Enterprise 4.0 to support Industrial Operational Excellence

Industry 4.0 supports the Industrial Digitalisation in reaching Operational Excellence. It is fundamental to focus on Human Resources supporting Employees 4.0, and to protect Industrial Plants with ICS Cybersecurity solutions.

ICS Cybersecurity. AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association) Speech December 2017

I was honoured to be invited as Speaker at the AFCEA Conference, speaking about OT Security and Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity.

Industrial plants and critical infrastructure sites are quite easy to be reached by cyber criminals.

Remote plants are often under-staffed, and multiple third-party vendors need remote access to the ICS/SCADA networks for equipment control.

Basic expectations of the IT world are completely foreign to the Operational Technology (OT) environment.

Digital Immune System is the right Approach.

Compliance to ISA/IEC 62443 Standards and IIACS Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security is mandatory.

The Conference was introduced by the Under Secretary of Italian Defence On. Domenico Rossi that focused the importance to avoid external and internal attacks to the National Critical Infrastructures and Defence Infrastructures.

Airport Summit 2016 in Palermo

I was very excited to be one of the speakers at Airport Summit 2016 in Palermo with speech on IT Security Holistic approach.

Interconnectivity is increasing as airports and their stakeholders leverage digital technology to work together more efficiently.

So IT Security and ICS Cybersecurity right approach is mandatory, to safely improve the Airport Business.

We looked at actual scenario and possible solutions including Predictive Analytics approach, that is probably the best solution to avoid malicious attacks.

Some airports allow employees to use their own smartphones, tablets, and computers for work purposes. There are many advantages coming from this approach, but it can also introduce many new vulnerabilities that must be addressed. In particular I focused Industrial Control Systems, IoT and BYOD.

Key Challange:

Not all operational technology (OT) is necessarily IT, and not all OT security requirements are addressed by IT security. Recognizing the uniqueness of OT is a prerequisite to ensure OT systems, such as industrial control and the Internet of Things (IoT), are effectively protected.

Security leaders responsible also of  OT systems should recognize expanded requirements to secure OT and understand the role of the IT security supporting OT security.

Travellers are more and more connected and many new ways to facilitate Travellers security check, comes from digitalization, affiliating new customers

Some Airport Organizations can be more focused to inform  Airport Staff on Security procedures and less available to push on Cybersecurity, this approach have to be changed.

Suggested approach by NIST:

1. Identify the equipment, software, business practices, and data flows within the organization, its networks and subnetworks. This inventory is required in order to understand the scope of implementing comprehensive protective measures but also to organize the myriad of details that are necessary, especially in the event of an attack. This inventory process needs to be an ongoing activity because systems frequently change, software is updated, and new personnel are hired.

2. Protect systems, data, and infrastructure by implementing and updating countermeasures in a prioritized manner through monitoring.

3. Detect cyberattacks in a timely manner by monitoring for anomalous activity on end-point systems, IT and communications networks, and in areas where sensitive IT and ICS infrastructure exists. It is important to periodically test the detection mechanisms for proper configuration and response to reduce both false positives and missed negatives.

4. Respond to cybersecurity attacks in a quick and effective manner, while minimizing the duration and extent of their impact. Effective response begins before an attack occurs with planning on how to react and with the collection of information and contacts that can help.

5. Recover

Predictive Analytics can be more successfull if used not only on informations coming from the Airport network, but managing alerts coming from the same Industry, or other Industries at worldwidw level. Some IT Security players can provide theese kind of information that have to be analyzed to predict future possible attack and act to protect the network before the attach will come, moving from “Risk Mitigation” to “Risk avoiding”.

If you know it, you avoid it !!

Big Data is nothing without Predictive Analytics, so my recommendation is to include external Security data in your Big data and use analytics for a more Holistic Prediction

The Feedback Culture

Working for many successful Market leaders I understood the deep importance of asking for Feedback.

The Feedback request is a way to communicate sharing our point of view regarding a possible action to take, based on a defined strategy. Doing a wrong step can compromise final results we want to achieve. Feedback is a pillar in the B2B Selling Cycle, many can consider this common subject, but not all the people understand the Power of Feedback.

Company Culture

A Company Culture is based on a shared Problem Solving Approach. There are many tools that can contribute to create a Company Culture; one of it is the right use of Feedback. In Feedback times, someone propose is point of view to someone else, sharing the risk to take an action. In Sales Process, Feedback shows a great Sales Management Vision. The Sales Process in B2B has to be clear and shared with all the Company actors, avoiding misunderstanding and passive resistance. Requesting a Feedback is a key to create a Common View, and approval, of the Selling Process. If you do not share your Point of View today, you cannot speak tomorrow. Times when Sales leaders were defining a Sales Process alone, without include colleagues to “play the Company”, are finished. Sales Process has to be shared, have to be clear and approved by all the colleagues that will be included in the process at certain time. Asking for Feedback during the Selling Process, for example, is a way to have and collect confirmation about next step, taking care about possible news and pressures coming from outside, from inside, and coming eventually by Customer changes. Asking for Feedback in a Selling Cycle is Vital in particular for long Selling Process Solutions.

No Feedback

Sometimes colleagues do not provide Feedback. Or they are late providing Feedback. If someone asks for your Feedback, and you cannot do it because busy, you have to reply something like: “ I am busy now, can I come back to you in a couple of hours?” Simply doing this, your colleague can manage the business need considering the two hours you promise; then obviously, you have to maintain the promise!!

But why people do not provide Feedback? Some example: One reply to me “I did not provide Feedback because the subject was so banal for me”… another one replied, “I can provide Feedback end of the day”, but he did not.

In a Professional Sales Process it is mandatory to provide Feedback, honestly and in time. If people do not do it, there are many different reasons, for example:

• I do not understand why you asking Feedback to me,
• I do not know how to reply,
• I am busy, and my business is much more important of your,
• I do not care about you,
• I am more important of you,
• I do not want to help you because I do not want you to be successful.

That kind of approach (do not provide Feedback), mean only that this guy do not care about the Company, he care only about himself.

Feedback Request and Leadership

It is a Feedback needs a lack of Leadership? No “au contraire mon ami” (on the contrary my friend). Feedback need mean that you accept suggestions from your colleagues, not because you do not know what to do, but because you understand that who receives your Feedback request can contribute to your Selling Cycle with valuable suggestions. All that is to better serve the Customer. Customer is not your own property, but is “property” of the Company you represent, so including some of your well-defined colleagues in the Selling Process, asking for Feedback, is a way to show your Leadership. I am scared about people that generally do not ask for Feedback.

People Feedback adverse, probably have low Leadership. This kind of people believe they are “the only one” that can find the best solution, in the Company, so do not need to ask for Feedback.

Contrary, asking “always” for Feedback can mean that you have no clear the next step. In this case, before to say you are not good enough, Top Management have to be sure that the Company Strategy is clear, well defined and shared at all level.

Asking Feedback to the Customer

Feedback is one of the best tools to use, sharing common target with your Customer during the Selling Process. Also asking the “obvious” can be important to avoid misunderstanding in the future. Feedback request is important also to show to the Customer the “transparency” of your approach; I mean showing that your first target is to have an happy and successful Customer, and that you want to build and open a long term relationship with him. Feedback request, in the Selling Process is the moment when the Selling Process and the Buying Process match!! So this is a pivotal moment that cannot be missed by a Professional Sales Manager. When you receive an “OK” to your Feedback request, this mean the Customer accept to go to the next step. If you receive a “NO” to your question you can loop back and fix the failure. If the Customer does not provide any kind of Feedback you are in trouble, freeze without any opportunity to proceed.

Conclusions

Asking for Feedback show Leadership, Business Maturity and a Professional Approach. People with no sense of urgency in providing Feedback have to improve their Company Culture and the way to be more collaborative to gain Leadership. Success is based on Teamwork, Communication creates Collaboration, so Feedback is the Key to open the Collaboration door and reach the final Success.

Selling with an Advisor Professional Approach

If you sell with a Professional Strategic approach, your Customer will thank you forever.

If Sales People spend their time only studying and understanding the solution features with target, selling to operational people on customer side, they are not helping the customer to change their way to be on the Market. This kind of approach do not help Corporations to improve their margins, reduce their costs and be compliant with the regulations tsunami; this kind of sales people are not able to change with innovation, because innovation is a concept to be sold at higher level using a Strategic and Advisor approach.  

Best job of the World

Selling with a Professional and Advisor approach, is probably one of the best job of the World: this job give you the opportunity to change the way Corporation are perceived on the Market and from their customers. You can help your Customer to grow and beat Competition. This is Fun!!  

Love your Customers

Your Customers have to clearly perceive that you really want to help them to Succeed. To do that ask questions and take care about their actual needs, define the Company Market Positioning, identify External and Internal Pressures, find a Solution that target Financial needs, Cultural needs, Strategic needs and also Operational needs. Find a Top Sponsor; involve Middle Management and Operational people. Selling is social collaboration result. 

Be Agent of Change

Be “Agent of Change” continue to be an actual good terminology for Professional Salesmen. Professional Sales People use innovation to support corporation to Change the way to reach Success and Support Success for Long Time. You want to be an “Agent of Change” or a Salesman? Your Customers have to understand that you are helping them to “Ride the Wave”. If Customers do not “Riding the Wave of Change” they will find themselves beneath it. 

  

Selling Vs Serving

Selling, start and finish with the product/service in your pocket. Serving approach never stops because is not related to your actual product or service to propose on the Market. With an Advisor approach, based on “serve your customer”, creating Long Terms Relationships, in your Professional life you can change Companies and Solutions to sell but anyway you will be in favor of your Clients because they will never forget your help in their personal agenda.  

Leadership

Leadership is based on “help other to be successful” and enjoy about it. So if you are able to serve your Customers using an Advisor approach based on Professional Selling, you are growing as a Leader. If people around you do not understand your selling approach based on “Serve your Customer” probably they do not want to understand your leadership. This is something to be managed with open talk based on trust. 

In conclusion, help your Customers to win using an high level Advisor and Professional Selling Approach; first will be Gratifying for You, second Customers will be Happy, last you will have the Purchase Order!!

Associazione Virgilio 2080

Virgilio 2080 Association, based in Rome Italy, collect Tutors involved in spontaneous and voluntary way to provide free of charge assistance to the Start-Up with the aim of adding Value and support young entrepreneurship, mainly in the Rotary International District 2080 Territory (Lazio and Sardinia Regions). Tutors of the Association are only Rotarians providing, free of charge, their Professional expertise and abilities, with competencies in all Industries and Professional areas. In the today Economy stagnation, or Economy slow-down, strong is the Start-Up need of young Entrepreneurs that need to use their creativity to go from the Idea of a new Product or Service to the Market, realizing their Business Dream. Virgilio 2080 Association is established to support and assist new Entrepreneur with Tutoring activities, without asking for payments, with the awareness that Italian Entrepreneur Abilities are the better way to emerge in the Domestic and International arena. Virgilio 2080 Association will promote the “Programma Virgilio” using the Successful Model, the Values and the Guide Lines. Maurizio Milazzo is the Vice President of Associazione Virgilio 2080.

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