler), IBM and Dell Technologies among many other companies as signatories.

Cyber-attacks on Industrial Control Systems (ICS), which help run OT, can interrupt production, damage physical assets, and even result in injury or death to employees and public alike.

“Our software solutions reflect what the market is telling us. No single product is a ‘silver bullet’ – we must genuinely work together, and we are very pleased to be building this partnership with Siemens to deliver quality solutions that help prevent the very real threat of cybercrime. In essence, we’re giving industrial organisations the capability to discover vulnerabilities that they may not have been aware that they had, and the tools to do something about them.

Cybersecurity in Wales is thriving. We’re growing a strong community through one of the largest clusters in the UK and it has really laid the foundation for us to be able to work on major projects such as this, with forward-thinking businesses like Siemens. We can’t wait for what’s to come.”

Daniel Lewis

Founder and Executive Chairman at Awen Collective

Awen Collective’s success and development of Dot was made possible, in part, by advisory and grant support received from the Welsh Government, including through Business Wales’ Accelerated Growth Programme. The business is also closely partnered with Cardiff University, University of Wales Trinity St David's and the University of South Wales and has taken on a number of graduates from the Cardiff region.

Welsh Government Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said:

“Wales boasts world-class cyber security expertise with an outstanding and committed tech labour market which is truly innovative. This makes Wales an increasingly attractive location for global businesses like Siemens to develop and deliver new products and services.

I am delighted Siemens has chosen to partner with Awen Collective on this important project. I very much hope many more businesses find the new solution strengthens and protects their business practices against the increasingly growing threat cybercrime poses to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.”

Vaughn Gething

Welsh Government Economy Minister

Awen Collective’s Dot will be demonstrated at #Transform2022, alongside discussion with key members of the consortium. The conference is set to take place between Tuesday 12th – Wednesday 13th July 2022 at Manchester Central. Further information and registration details can be found here: https://sie.ag/3xdN1k2

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Additional quotes

Katie Gallagher, co-founder of North West Cyber Resilience Centre:

“We’re really pleased to partner with Siemens and Awen Collective to be able to offer this new OT security solution to businesses across the North West.

“There are increasingly sophisticated threats to cyber security within operational technology so we will continue to work with businesses and our partners to help all businesses protect themselves against cyber attacks.

“Businesses often don’t realise the potentially devastating effects of a cyber attack on their business until it’s too late, so our work begins at educating businesses owners around the threats, as well as offering advice and security solutions.”

David Taylor, Chief Technology Officer, IN4.0 Group:

“As specialists in Industry 4.0 technologies IN4.0 Group are delighted to be a key part of this consortium, helping to address the issues faced when securing OT environments. The cyber security threat landscape is constantly changing with new vulnerabilities discovered each day, staying on top of these vulnerabilities is vital.

“Threats to industrial control systems and the OT environment do not just result in the loss of data, they can halt production, impact the safety of employees, and even result in death. With a strong background in cyber security and our own UK based Security Operation Centres we are now best placed to provide a cost-effective solution that not only helps businesses to secure their IT but their OT environments as well.”

For further information, please contact:

Siemens

· Anne Keogh, Head of External Relations, Siemens

o anne.keogh@siemens.com

o +44 7808 823545

· Melanie Antao Fernandes, Director, Antao Greer Communications (AGC)

o melanie@antaogreer.com

o +44 7424 487033

Welsh Government & Awen Collective

· Rob Jones, Senior Manager, Media Relations, Weber Shandwick

o rjones@webershandwick.com

o +44 7971 364 583

About Siemens

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare.

From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers.

By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people.

Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare.

In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power.

In fiscal 2021, which ended on September 30, 2021, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €62.3 billion and net income of €6.7 billion.

As of September 30, 2021, the company had around 303,000 employees worldwide.

Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

About Awen

Awen Collective Ltd (Wales) has the mission to make society safer by reducing cyber risk to manufacturers and critical national infrastructures such as energy, water, transportation and Smart Cities. It does this by creating novel software solutions.

Since it’s founding in 2017, Awen has gained rapid traction in the UK, Europe, GCC and ASEAN regions. Awen was founded and has it’s headquarters in Wales, and also has a wholly owned subsidiary in The Hague in The Netherlands which is the home of the international security community.

A cyber attack to an energy, water, transportation or manufacturing organisation could cause significant disruption to society, businesses and individuals. Awen develops software which helps these organisations to increase visibility into their operational networks and decrease cyber risk. Its innovative software solutions are purpose-built for all Operational Technologies (OT), whether brand new or legacy.

Further information is available at https://www.awencollective.com/ or by emailing: hello@awencollective.com

[1] UK Government: Cybersecurity Breaches Survey 2022. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3tjbJ0X