End-to-end considerations Industrial utilization of digital identities

The IT security requirements for machines and systems are becoming increasingly complex. As a result, the use of machine identities is becoming increasingly important. They play a decisive role in establishing IT security in industrial networks. Machine identities enable the establishment of trust between manufacturers and operators, e.g. by proving the origin of components and creating secure traceability. However, digital identities are currently still difficult to introduce and manage in industrial environments. Commissioning- combined with the initial secure integration of devices into the network (onboarding)- is a particularly critical step. In this article, we look at the importance of digital identities for components and systems, describe necessary solutions such as secure onboarding and, with our Trustpoint research project, provide an example of how secure management of digital identities can work in industry.