Vendor access: one path in, fewer surprises

Remote support keeps plants moving. Unmanaged remote support can quietly widen the door.

Remote support is part of modern industrial operations. Equipment specialists may be hundreds of miles away, and a timely connection can help diagnose a fault, restore a machine, or complete scheduled maintenance. For that reason, the objective is not to eliminate remote access. It is to make every connection understandable and controlled, so the support that keeps operations moving does not create a route into the environment that nobody can see or govern.

Over time, access paths often multiply. A company may have a central remote access platform, a legacy VPN retained for one supplier, a modem installed for an older machine, and remote-control software that a local team adopted during an urgent repair. Each path may have a story behind it. The risk emerges when those paths lack consistent ownership, authentication, approval, time limits, monitoring, and review. A pathway created for a specific service call can quietly become permanent infrastructure.

Start by making the pathways visible. Ask plant personnel, engineering, IT, procurement, and vendors how they actually connect, not only what the policy says. Record the destination systems, external parties, business purpose, owner, authentication method, approval process, and expected duration. Look for connections that bypass the standard route or depend on shared credentials. This inventory is not a blame exercise. It is a way to understand the operating need behind each connection and identify safer ways to meet it.

A stronger access process generally has several characteristics. Each person is identifiable, authentication is appropriate to the risk, and access is limited to the systems and time needed. A responsible site contact knows when work is happening. Sessions generate records that can be reviewed, and privileged actions receive suitable oversight. Where practical, approvals can tie to a ticket or service request so the reason for access and the work performed remain connected. The exact controls will vary by architecture and process; no single technical design fits every facility.

The operational experience matters as much as the control design. If a legitimate support engineer cannot get approval during a production issue, the organization may encourage workarounds. Bring operators and vendor managers into the process before rollout. Map common support scenarios, identify who can approve after hours, and create a rapid path for urgent but legitimate needs. Explain the standard method to suppliers and include requirements in onboarding, contracts, and service statements where appropriate. Predictability helps vendors comply and sites avoid improvising.

Exceptions should be managed as decisions, not forgotten artifacts. For each exception, record why it exists, which assets it reaches, what compensating safeguards apply, who accepts the remaining risk, and when the exception expires or is reviewed. An expiry date creates a reason to revisit the arrangement when equipment changes or a safer option becomes available. If an exception is renewed repeatedly, that is useful information for investment planning: it may point to a real support dependency that deserves a durable solution.

A sensible first project is one site and a clear outcome. Identify all known external access paths, confirm the business owner for each, remove paths that are no longer needed, and move active support onto an approved method where feasible. Test that method with a real maintenance scenario, including an after-hours case. Track the share of vendor sessions using approved, logged, time-bound access and the number of unmanaged paths closed. Include service continuity measures so teams can confirm that risk reduction did not make support impractical.

Remote access is where cybersecurity policy meets daily operations. Treating it as a shared operational capability makes the conversation more constructive: security brings identity and monitoring expertise, while plant teams explain equipment dependencies and service realities. Together they can reduce surprises without blocking necessary work. How does your organization make vendor access both convenient for the people who need it and accountable to the people responsible for the environment?

Procurement can reinforce the same model before equipment arrives. Include remote support expectations in supplier selection, contract language, commissioning, and acceptance. Ask how access is initiated, how credentials are managed, what telemetry is available, and how a supplier will notify the organization when its service changes. Addressing these questions early is usually easier than negotiating a new pathway during an urgent breakdown after a system is already in service.

John Moore · CEO, ITRoundTable.co.

ITRoundTable is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing IT, OT, and AI security through education and training. We work to engage, equip, and secure these environments worldwide.