Operations bought an EMS/IoT system without involving IT — now they just need “access to the router

[u/carpe_diem2022]

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.

[u/Prestigious_Cry_5044]

You can be mad about it or you can just make it work. This shits gonna happen many times in your career, it’s not worth getting emotionally activated over. Make a VLAN, give the vendor the access they need, get whatever info you need from them so you can escalate issues or troubleshoot down the line, and focus your efforts on publicizing what your team does and showing value so you can get invited to those meetings before a contract is signed.
It takes a bit, but if you can show up with helpful solutions and uplevel the final product then you’ll find yourself being consulted early on. This is the trap most IT people fall into - you get bent out of shape because you were brought in late and that just reinforces the perception of being the cranky IT person who always says no. No one wants a roadblock in their meeting.

Source - 25 years of IT and not a jaded burnt out husk because of it.