NEMA, ISA partner to boost critical infrastructure cybersecurity using ISA/IEC 62443 standards

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced a memorandum of understanding with the International Society of Automation (ISA) to promote cybersecurity standards and practices for operation technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS), especially around the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards. The latest deal is focused on boosting 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 realize the urgent need to promote the ISA/IEC 62443 series of standards,” Patrick Hughes, senior vice president for technical and industry affairs at NEMA, said in a media statement last week. “This MOU will bring greater recognition of and reliance upon these critical OT cybersecurity standards that have been developed by ISA, the leading professional society for automation.” 

“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,” Andre Ristaino, managing director for global consortia and conformity assessment at ISA, said. “NEMA’s commitment to supply chain resilience and expertise in outreach and advocacy makes the organization an excellent partner for ISA.”

Both NEMA and ISA, which are authorized standards development organizations by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), are dedicated to creating and promoting cutting-edge standards and conformance initiatives that are used by public and private sector organizations throughout the globe. Developed by ISA and recognized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the IEC 62443 series of standards offers practicable guidance and resources to protect critical infrastructure and the supply chain. 

Raising awareness of the crucial role that ISA/IEC 62443 plays in ensuring OT/ICS cybersecurity in U.S. and international legislative, administrative, and regulatory authorities is one of the team’s top responsibilities.

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), and referenced in the U.S. Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cross-Sector Performance Goals (CPGs). These CPGs have in March this year been reorganized, reordered, and renumbered to align closely with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework functions. 

The standards have also been adopted by Standards Malaysia as a national Malaysian Standard; adopted by the Taiwan and Singapore governments into public policy language for securing OT; and adopted by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) mandatory Uniform Requirements for securing shipping vessel onboard controls.

Last month, the ISA held its OT Cybersecurity Summit that brought together in-person and online delegates, operators, service providers, regulators, and equipment suppliers. The event also highlighted developments within the ISA/IEC 62443 standards series, and technical training and certification programs designed to help implement the standards into business operations and workforce were reviewed.

Anna Ribeiro

Industrial Cyber News Editor. Anna Ribeiro is a freelance journalist with over 14 years of experience in the areas of security, data storage, virtualization and IoT.