Schneider Electric launches Connected Services with Claroty

Schneider Electric has announced its offering of Connected Services enabled by the Cybersecure Remote Connection, in collaboration with Claroty, the security company for cyber-physical systems across industrial, healthcare and commercial environments.

Schneider Electric is teaming up with Claroty to assist in maintaining cybersecurity for physical assets - a critical issue.

Jessica Owen, APAC connected services lead with Schneider Electric, says, "Without a cybersecure way to connect, services teams were limited to either providing support from a distance via phone or taking the time and expense to travel onsite.

"The joint solution with Claroty provides an avenue for support teams to see and analyse as much information as they would have access to when arriving on-site, but at the speed of our modern digital world.

According to the company, the customer controls all access, and IT managers gain transparency over connection data. Overall, system cybersecurity is enhanced with Claroty's end-to-end encryption and secure authentication.

The Cybersecure Remote Connection gives customers immediate, direct access to the experts behind Schneider Electric's Digital Services.

For industries such as manufacturing, energy generation and mining, minerals and metals (MMM), prompt resolution of problems translates into millions of dollars captured in production optimisation, the company states.

When problems lead to downtime, even more money is at stake: unplanned downtime costs industrial manufacturers an estimated $50 billion per year, according to Deloitte.

Nick Nindra, APJ channel sales lead at Claroty, says, "Schneider Electric Process Automation is leading the digital space by offering customers a complete portfolio of remote, connected services with this new offering.

"We are proud to enhance this advance with the Claroty Platform, which is purpose-built for the unique operational, administrative and security needs of industrial networks.

Once activated, the Cybersecure Remote Connection acts as a frictionless, reliable and secure remote access gateway to the OT environment, letting Schneider Electric experts operate remotely.

"It's as if the expert providing support is right there in the control room, and the connection is as quick as making a phone call," Nindra explains.

According to the company, Connected Services reduces mean time to repair (MTTR) in a number of ways, including:

• When an alarm alerts operators to a problem and they call for support, instead of relying on traditional over-the-phone verbal communication methods, customers can activate the Cybersecure Remote Connection, and their Schneider Electric support engineer can commence resolution activities immediately upon logging in.
• Many issues that would have previously required the additional time and expense of travel can now be resolved quickly and efficiently through the Cybersecure Remote Connection's virtual portal. In cases where site attendance is still required to resolve the issue, the support engineer can arrive at the plant already knowing the full details of the situation and equipped to resolve the matter faster.
• The Cybersecure Remote Connection also enables ongoing system health checks. Experts from Schneider Electric's Connected Services team can log in as often as a customer wants to run a health check and proactively address issues.

Businesses are relying on digital, connected technology to remain competitive. Schneider Electric has designed its digital service offerings to help customers extract the most value from their connected assets, the company states.

Expert engineers combine their proficiencies with technology to analyse data and proactively identify the intervention areas that can bring the most value to customers.

The Claroty Platform provides an additional layer to bring customers and Schneider Electric's digital service experts together for even faster, more efficient, and always secure collaboration, the company states.