Programmable Logic Controller Virtualization
Summary: At S4x19 in Miami, a Dragos presenter examined the current and potential future state of programmable logic controller virtualization, defining it as software that looks and behaves like specific hardware. The article notes that DCS vendors already deploy virtualized controller CPUs on commodity Windows or Linux servers, often without a catalog listing or SKU, but that CPU virtualization covers only about a quarter of what full PLC virtualization would require.
Key Takeaway: One energy company executive who responded to the author's LinkedIn post said his firm's OT devices outnumbered its global IT assets by more than double despite 50,000-plus employees - the scale at which PLC cost and hardware lock-in compound, and the reason a vendor that becomes the "VMware of OT" would gain outsized market influence.
Read the original at Dragos Blog ↗
- Topics
- OT / ICS & Critical Infrastructure
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