By Jeff Zacuto, Senior Director, Commercial Marketing

Our nation’s critical defense and transportation infrastructures face an increasingly sophisticated landscape of interconnected systems, placing enormous pressure on operators to sift through thousands of alerts from various assets. Analysts could easily become overwhelmed by a wall of flashing alerts—some critical, some less so.

Without context, they could waste valuable time fixing a non-urgent issue while overlooking an alert affecting thousands of users. Context is key to cutting through the noise. It empowers operators to prioritize critical issues, focus time and resources where they matter most, and prevent system-wide disruptions.

Many companies highlight the importance of contextual insights without explaining what they mean, how they work, or why they matter. This superficial treatment reduces “context” to just another buzzword, stripping it of the depth it deserves.

What is context?

At its core, and through the lens of anomaly detection, context involves transforming raw data into actionable insights, enabling organizations with the information they need to navigate complex operational environments with greater precision and confidence.

That’s quite a mouthful. So think of it this way: Context isn’t just seeing the forest and the trees; it’s understanding the intricacies of the flora and fauna under the canopy and how even slight changes can affect an entire ecosystem. Context is the difference between identifying an anomaly and understanding its origin, cause, and implications.

This level of understanding is crucial for organizations managing complex operational technology (OT) systems, such as those in the defense, aviation, rail, and maritime sectors. Given the catastrophic consequences to our everyday lives, it’s not enough to know that a component is malfunctioning; it’s essential to determine whether it’s a one-time issue, part of a larger systemic problem, a maintenance event, or a potential cyber threat.

Grasping the importance of context requires understanding its fundamental components and how they work together to provide comprehensive insights.

Data to Intelligence: Context begins with data. However, it’s not just about collecting data; it’s about capturing the full spectrum of interactions within a system. For defense, transportation, and other heavy assets, this involves full-take data capture, where every frame of data is recorded, providing a complete picture of the asset’s operational state.
Holistic Analysis: Context requires analyzing data across multiple protocols, disparate systems, and entire fleets. Many of these systems operate using diverse communication protocols, and understanding the interplay between these is key. This multi-protocol analysis helps detect patterns or anomalies that might be missed with a single-protocol approach.
Real-Time Decision Making: The ultimate goal of context is to enable real-time, informed decision-making. By interpreting data as it is generated, operators and maintainers can identify issues quickly and take appropriate actions. This capability is crucial for reducing downtime, enhancing asset utilization, and ensuring operational efficiency.

Putting Context to Work

Understanding the importance of context is crucial, but seeing its real-world applications solidifies its value. By transforming raw data into actionable intelligence, context allows organizations to make informed decisions that enhance operational efficiency and security. The following examples illustrate how context can be leveraged to address various challenges in complex operational environments.

Predictive Maintenance: Full-take data capture and multi-protocol analysis enable the identification of potential issues before they escalate. By understanding the normal operation baseline and detecting deviations, maintenance can be scheduled proactively, preventing failures and optimizing asset performance.
Enhanced Observability: The complete observability of all onboard data allows operators and maintainers to understand the interactions and performance of various components. This improves safety and reliability, allowing teams to address issues before they impact operations.
Cybersecurity Threat Detection: Context helps distinguish between cyber anomalies and maintenance issues. For instance, unusual intra-bus communications could indicate a cybersecurity threat, while changes in communication patterns might signal maintenance needs. Establishing a baseline for normal behavior allows for identifying deviations critical for pinpointing potential threats.

Why Context Matters

Understanding context in cybersecurity and maintenance operations is not just a theoretical exercise; it’s a practical necessity. For example, unusual intra-bus communications could indicate a cybersecurity threat, while changes in communication patterns might signal maintenance needs. By establishing a baseline for normal behavior, any deviation—such as increased, decreased, or altered traffic between components—becomes critical for identifying potential issues.

Imagine monitoring the communications within a fleet of aircraft. If a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) starts communicating with an engine OT module differently than usual, such as an increase in communication frequency or the type of data being exchanged, it could signal a potential issue. Understanding whether this change is due to a new software update, a malfunction, or a cyber intrusion is crucial. Similarly, if an LRU begins to interact with another LRU for the first time, knowing the context of this new behavior helps diagnose whether it is a normal operation or something that requires further investigation.

Context helps identify patterns or events across multiple assets at the fleet level. For instance, a recurring anomaly in an entire aircraft type might suggest a systemic issue, a manufacturing flaw, or a newly observed but normal phenomenon. Understanding whether these events are isolated or widespread informs potential fleet-wide actions or investigations, ensuring more effective and efficient responses.

Key Takeaways

Context isn’t just an added layer of data—it’s the foundation for truly understanding and securing operational technology environments. By gaining a deep, comprehensive understanding of data interactions within these systems, organizations can make better, faster decisions that lead to safer, more efficient, and more reliable operations.

Transforming Data into Intelligence: Context turns raw data into actionable insights, revealing the origins, causes, and implications of anomalies, which is crucial for maintaining operational integrity.
Seeing the Whole Picture: Multi-protocol analysis and full-take data capture offer a holistic view, enabling the detection of patterns and the ability to make informed, strategic decisions.
Enhancing Operational Efficiency: With the right context, real-time decision-making becomes possible, reducing downtime, maximizing asset utilization, and ensuring safety and reliability.
Fortifying Cybersecurity: By understanding the context, organizations can differentiate between cyber threats and routine maintenance issues, ensuring accurate identification and response.
Driving Proactive Management: Context empowers organizations to anticipate and manage risks, optimize performance, and maintain the security and reliability of their critical systems.

By embracing context, you’re not just reacting to incidents—you’re anticipating them, making proactive decisions that safeguard your operations today and shape a more secure, resilient future.