Industrial technology multinational Rockwell Automation has released a new app to help operations managers, plant floor managers and information technology/operational technology (IT/OT) professionals gauge levels of operational risk within their connected infrastructures.

The Assessment Hub app helps professionals assess networks, automation assets and cybersecurity against current best practice and delivers a risk rating upon which remedial work can be prioritised, explains Rockwell Automation customer support and maintenance Europe, Middle East and Africa regional director Marc Baret.

The app covers networks, automation assets and cybersecurity and has been developed to help managers improve their awareness of the increased level of risks associated with the growing expansion of connected workspaces and smart manufacturing.

The app asks a series of simple, intuitive and thought-provoking questions before delivering a personalised low-, medium- or high-risk rating, relative to current industry best practice.

Modern connected manufacturing operations rely on robust, secure interconnected infrastructures and assets. A weakness at any point in this chain can introduce significant operational risks.

As factories and plants grow organically into a connected enterprise, it can be tough to keep track of precisely what has been installed and its potentially negative effects on the enterprise should any issues arise, Baret says.

"We have developed this app to act as the starting point for a more thorough plant assessment because in our significant experience, from projects all over the globe, simple operational issues and risks can often be indicative of larger, more widespread problems, which are not always that easy to predict or analyse."

By asking questions about networks, assets and security – even just a few simple ones, such as those used in the app, users can start to build a picture of where the potential risks are and then evolve and expand their operations in a more structured and well-managed environment.

"The primary aim of the app and our Network Security Services is to help our customers build a more secure and robust architecture upon which future, more productive and more profitable operations can be based,” Baret states.