Software-Defined Networking to Improve Cybersecurity in Manufacturing Oriented Interoperability Ecosystems

Industry 4.0 is reshaping the manufacturing industry. Through Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and cloud computing, manufacturing orientated interoperability ecosystems allow companies to reinvent the use of manufacturing data in value creation. Cybersecurity is a critical aspect in the design of these interoperability platforms to ensure safety in manufacturing operations. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) allows to control the network architecture and behavior in a programmatic way, thus enabling innovative cybersecurity concepts that can be applied to manufacturing orientated interoperability ecosystems. The Virtual Factory Open Operating System (vf-OS) is an innovative multi-sided platform designed to enable collaboration between manufacturing companies. The vf-OS Holistic Security and Privacy Concept incorporates the latest standards and technologies to enable interoperability with industrial control systems (ICS) in the vf-OS ecosystem. This paper uses this state-of-the-art security concept to describe the role of SDN in securing manufacturing oriented interoperability ecosystems and presents an innovative proposal to further improve cybersecurity using SDN technology.