MINING
Digital Transformation Roadmaps Against the backdrop of Covid 19, a slowed economy and an increasingly volatile market, digital transformation in mining companies has become a business imperative to drive efficiencies, optimise competitiveness and reduce risks associated with human error.
T
his shift, which brings the convergence of Operational Technologies (OT) and Information Technologies (IT), creates new cyber security challenges for mining enterprises and calls for proactive strategies to manage these risks.
their IT and OT under one management structure.
Stringent measures
“While mining companies must ensure that their OT and IT systems are effectively aligned to create value, they must have stringent measures in place to manage the cyber security-related risks associated with this convergence. As mining was one of the highest cyber-attacked industries in 2019, it is crucial to make sure the convergence of systems eliminate room for these kinds of threats and that access control is well-managed,” says Charl Ueckermann, CEO at AVeS Cyber Security.
“A combination of market volatility, rising costs, and Citing the World Economic Forum’s Digital Transchanging global demand are driving formation Initiative whitepaper, Charl says that a shift in the mining industry. digital mining is set to become a significant driver As with most industries, As for the global mining sector. The whitepaper mining companies are mining was states that digitisation could create more increasingly looking one of the highest than $320 billion in value for the industry for ways to leverage cyber-attacked industries by the end of 2025. technology to imin 2019, it is crucial to Although South African mining companies prove the efficiency make sure the convergence lag behind their Australian mining counterof their operations parts, technology, digitalisation, and data of systems eliminate room and reduce their planning are becoming more advanced. operational risks. for these kinds of threats Charl says that leading mining companies Most of our mining and that access control in Southern Africa are actively implementing clients have collapsed
is well-managed
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THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
VOL 70 Mar/Apr 2020
