NEMA, ISA partner to promote OT/ICS cybersecurity standard

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the International Society of Automation (ISA) announced a memorandum of understanding to promote cybersecurity standards and practices for operation technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS).

Specifically, the partnership will boost 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.

Developed by ISA and recognized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the ISA/IEC 62443 series offers practicable guidance and resources to protect critical infrastructure and the supply chain, the partners say.

In particular, NEMA and ISA look to raise awareness of ISA/IEC 62443 in US and global legislative, administrative, and regulatory bodies. To date, the standard has been included in the pending New York state legislation, Critical Infrastructure Standards and Procedures (CRISP) Act and referenced in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cross-Sector Performance Goals (CPG).

Outside North America, the standard has been adopted by Standards Malaysia as a national Malaysian Standard, as well as the Taiwan and Singapore governments’ public policy for securing operational technology and the International Association of Classification Societies’ (IACS) mandatory Uniform Requirements for securing shipping vessel onboard controls

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