Backup & Disaster Recovery Essentials for Operational Technology

The Industrial DevOps Journey

In the world of industrial automation, downtime can be incredibly costly. Every minute of production stoppage translates to lost revenue, missed deadlines, and potential damage to your reputation. The recently published State of Industrial DevOps Report showed that downtime cost $70,000 per minute on average across 200 North American based respondents. That's why disaster recovery and automated file backups are essential for any modern manufacturing operation.

But what exactly do these terms mean for Operational Technology (OT)?

Disaster recovery is your plan of action for getting your OT (operational technology) operations back on your feet after an unexpected event, such as equipment malfunction, software failure, cyberattack, natural disaster, or other trigger of unplanned downtime. It involves having procedures and systems in place to quickly restore operations and minimize downtime.

‍Automated file backups are like insurance for your critical data. They involve regularly creating copies of your PLC code, configurations, and other important files and storing them securely in a separate location. This ensures that even if your primary systems fail or data gets corrupted, you have a reliable AND recent backup to restore from.

The Role of Industrial DevOps in OT Disaster Recovery: Minimize Unplanned Downtime

Industrial DevOps plays a crucial role in supporting disaster recovery and automated file backups for industrial automation systems. Here's how:‍

OT Disaster Recovery

  • ‍Version Control: All code, configurations, and documentation are stored in a version control system, enabling rapid rollback to previous stable versions as and when needed.
  • ‍Cloud-Based Solutions: Cloud platforms offer built-in disaster recovery capabilities, such as replication and failover mechanisms, further enhancing resilience.  
  • ‍Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): CI/CD pipelines automate the build, testing, and deployment of software, ensuring that a tested and reliable version can be quickly deployed to restore operations.
  • ‍Automated Testing: Automated tests built into the CI/CD pipeline verify the functionality of the system after recovery, ensuring a smooth and reliable restoration.

Automated File Backups

  • ‍Version Control Systems: Version control systems automatically track changes to PLC code and related files, providing a comprehensive history of all modifications.‍
  • Automated Backup Schedules: DevOps practices enable the configuration of automated backup schedules to regularly back up critical files and configurations.  ‍
  • Centralized Repositories: Backups are stored in centralized repositories in the cloud, ensuring data redundancy and accessibility.‍
  • Backup Verification: Automated tests can be implemented to verify the integrity and recoverability of backups, ensuring they can be reliably used in case of data loss.

Benefits of DevOps-Enabled Disaster Recovery & Backups for Operational Technology Leaders

  • ‍Reduced Downtime: Rapid recovery and restoration of systems minimizes production downtime and financial losses.‍
  • Increased Resilience: Automated backups and disaster recovery procedures enhance the resilience of industrial automation systems against failures and disruptions.‍
  • Improved Data Protection: Regular backups and version control protect valuable code and configurations from loss or corruption.  ‍
  • Enhanced Collaboration: Centralized repositories and version control facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among teams.  
  • Reduced Risk: Automated processes and testing reduce the risk of human error and ensure reliable recovery procedures.  ‍
  • Compliance-Ready: Industrial DevOps helps organizations to be compliance-ready, supporting frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001.

By implementing Industrial DevOps practices, manufacturers can significantly improve their disaster recovery preparedness and ensure the protection of critical automation systems and data.