Case Study: OT Systems Company — Accelerating ISA 62443 Certification

The client, ACME, is a leading Italian company specializing in OT systems for highly regulated sectors such as maritime and Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS). For confidentiality reasons, the client’s name has been changed.

Challenge

To meet growing market demands, ACME’s customers required ISA 62443 certification across the supply chain within tight deadlines. This created an urgent need to align processes and products with stringent security standards — a complex task requiring specialized technical expertise and comprehensive operational support.

Project Objectives

• Certify ACME’s development process in accordance with ISA 62443–4–1.
• Certify dozens of OT products to meet ISA 62443–4–2 standards.

V-Research’s Solution

We partnered with ACME to design and implement a structured approach, providing end-to-end support:

• Specialized technical consulting on ISA 62443 standards, offering in-depth guidance on regulatory requirements.
• Security review of the product development system, ensuring compliance with applicable standards.
• Implementation of cybersecurity policies and procedures, enhancing internal controls.
• Technical risk analysis of OT products to identify vulnerabilities and critical issues.
• Development of mitigation strategies to address gaps in meeting ISA 62443–4–2 technical controls.
• Integration of external technical resources, strengthening ACME’s internal cybersecurity team.

Results

With our support, ACME achieved significant milestones:

• Progress toward ISA 62443 certification for both the development process and OT products.
• Expansion of the partnership to include a new ISO 27001 certification project, solidifying client trust.

Conclusion

This project demonstrates how targeted technical expertise and strategic planning enable companies to quickly align with market-required security standards. Our collaboration with ACME strengthened its position as a reliable leader in secure OT systems production.

The implemented solutions not only ensure regulatory compliance but also establish a strong foundation for ACME’s future resilience. The improvements in internal processes and technical capabilities empower the company to effectively address client security needs and maintain a competitive edge in regulated industries.