Last month we provided the eight vendors in the Proof of Concept (POC) Pavilion with a detailed description of the OT system and a logistics document that explains how the POC Pavilion will operate, including the on-stage live demo. Now we are sharing these documents with you.
The purpose of the POC Pavilion is to demonstrate to S4 attendees OT security products solving an asset owner problem. Each vendor identified the problem they will solve and the metric(s) that will determine if their solution was successful. As the name suggests, we are simulating a proof of concept project a vendor would perform on a small part of an asset owner system.
Booz Allen is bringing down and will run the OT environment that simulates an automotive paint line and assembly line with a high degree of realism. The system information package they have provided is more detailed and accurate than a vendor would typically receive from an asset owner. S4 is for the leading / bleeding edge, therefore our simulated asset owner has one of the more mature OT and ICS security programs.
This month we are in the Q & A phase of the eight POC projects. The asset owner has provided the available system information, and now the vendors are asking questions. Like a typical POC the asset owner will provide answers if possible without too much work, and there are likely to be some unknowns and curveballs facing the vendors when they arrive on site. The POC Pavilion is testing more than the technical solution. It’s also testing the vendor’s ability to successfully implement a POC project.
The interesting part of the logistics document for attendees is how the on-stage live demo will take place. Our hope is all eight go well, and we will be prepared to step if there is hand waving of filibustering rather than showing how their solution solves the problem on the POC Pavilion system. The rest of the document is provided for transparency, and to reinforce the point that this is not a typical room with vendor tabletops they bring to many events.