Into which three networks is the traditional Industrial Automation and Control Systems architecture typically organized?

Question

Options

• AEthernet network, control network, device network
• Benterprise network, demilitarized network, control network
• CEthernet network, control network, supervisory network
• Denterprise network, demilitarized network, device network

• A
  93% (39)
• B
  5% (2)
• D
  2% (1)

Explanation

Option A correctly identifies the three-tier hierarchy of traditional IACS architecture: the Ethernet network at the top (connecting upper-level IT/business systems), the control network in the middle (linking SCADA, DCS, and HMI systems that manage processes), and the device network at the bottom (connecting physical field instruments, sensors, and actuators directly to controllers).

Options B and D are wrong because a "demilitarized network" (DMZ) is a security segmentation mechanism added to protect IACS from external threats - it's not an inherent, traditional tier of the base architecture. Option C is wrong because "supervisory network" is not a standard distinct layer; supervisory functions (SCADA/HMI) live within the control network, making it redundant rather than a separate tier.

Memory tip: Picture the architecture top-to-bottom with the acronym "ECD" - Ethernet → Control → Device - flowing from the business office down to the factory floor.

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