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Measure · ISO 27001 and other standards

Protect utilities and cabling during operation and maintenance

Check required site utilities and cable routes. Connect suitable outage protection to proper maintenance and a safe return to operation.

Accountable: Site operations and IT with authorised specialists and maintenance rolesReviewed

Reuse existing records

Use existing plant and network plans, manufacturer documents and maintenance records. Business objectives and recovery remain in the existing BIA and emergency procedures. No additional infrastructure policy or maintenance spreadsheet is needed.

What to do

  1. 1

    Record dependencies and protection needs

    Identify required power, communication, cooling and other utilities with service owners. Use business objectives and the existing BIA to assess outage effects. In the existing service or plant inventory, record dependency, capacity, operator, required protection and responsible role. Clarify common failure causes across multiple feeds or providers.

  2. 2

    Protect utilities and cable routes

    Implement the protection and alternatives actually needed through competent planning. Check capacity, interactions and manufacturer conditions. Clarify necessary alarms, emergency lighting, emergency communication, safe shutdown and reachable outage contacts. Appropriately separate networked utility controls and connect them securely to the internet only when necessary. Protect cables and connections against damage, interception and interference, separate interfering power and data routes professionally and keep source and destination traceable. Secure accessible distribution points; involve necessary specialists for critical routes.

  3. 3

    Perform maintenance securely

    Derive maintenance scope and frequency from manufacturer, operational, contractual and, where applicable, insurance requirements. Use the existing maintenance plan. Only authorised people perform the work; clarify necessary confidentiality, supervision, controlled remote access and protection of information. Removal off site follows the existing device and media workflow. Record suspected or actual faults and preventive and corrective maintenance in the existing record.

  4. 4

    Check function and return to service

    Check required safeguards, alternatives and alarms at suitable intervals and after relevant interventions. Before return to service, inspect intended safe operation and possible tampering. End maintenance access no longer needed. In the existing record, note plant or cable, date, work, result, checking role and outstanding follow-up. Update plans when changes occur and connect outages to the existing recovery route.

Worked example

Two internet connections use the same building route

Fictional example: A service needs an alternative connection. A check reveals that both connections use the same vulnerable cable route.

Independence and checking
DecisionThe responsible role assesses the common failure cause and decides on a suitable different route or another agreed outage solution. After implementation, the required alternative is tested.
EvidenceExisting service or plant record with dependency, business context, decision and actual test result.

Record the result

  • Existing dependency and plant records with suitable utilities, cable routing and reasoned protection choices.
  • Existing fault, maintenance and test records with actual results and a safe return to service.

Common implementation mistakes

Treating two connections as independent

Check shared cable routes and supply points.

Treating maintenance only as an availability task

Consider information access, authorised people and possible tampering during the work.

Reuse the implementation across requirements

The references below show which requirements the measure contributes to.

View controls and standards
  • A.7.11 · VersorgungseinrichtungenGerman guide

    The workflow determines required utilities, capacity and outage effects, provides suitable safeguards and alternatives and checks function and response.

  • A.7.12 · Sicherheit der VerkabelungGerman guide

    Cable routing and connections are protected against relevant damage, interference and unauthorised access, with traceable checks after changes.

  • A.7.13 · Instandhaltung von BetriebsmittelnGerman guide

    Manufacturer-based maintenance, authorised protected work, fault and maintenance records and checked return to service are included.

  • TISAX · 3.1.3

    VDA ISA 6.0.3 · Partial overlap

    The workflow addresses protection during maintenance and repair of supporting assets. Other lifecycle phases and specific protection requirements remain separate.

    Reference

  • TISAX · 5.2.8

    VDA ISA 6.0.3 · Partial overlap

    Utility dependencies and suitable alternatives contribute to ICT continuity when related to business objectives and tested. This does not establish complete continuity planning and recovery.

    Reference

Templates for your implementation

Related resources

Sources and further reading