ISA/IEC 62443 references OPC technologies as common industrial communication mechanisms that must be secured appropriately. OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) was designed specifically to overcome the limitations of OPC Classic while improving interoperability and security.
Step 1: Need for structured data modeling
Modern IACS environments require standardized, vendor-neutral data exchange across heterogeneous devices. OPC UA introduces a browsable namespace that organizes data into objects, folders, variables, methods, and relationships.
Step 2: Alignment with security and architecture goals
The browsable namespace enables consistent access control, integrity protection, and secure session management, aligning with ISA/IEC 62443 principles of controlled data flow and least privilege.
Step 3: Why other options are incorrect
OPC tunneling addresses connectivity, not data modeling.
DCOM-based firewalls relate to legacy OPC Classic.
OLE/COM technologies lack platform independence and modern security features.
Thus, OPC UA’s browsable namespace is the correct feature.
