How to Overcome the Limitations of Legacy Secure Remote Access (SRA)

A New Reality Requires New Solutions

For many decades, industrial enterprises protected their operational technology (OT) environments by isolating them from other systems and applications. Today, however, connectivity and remote work are emerging as the norm rather than the exception. In this new reality, organizations in industries like manufacturing, energy, and oil & gas need solutions to enable employees as well as third-party contractors to remotely access critical systems.

As we explored in our last blog, legacy secure remote access (SRA) solutions largely fall short when it comes to ensuring safe, secure access to OT environments. The limitations of traditional SRA tools like VPNs and jump servers include:

• Insufficient security

• Need for a cloud connection

• Limited supervisory controls following initial verification

Fortunately, the news for industrial organizations is not all bad. While legacy SRA may not meet their distinctive needs, more modern solutions like Cyolo PRO (Privileged Remote Operations) are purpose-built to solve the toughest access-related challenges facing critical industries.

Discover Cyolo PRO, the SRA Solution Built for OT

Many legacy SRA tools were designed for the digital world of information technology (IT) and only later deployed in OT environments as the need for remote access became urgent. But IT and OT have different priorities, and an SRA solution built for a cloud-first tech company may have significantly less success at a manufacturing organization whose operations are run fully or partially on-premise.

Unlike legacy SRA, Cyolo PRO (Privileged Remote Operations) was developed specifically for the realities of the OT environment, allowing it to overcome the many weaknesses of VPNs, VDIs, jump servers, and other traditional SRA tools. Let's look at the 7 shortcomings identified in our last blog and see how Cyolo PRO solves these issues.

1. Cyolo PRO Ensures the Highest Security Standard

Cyolo PRO is designed to satisfy the strictest OT security standards and also to ensure safety, the number one priority in any OT environment. Due to its unique decentralized architecture, Cyolo PRO allows all secrets, data, and encryption keys to remain within the customer’s trusted boundaries at all times, demonstrating true zero-trust security and mitigating the risk of exposure.

2. Cyolo PRO Does Not Require a Cloud Connection

Legacy SRA solutions typically need a cloud connection in order to function. Cyolo PRO, by contrast, facilitates secure access to every type of environment – cloud-connected/online, on-premise, and fully isolated. Even OT environments that are disconnected from the internet and all other networks can use Cyolo PRO to allow users and devices to connect in a safe and secure manner.

3. Cyolo PRO Adheres to the Principle of Least Privilege

Cyolo PRO connects identities to applications in full accordance with the principle of least privilege, which states that users and devices should have access only to the resources they need to do their jobs – and nothing more. Following identity verification, access is granted only to authorized tools and resources and never to the full network, substantially curtailing the amount of damage a potential attacker could cause. In addition, Cyolo PRO enables admins to quickly and easily set granular access and actions policies far beyond what is possible with legacy SRA tools.

4. Cyolo PRO Provides Visibility and Key Supervisory Controls

Cyolo PRO not only secures the initial access point but also provides visibility and an extensive range of crucial controls for the duration of each connection. These include session recording, control over what specific actions may be performed during a session, and the ability to terminate a connection in real time if suspicious behavior is detected. Supervised access and/or just-in-time (JIT) access can be enabled as an added security protection, and all activity is fully logged and audited for incident response and compliance purposes.

5. Cyolo PRO Secures Third-Party Access

Securing third-party vendor access to critical systems is a key requirement for many if not most industrial enterprises. Cyolo PRO offers the controls needed to confidently connect third-party vendors to even the most sensitive systems and resources. Admins can easily configure granular access and actions policies to limit what third-party users can see and do while connected. Plus, the solution is agentless, eliminating the need for any downloads.

6. Cyolo PRO Scales Easily and Reduces Operational Burden

Cyolo PRO delivers seamless scalability while simultaneously improving operational agility. Deployment across even dozens of sites is fast and easy, and admins can set access and actions controls at both the application and user group levels. Thanks to Cyolo PRO’s multi-tenancy structure, admins have the option to easily manage, control, and standardize access and actions policies in multi-site organizations.

7. Cyolo PRO Provides an Ideal User Experience

Strong security shouldn’t come at the expense of good user experience. Cyolo PRO doesn’t force workers to change their usual routines, but it does keep them happy with its fast connection speeds and ease of use. According to Gibson Mark, senior systems administrator at Cyolo customer Tata Chemicals, "the ease of use of the remote access has been increased for both third party individuals and for our internal employees as well. The adoption rates of these secure remote access methods has gone up substantially since we implemented Cyolo."

Take the Next Step

The days of settling for an SRA solution that doesn't fully meet your needs are over! Reach out now to schedule a commitment-free conversation with a Cyolo team member.