Implementing an Information System in a Chemical Production Area would traditionally have required the use of fibre optic cables, running along pipe bridges and underneath roads, to physically connect the chemical plants with a centralised computer. Today a private 5G network can be installed which is both cheaper to install and more flexible in that it can collect data from more remote locations. For example, collecting air quality data from the top of industrial chimneys, or from selected locations downwind is feasible.

The architecture diagram shown previously is very relevant for this type of deployment.  Data from trusted sources, e.g. IoT devices or Plant Control Systems, is sent over 5G to a Private cloud application sitting within the 5G network, and summary data sent to the public cloud for wider access.  The benefits of using a private cloud are the ability to process large amounts of data as well as providing a faster response.

The 5G network is fully secure Sim to Sim however there are points of potential weakness or gaps, which can be made secure by using D-Sig Secure Data Connector software, running within the clouds, and D-Sig hardware devices called Cryptographic Co-processors, which protect both the data itself and the unique cryptographic private keys.

This D-Sig system ensures data is completely secure from endpoint to endpoint and the source of the data can be verified using certificates issued by the inbuilt Certification Authority.