DCS
Distributed Control System
Prozessleitsystem
A DCS is a distributed control system for controlling complex, continuous industrial processes — such as in chemistry, refining or power generation. Unlike central controllers, it distributes the regulation across several stations connected via the plant network. It is the nervous system of large process facilities.
History & facts. DCS are designed for high availability and continuous operation over years. They connect controllers, operator stations (HMI) and process devices into an overall system and are tightly interwoven with the respective plant. Like many OT systems they arose at a time when isolation sufficed as protection; with IT/OT convergence their attack surface grows.
Outlook & recommendation. Because a DCS controls a running physical process, interventions and restarts are risky — security must therefore work predominantly passively and non-invasively: network segmentation, controlled remote access and monitoring that does not disrupt operations. This fits within the framework of IEC 62443 (zones and conduits) and is a typical field for OT monitoring as offered by NEOSEC.