Discovery for Operational Technology

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 7, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Discovery for Operational Technology

    Discovery for Operational Technology enables users to identify IT-class Operational Technology (OT) devices within specified Purdue levels in Industrial Control System (ICS) networks. This includes devices such as switches, routers, and computers located in data centers and factories. It operates similarly to standard Discovery processes but is tailored for OT environments.

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    Key Features

    • Targeted Purdue Levels: Discovery for Operational Technology focuses on Purdue levels 3.5 and 3, which include the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and site operations. It is advised not to run discovery processes on Purdue levels 0 through 2 to avoid disrupting industrial operations.
    • Discovery Process: The process discovers hardware items by checking assigned IP addresses and triggers internal events to update or create Configuration Items (CIs) in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
    • Application Tracking: The discovery also creates OT entity records for applications installed on discovered OT devices, which can be viewed in the Industrial Workspace under Applications.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing Discovery for Operational Technology, customers can effectively manage and monitor their OT devices, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information within their CMDB. This functionality enhances visibility and control over OT environments, facilitating better operational management.

    You can run the Discovery for Operational Technology function to discover IT class Operational Technology (OT) devices in designated Purdue levels in your Industrial Control System (ICS) networks. IT class items include switches, routers, and computers that exist both in data centers and in your factories.

    Where standard Discovery processing takes place

    The Discovery for Operational Technology process operates in a manner that is similar to the standard Discovery processes.

    Figure 1. Targeted Purdue levels in standard and Operational Technology Discovery
    Targeted Purdue levels in standard and Operational Technology Discovery.

    Standard Discovery processing in the ServiceNow AI Platform® normally takes place in the following Purdue levels in your enterprise:

    Table 1. Processed Purdue levels
    Purdue Level Description
    4 Site business and logistics, such as all Information Technology (IT) functions.
    5 Enterprise Network, where Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) functions take place.
    Note:
    To learn more about Purdue levels in Industrial Control Systems, see https://subscription.packtpub.com/book/networking_and_servers/9781788395151/1/ch01lvl1sec10/the-purdue-model-for-industrial-control-systems.

    Where and how Discovery for Operational Technology processing takes place

    In contrast, Discovery for Operational Technology processing can take place in the following Purdue levels, depending on which you select when you create an OT discovery schedule:
    Table 2. Processed Purdue levels
    Purdue Level Description
    3.5 Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) or Industrial Demilitarized Zone (IDMZ). Similar to a traditional (IT) DMZ, the OT-oriented IDMZ enables you to securely connect networks with different security requirements.
    3 Site operations where plant or site-wide control and monitoring functions reside.
    You typically run Discovery for Operational Technology in the DMZ (or IDMZ, Purdue Level 3.5) of your ICS networks. This Purdue level is where there are usually IT and OT class computers and servers to discover and manage.
    Note:
    To avoid the possibility of disrupting your industrial operations, you should not run Discovery processes against Purdue levels 0 through 2 in your ICS networks.
    Figure 2. Discovery for Operational Technology processing
    Discovery for Operational Technology processing.

    When you run an OT discovery schedule, it performs the following processing:

    1. Proceeds through the assigned IP addresses and discovers all hardware items that exist in it.
    2. When it completes discovery of a configuration item (CI), it internally triggers a (discovery.device.complete) event. This logic checks if an OT entity (cmdb_ot_entity) record exists for it in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
      • If one exists, and any related attributes have changed for the discovered item, it updates the OT Entities that are related to that CI.
      • If one does not exist, it creates one for it.
    3. In addition to the location attribute, it also pushes the defined attributes from the OT discovery schedule to the CI and to the related OT entity records.
    4. It also creates OT entity records for the applications installed on discovered OT devices. To view the applications that have OT entity records created through OT Discovery, navigate to the Industrial Workspace list view and open the Applications list under Operational Technology (OT).