Signal Snapshot

ISA announced updates in 2025 including ANSI/ISA-62443-2-1-2024 (published January 28, 2025) and ISA-TR62443-2-2-2025 (announced December 4, 2025). IEC also published IEC PAS 62443-1-6:2025 in December 2025 to guide application of the 62443 series to IIoT.

Engineering Impact

This matters to manufacturing teams because OT risk is now increasingly managed as a lifecycle program, not a one-time network project. IIoT expansion adds new interfaces, vendors, and maintenance paths that bypass older control assumptions.

Plant Readiness Scorecard (Unique)

Use a simple 5-check scorecard per site before expanding connected assets.

  • Asset inventory quality: Can you list PLCs, HMIs, gateways, and remote-access paths accurately?
  • Change control: Are logic and firmware changes traceable to approved work orders?
  • Access governance: Are contractor and OEM accounts time-bound and reviewed?
  • Recovery practice: Has the site tested restore procedures for critical controllers and HMIs?
  • Segmentation evidence: Is network separation verified in practice, not only on diagrams?

Decision Trigger

If a site is adding IIoT gateways or remote diagnostics before passing the scorecard, slow deployment and fix program gaps first. Connectivity without governance increases downtime and safety exposure.