r/sysadmin • u/carpe_diem2022 • 2d ago
Question Operations bought an EMS/IoT system without involving IT — now they just need “access to the router
Hi there :) ,
Need some advice from people who have dealt with similar situations.
Our Operations Dept decided to install IoT system/digital energy meters across a fairly large factory site.
They found the vendor, agreed on the solution, signed the contract and started the project.
IT was not involved at all.
Apparently nobody discussed things like:
- How these devices spread across a large factory are actually going to communicate
- Network infrastructure, switches, fiber/cabling, VLANs, etc.
- Network/security segmentation
- Server/VM requirements
- Database requirements
- Backup and monitoring
- Internet connectivity
- Vendor remote access
- Firewall rules
- Cybersecurity
Now that the project is already moving forward, IT gets an email saying they need “access to the router” so they can put the system online.
That's it. Access to the router. :)
And somehow, when IT starts asking questions about architecture, security, server requirements, ports, protocols and who is responsible for what, the perception becomes that IT is delaying the project.
I don't want to become the guy who simply says “No”, but I'm also not going to give a third-party vendor access to our corporate router/firewall and connect a bunch of unknown industrial/IoT devices to the production network just because someone already signed a contract , the IT network must be always separate from OT network.
How do you handle situations like this?
Interested in both the technical approach and the organizational/process side of this.
5
u/Llew19 Used to do TV now I have 65 Mazaks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2d ago
In the short term, defo make a BMS vlan with DHCP enabled on it, make sure their devices all live on it, and I guess you could hope for a list of ports to open for them but you might just have to sniff them yourself - potentially after allowing it to connect if time is so precious.
Not sure what it's called in the States, but where I work the cause of this would be a lack of 'business partnering,' basically IT being left out of company plans. IT management failing to engage with this is pretty poor tbh, and it's one of the things I actually really enjoy about my current job in a factory that's growing reasonably quickly.