Schneider will provide its clients with Vericlave's technology under the terms of the deal, fortifying end-to-end cyber information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) portfolios to protect installations in an industrial environment. It will also help shrink a clients ‘attack surface' by more than 90% and reduce costs for cybersecurity deployment and ownership by at least half.

This, the companies said, can eliminate the risk of incidents that can lead to plant shutdowns.

Vericlave's solution was developed and tested by the US Department of Defense, US intelligence community more than two decades ago, historically being used in the critical infrastructure, finance, healthcare and retail markets. The partnership will combine Vericlave technology with Schneider Electric's industry-leading EcoStruxure architecture and platform to create a multi-layered approach of cybersecurity solutions, services and expertise.

Schneider said there are a few crucial benefits to Vericlave, including the overlay of a zero-trust stealth model at the network perimeter and within existing infrastructure to provide a secure communication tunnel between sites and extends layers of defense across an enterprise.

It also has plug-and-play capability to reduce overall costs, and it enables industrial end users to securely, seamlessly transfer data between upstream and downstream operations.

"Digital transformation and the growth of IoT are giving rise to new threats that can have a massive impact on the safety, productivity and profitability of industrial operations," Schneider Electric senior director of cybersecurity offer management Gary Williams said.

"That means our customers must have a robust, nimble cybersecurity infrastructure that protects every layer of their operations. With Vericlave, we're strengthening our customers' ability to bolster their networks from within."

Vericlave CEO Joel Bagnal stressed that most third-party cybersecurity solutions on the market today are not focused on preventing attacks, but rather to respond to them.

"Vericlave's military-grade technology was developed specifically to securely connect networks and associated devices in high-pressure and harsh environments over any distance, and is designed to prevent external threats from accessing customer networks and internal threats from exploiting vulnerabilities. Combined with Schneider Electric's robust cybersecurity portfolio and EcoStruxure technology, we will better safeguard industrial environments, while improving the safety and profitability of facilities worldwide."