r/sysadmin • u/carpe_diem2022 • 2d ago

Question Operations bought an EMS/IoT system without involving IT — now they just need “access to the router

Hi there :) ,

Need some advice from people who have dealt with similar situations.

Our Operations Dept decided to install IoT system/digital energy meters across a fairly large factory site.

They found the vendor, agreed on the solution, signed the contract and started the project.

IT was not involved at all.

Apparently nobody discussed things like:

  • How these devices spread across a large factory are actually going to communicate
  • Network infrastructure, switches, fiber/cabling, VLANs, etc.
  • Network/security segmentation
  • Server/VM requirements
  • Database requirements
  • Backup and monitoring
  • Internet connectivity
  • Vendor remote access
  • Firewall rules
  • Cybersecurity

Now that the project is already moving forward, IT gets an email saying they need “access to the router” so they can put the system online.

That's it. Access to the router. :)

And somehow, when IT starts asking questions about architecture, security, server requirements, ports, protocols and who is responsible for what, the perception becomes that IT is delaying the project.

I don't want to become the guy who simply says “No”, but I'm also not going to give a third-party vendor access to our corporate router/firewall and connect a bunch of unknown industrial/IoT devices to the production network just because someone already signed a contract , the IT network must be always separate from OT network.

How do you handle situations like this?

Interested in both the technical approach and the organizational/process side of this.

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u/BananaSacks 1d ago

Agreed, but ya never know. And regardless, compliance can quickly become liability and consequences.

27

u/Top-Perspective-4069 IT Manager 1d ago

That's why this whole thing should be a management issue and not a sysadmin issue. Sysadmin provides pertinent information, management decides what to do.

10

u/BananaSacks 1d ago

Agreed, 100%. See my main comment to OP at the top level comments.

5

u/Nuxi0477 1d ago

"We already paid, give them what they need." :(

6

u/Top-Perspective-4069 IT Manager 1d ago

And that's a decision. But just doing a thing without raising the flag first is dumb.