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A Smart Factory of Tomorrow Modernizes Secure Access Management

From a single shared master password to secure, role-based, and auditable access management.
Learn more about secure access management
modern_factory

Customer

  • SmartFactory-KL built the model factory as a collaborative environment to showcase what modern manufacturing can look like

  • The development team that works on the model factory includes researchers, partners, engineers, university workers, and students

  • SmartFactory-KL is a partner of SSH Communications Security
Powerful quantum-safe security solutions

Challenge: A single shared master password with minimal access oversight

One shared master password was used to access the SmartFactory-KL's model factory. Anyone who knew the password could log in to almost all system modules, change settings, or even modify program code. 

With this access model, the partner had no insight into who's accessing which parts of the model factory and what they're doing. No roles, no access logs, no audit logs.

Such an approach worked for the partner's day-to-day tasks but presented serious security risks. 

Solution: Secure, traceable, and role-based access management

SmartFactory-KL deployed PrivX to modernize and secure access to their model factory and demonstrate that privileged access management in industrial environments does not have to be complicated or time-consuming.

In the future, PrivX is also intended to manage the identities and permissions of software agents, both deterministic and AI, that perform tasks within the model factory. The system already provides the necessary technical foundation - the implementation will be the next joint use case.

"PrivX enables us to implement dynamic, role-based access management for all devices and services in the model factory. This not only enhances system security but also reduces the workload on IT administration and provides our developers with the fast, seamless access they’re accustomed to."

Benjamin Blumhofer
Benjamin Blumhofer SmartFactory-KL

Role-based access

Every member of the Demonstrator Construction Team that works on the model factory has a personal account with exactly the permissions required for their respective tasks. Whether on-site or connecting via VPN from a home office, access is secure, traceable, and limited exclusively to the authorized system modules 

Full audit logs

At the same time, all activities are logged. This makes it possible to track changes to the model factory's systems and code, while unintentional or accidental modifications have largely become a thing of the past. 

Reduced operational overhead

Day-to-day development work became much faster with user permissions synchronized automatically through an interface with GitLab. Additionally, new employees can get access faster than before, and access rights can be easily revoked when someone leaves the organization. This saves time and reduces administrative effort. 

Learn more about secure remote access with PrivX.