Ashish Agrawal on legacy technology
From Ashish Agarwal on OT Visibility as a Cybersecurity Enabler · · Claroty
“Legacy machines that are 15 to 20 years old work perfectly fine but cannot communicate with current technology protocols, so we implement solutions that convert their data into a language we can understand, which creates additional work for security patching and management.”
On , Ashish Agrawal, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Principal Accounting Officer at CTS CORP, spoke about legacy technology during Ashish Agarwal on OT Visibility as a Cybersecurity Enabler on Claroty.
About Ashish Agrawal
Ashish Agarwal, Director of Operational Technology at Agco, discussed the role of visibility in OT cybersecurity in an October 2024 appearance. He described visibility as a "foundational piece" of a cybersecurity program, stating that without knowing how many OT devices an organization has, it cannot produce solutions for connectivity or protection. Agarwal noted that three years prior, his organization began its cybersecurity journey with no knowledge of its OT devices and started by manually collecting data in a spreadsheet. He identified legacy technology as a challenge to attaining visibility, explaining that 15- to 20-year-old machines that work perfectly cannot communicate with current protocols, requiring solutions to convert their data. Agarwal also highlighted the next challenge as IoT devices embedding 5G adapters that vendors want direct open internet access to for maintenance, which his organization addresses by enforcing firewall routes and not allowing direct 5G or 4G connections. In a September 2023 appearance at the ET Annual Gas Conclave, Agarwal, then Managing Director & CEO of Seros Logistics, praised the event for its relevant speakers and diverse topics. He stated that hearing different perspectives and sharing one's own perspective, along with audience engagement, makes an event successful. Agarwal expressed excitement about a panel on opportunities of 60 billion dollars in the space, noting that it allows for holistic decision-making by hearing everyone's views rather than taking decisions in silos.