emPOWERUP Podcast

27. Optimizing Manufacturing Workflows with Next Plus & AI

In this episode of the emPOWERUP Podcast from GrayMatter, host Jeremy Boren speaks with Mickey Shaposhnik, co-CEO of smart manufacturing platform Next Plus, about the “Human Internet of Things” and how manufacturers can find real ROI from workflow optimization systems. Next Plus, a GrayMatter partner, helps manufacturers reduce training and engineering time, decrease friction across operations and make technology more intuitive for operators and engineers alike. GrayMatter, a leading industrial technology solutions provider, spotlights this partnership as an example of how human-centered innovation drives real results in modern manufacturing plants. Visit https://graymattersystems.com/current-events/ [https://graymattersystems.com/current-events/] to stay up to date on upcoming and on-demand GrayMatter training classes and workshops.

26. Managed Services Mastery: Keeping Ahead of Cyber Threats and Regulations

GrayMatter Cyber Practice Director Scott Christensen aka "Scott," joins Brand Manager Jeremy Boren on the emPOWERUP Podcast for a chat about how industrial companies can quickly expand their OT cybersecurity capabilities by partnering with a managed services provider. Having trouble filling a cybersecurity role? So are hundreds of other companies in the U.S. It's a good time to look for a partner with the cyber expertise you need. Cybersecurity engineers with experience in operational technology are hard to find. Even rarer is finding one with experience building, or rebuilding, a secure OT network. It's probably best not to go it alone. Other topics we get into: New SEC rules & government regulations, protecting your systems from so-called hacktivists and understanding the difference between what we know as cybersecurity versus securing network infrastructure. Visit GrayMatter to start a project at: https://graymattersystems.com/cyber-security-for-operational-technology/ [https://graymattersystems.com/cyber-security-for-operational-technology/]

25. Better Budgeting for Utility Cybersecurity & Modernization - Ampcus VP Barbara Wilson

Ampcus Inc. VP of Technology Programs Barbara Wilson joins the emPOWERUP Podcast to discuss how water and wastewater utilities — and other public agencies — can adopt more agile budget practices through sole source providers and cooperatives. Utilities need to move quickly to modernize technology and strengthen cybersecurity, but budgeting procedures move at their own pace. Barbara shares lessons from her experience from working in senior IT and OT roles at Fort Worth Water in Texas and Metro Water Recovery in Denver, Colorado. Visit graymattersystems.com [https://graymattersystems.com/cyber-security-for-operational-technology/] for more about GrayMatter's cybersecurity offerings for water/wastewater.

24. Ransomware Targets Manufacturers - BlastWave CEO Tom Sego

GrayMatter's emPOWERUP Podcast hosts BlastWave CEO Tom Sego to discuss how a new partnership between GrayMatter and BlastWave enables industrial organizations to better protect their physical plant systems from cybersecurity threats. Sego said research shows malicious actors are, unfortunately, shifting their focus to manufacturing. "In 2022 manufacturing surpassed financial services to be the most-attacked industry," Sego said. "The average ransom payment in manufacturing is now exceeding an average of $2 million, versus the industry average, which is around $900,000." The GrayMatter-BlastWave partnership emerged from the realization that major manufacturers need to identify third-party cybersecurity vendors that demonstrate a deep background working with industrial technology systems and specialize in protecting operational technology.  OT cybersecurity tech and strategies discussed during the podcast episode include: • Phishing-resistant MFA (multi-factor authentication) • Micro-segmentation • Software-defined perimeter • Cybersecurity assessment Visit GrayMatter's Industrial Cybersecurity Offering to learn more: https://graymattersystems.com/cyber-security-for-operational-technology/ [https://graymattersystems.com/cyber-security-for-operational-technology/]

23. How Del-Co Water is Building a Mature Cybersecurity Strategy

Del-Co Water Company's service area contains three of Ohio's five fastest-growing counties. That includes its namesake Delaware County, which led all of Ohio's 88 counties with a population increase of 27 percent between 2010 and 2022 to about 222,000 people. A rapidly growing customer base requires Del-Co, a GrayMatter customer, to invest in new technology and train agile teams to meet rising potable water service demands while maintaining its record of providing clean drinking water to customers. Among its most recent priorities is a cybersecurity strategy it built with GrayMatter to protect its operational technology environment by implementing network segmentation replacing an existing firewall provider. Learn more at https://graymattersystems.com/cyber-security-for-operational-technology/