Software-Defined Networking to Improve Cybersecurity in Manufacturing Oriented Interoperability Ecosystems

Industry 4.0 is reshaping the manufacturing industry. Through Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and cloud computing, manufacturing orientated interop- erability ecosystems allow companies to reinvent the use of manufacturing data in value creation. Cybersecurity is a critical aspect in the design of these interoperability platforms to ensure safety in manufacturing operations. Software-Defined Network- ing (SDN) allows to control the network architecture and behavior in a programmatic way, thus enabling innovative cybersecurity concepts that can be applied to manufac- turing orientated interoperability ecosystems. The Virtual Factory Open Operating System (vf-OS) is an innovative multi-sided platform designed to enable collabo- ration between manufacturing companies. The vf-OS Holistic Security and Privacy Concept incorporates the latest standards and technologies to enable interoperability with industrial control systems (ICS) in the vf-OS ecosystem. This paper uses this state-of-the-art security concept to describe the role of SDN in securing manufac- turing oriented interoperability ecosystems and presents an innovative proposal to further improve cybersecurity using SDN technology.