The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the International Society of Automation (ISA) issued a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote cybersecurity standards and practices for operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS), specifically the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards.
OT and ICS enable the functionality of numerous manufacturing processes. This partnership aims to boost policies that reference the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards in the establishment of codes, incentives and mandates for cybersecurity OT/ICS automation and systems.
NEMA and ISA—both accredited standards development organizations by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)—share a commitment to developing and promulgating standards and conformance programs that are relied upon by public- and private-sector entities the world over.
“NEMA and ISA realize the urgent need to promote the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards,” said Patrick Hughes, senior vice president, technical & industry affairs, NEMA. “This MOU will bring greater recognition of and reliance upon these critical OT cybersecurity standards that have been developed by ISA.”
Developed by ISA and recognized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the series of standards offers practicable guidance and resources to protect critical infrastructure and the supply chain, he added.
Particular priorities for the team include raising awareness in U.S. and global legislative, administrative and regulatory bodies about the important role that ISA/IEC 62443 plays in assuring OT/ICS cybersecurity.
According to ISA, the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards have recently been:
• included in the pending New York state legislation, Critical Infrastructure Standards and Procedures (CRISP) Act
• referenced in the latest edition of NFPA 70 National Electric Code published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
• referenced in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) cross-sector performance goals (CPGs)
• adopted by Standards Malaysia as a national Malaysian Standard
• adopted by the Taiwan and Singapore governments into public policy language for securing operational technology
• adopted by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) mandatory uniform requirements for securing shipping vessel onboard controls.
“We are excited about this partnership with NEMA, which will allow the reach and awareness of ISA/IEC 62443 that ISA has already achieved to grow even further,” said Andre Ristaino, managing director, global consortia and conformity assessment, at ISA. “NEMA’s commitment to supply chain resilience and expertise in outreach and advocacy makes the organization an excellent partner for ISA.”
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association represents more than 300 electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers. The International Society of Automation is a non-profit professional association founded in 1945 to create a better world through automation. Its mission is to empower the global automation community through standards and knowledge sharing.
