For most industrial organisations, functional safety and cybersecurity have always lived in separate worlds. Different teams, different standards, different priorities. That separation is no longer sustainable, and regulation is making that official.

The connection most factories are missing

Functional safety (IEC 61508, IEC 61511) protects people and equipment from system failures. Cybersecurity (IEC 62443, ISA99) protects those same systems from intentional threats. The problem is that a cyberattack on a safety instrumented system does not stay a cybersecurity issue for long. It becomes a physical safety event. The two disciplines share the same infrastructure, and need to share the same risk thinking.

2027: the regulatory deadline that changes everything

The EU Machinery Regulation (EU 2023/1230), in force from January 2027, explicitly requires manufacturers to address cybersecurity as part of machinery safety. Alongside NIS2, which extends cyber obligations to operators in food, pharma, energy, and manufacturing, the message is clear: safety and security must be designed together, not bolted on separately.

For plant managers and technical directors, the time to act is now. Decisions made today about system architecture and supplier relationships will determine compliance readiness in 2027.

Where Adasoft fits in

For over a decade, Adasoft's Cybersecurity Expertise Center has helped factories strengthen their OT networks through Industrial Network Assessments, Cybersecurity Quick Scans, and IEC 62443 compliance programs. We are now building structured partnerships with functional safety specialists to offer industrial clients an integrated view of their risk landscape: one conversation, both disciplines covered.

This is exactly the kind of conversation the industrial community needs more of. In March 2026, Adasoft joined the Safety Innovation Tech Connect Day in Catania, organised by Coseap with Omron Electronics and supported by Confindustria Catania, where Micaela Caserza Magro (Adasoft empowered by GFCC, University of Genoa) presented on safety and cybersecurity in automated systems and joined the roundtable on their role in modern industry.