KANSAS CITY, Missouri — 1898 & Co., a leading industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity consulting and solutions provider, and Dragos Inc., a global leader in cybersecurity for ICS and operational technology (OT) environments, announced the expansion of 1898 & Co. Managed Threat Detection and Response managed security service into the smart manufacturing space with its implementation at AZCO, a heavy industrial construction and prefabrication solutions provider. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, AZCO performs its work throughout the U.S., serving the power generation, renewables, battery storage, refinery and petrochemical, food and beverage, general manufacturing, and pulp and paper industries. “Digitalization is a core requirement for competitiveness today, but it must be done securely,” says Scott Hendrickson, director of business technology and strategy for AZCO. “The question every company has to consider is: Do we build our own cybersecurity team and facilities, or do we leverage experienced practitioners with optimized infrastructure so that our employees can remain focused on the core mission of the business? We hear from our clients that most manufacturers would prefer to leverage a managed service model that streamlines focus and investment. Using this approach, the risk to the business is managed and cybersecurity becomes an enabler to further business acceleration through Industry 4.0 and autonomous operations.” The combination of 1898 & Co. consulting services and the powerful visibility, monitoring, detection and situational awareness enabled by the Dragos Platform delivers top-flight capability for critical infrastructure companies concerned with the evolving threat landscape and the resulting risks to their organizations. Built by practitioners for practitioners, the Dragos Platform helps deliver the tools needed by cybersecurity teams to protect against industrial adversaries. In addition, the deep domain knowledge Dragos experts gain from being on the front lines every day is codified into the Dragos Platform. 1898 & Co. Managed Threat Detection and Response is a managed security service that delivers OT network and communications monitoring and incident response for critical infrastructure environments such as utilities (power and water); oil, gas and chemicals; ports and maritime; transportation (airports and rail); defense industrial base (federal/military/defense); and manufacturing. The partnership and joint initiatives between 1898 & Co. and Dragos are focused on aggressively expanding monitoring and detection capabilities for the ICS cybersecurity community. As threats to business and operational networks increase in frequency and sophistication, Managed Threat Detection and Response powered by the Dragos Platform provides organizations across public and private sectors an effective way to defend against well-organized and -funded cyberattacks. “The push to Industry 4.0 and growing implementation of digital transformation initiatives within manufacturing is creating an equally important need to invest in cybersecurity to manage risk,” says Troy Roberts, vice president of worldwide sales, Dragos Inc. “Dragos and 1898 & Co. use our combined efforts to open up a safe path forward by analyzing and protecting the entire spectrum of manufacturing production systems — from support systems and quality control systems to material handling technologies and automation/control technologies.”