The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA CPSP 4-2021 “Harmonized Cybersecurity Standards and Conformity Assessment,” which emphasizes the need for globally harmonized industry consensus around cybersecurity process standards and conformity assessments.

The standard describes the importance of addressing and mitigating cybersecurity risks across an ecosystem of rapidly expanding Internet of Things devices and connectivity processes used to build and deploy products and systems worldwide. NEMA member companies already undertake these tasks, association officials say.

“With the cyber-threat landscape continuously evolving in the U.S. and beyond our borders, manufacturers must consider global harmonization when developing cybersecurity requirements,” says Steve Griffith, NEMA’s senior industry director for transportation systems and cybersecurity. “Any misalignment increases complexity and costs, as well as slows down market adoption.”

Griffith adds: “The document describes the key themes and rationale behind the need for a globally harmonized cybersecurity process. NEMA and its member companies endorse this approach, call upon all manufacturers and corresponding government agencies to collectively drive towards this goal, and look forward to being a resource in this effort.”