Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) face several challenges in the upcoming years. While Industry 5.0 is a lighthouse initiative towards a sustainable, human-centric and resilient industry, very few providers are actually ready to take the leap towards connected technologies in the manufacturing industry. There are several good reasons for this. First of all, computing and data management is not a part of the core competencies of OEMs and they have to recruit new talent and find new contractors to ensure Industry 5.0 readiness. Secondly, it is a hard nut to crack, even with specialised talent. 

Challenges hindering the development of connected manufacturing equipment 

1. Data security and Privacy concerns 

It is hard to ensure that data will not land in all the wrong places when an OEM works with external parties to develop and provide applications for the operation of the devices, for example. There might be an NDA in place in these cases and it will not be possible to comply with all terms in case a third party leaks the information or is getting hacked. This insecure multi-party collaboration paves the way to stagnation in developments. 

2. Compliance with regulations

There are several regulations that OEMs must adhere to when they start working with data management. GDPR is a comprehensive data protection regulation that applies to the processing of personal data within the EU. It mandates the implementation of appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of personal data. The Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive focuses on the security of network and information systems. It requires operators of essential services (OES) and digital service providers (DSPs) to take appropriate security measures. Other regulations include the ePrivacy regulation (related to the confidentiality of communications), the Cybersecurity Act (that establishes the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and a framework for European cybersecurity certification of products and services), the Product Liability Directive (regulating risks related to product liability), as well as national regulations and industry standards. 

3. Lack of trust

Users of connected devices tend to mistrust providers due to the novelty of such technologies and the lack of clarity where their data lands. Most manufacturers want devices that “just work”, but miss out on opportunities due to the lack of trust in available novelties.

4. Concerns about intellectual property

There are several aspects that need consideration regarding intellectual property protection. First of all, manufacturing plants often have trade secrets related to their recipes, manufacturing process, or proprietary machinery that might need to be added to software managed by the OEMs. On the other hand, the software developed by the OEM might also be something that they don’t want to share with the manufacturers being afraid of unauthorized access or reverse engineering.

5. Risk of data breaches and unauthorized access

Ensuring that only authorized staff has access to a system might be more challenging than ever when software and data are in the cloud and can’t be physically contained. 

6. Cloud and edge computing security awareness

As computing moves towards the cloud and edge environments, ensuring the security of data in transit and at rest is not enough. 

Confidential Cloud: a solution to the data challenges of Industry 5.0

Industry 5.0 has its challenges due to the complexity of data management. But OEMs must get into the game in order to gain competitive advantage – or to maintain their position in the market. 

Overcoming the cybersecurity challenge

Confidential Cloud can help mitigate the risks associated with data breaches, providing an additional layer of defence against unauthorised access and potential legal consequences.

Confidential computing enables data processing in encrypted and isolated environments, offering protection against unauthorised access. It safeguards sensitive data during processing, ensuring that only authorised parties have access to the decrypted information.

Implementing Confidential Cloud aligns with the GDPR’s principle of “security by design and by default,” demonstrating a proactive approach to data protection. Confidential Cloud can facilitate cybersecurity certification by helping address requirements under the Cybersecurity Act.

No need for plaintext datasets

OEMs as data processors no longer need to access plaintext datasets of their clients. This is a new paradigm for data security and privacy, made possible by state of the art data protection solutions. It helps establish trust between the collaborating parties, avoiding the thorny issues around sharing plaintext data. In secure multi-party collaborations multiple parties can process and analyse data without exposing the plaintext data to each other. This also reduces the risk of infringing the intellectual property rights.

Reach out to learn how Confidential Cloud works with your products.