Do you know the new W&T Microwall IO unit has Digital IO on board that you can use to enable/disable the firewall with a physical switch or a PLC output controlled by time logic?
The 55212 Microwall IO is a standard Microwall with Digital I/O on-board.
You can programme these I/O to change the state of the firewall.
For example you can wire a physical switch to an input to Enable/Disable the Network connection or the VPN connection or Firewall rules.
You could use a PLC to enable the network on an alarm so it can send an email or time-clock or logic basis.
At all other times it would be disconnected from the internet.
Linking critical systems to the intranet – isolation using the Microwall
Segmenting of individual function units is a common practice in companies for enhancing network security. Firewall routers monitor and control communication between the individual segments. Depending on the size of the company and units the necessary firewall rules become quickly evident. The Microwall is located as close to the vulnerable equipment as possible and creates a network island around the respective function unit.
Filtering rules in the form of a white list can be used to protect the equipment itself as well as the remainder of the network and data contained in it, so that now only expressly permitted communication is allowed between the island and the surrounding network. The set of filtering rules needed for securing the island is thereby usually reduced to a manageable degree.
