Secure Remote Access to PLCs Without Giving Vendors the Keys to Your Network
Give engineers and third-party support the access they need while controlling credentials, limiting exposure, and maintaining an audit trail.
Review Your Remote Access ArchitectureRemote Support Should Not Mean Broad Network Access
Manufacturers and industrial operators depend on controls engineers, integrators, and equipment vendors. Traditional remote-access methods can expose more of the environment than the support task requires.
Broad VPN access, shared credentials, exposed remote-desktop services, and persistent support tools make it difficult to control where a user can go—or establish exactly what happened during a session.
- Vendor access reaches beyond the approved system
- Privileged passwords are shared or known externally
- Access remains active after the support window
- Remote actions cannot be reviewed later
Access built around the task
WTSS designs controlled access paths to approved industrial systems. Depending on the environment, the architecture can isolate credentials, proxy supported sessions, apply approvals and time limits, and retain session evidence without handing a vendor unrestricted network access.
How Controlled Industrial Access Works
Request
The engineer or vendor requests access for an approved purpose and period.
Authorize
Policy and approval determine the systems and access method allowed.
Connect
The session is brokered or proxied without revealing managed credentials.
Review
Session activity and access history support investigation and accountability.
Protect Production While Enabling Support
Reduce Broad VPN Access
Limit remote users to the approved access path and target systems.
Protect Credentials
Keep privileged passwords isolated from third parties where supported.
Record Sessions
Maintain evidence of supported remote activity for review.
Apply Time Limits
Replace permanent access with a defined support window.
Improve Accountability
Associate access with an identifiable user, request, and session.
Support Operations
Preserve a practical route for troubleshooting critical equipment.
Systems and Access Scenarios
The architecture is tailored to the protocols, segmentation, and operational requirements of the environment.
Technology and architecture
Depending on validated requirements, implementations may use privileged session proxying, credential management, approval workflows, session recording, and supported remote protocols. Technologies can include One Identity Safeguard for Privileged Sessions, Safeguard for Privileged Passwords, and Safeguard Remote Access.
These controls complement—not replace—network segmentation, secure configuration, patching, monitoring, and other layers of OT security.
Review Your Industrial Remote Access
We can help map who connects, what they can reach, how credentials are handled, and where better controls can reduce risk.