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Learning path · Aimed at an industrial IoT and OT security engineer

IIoT and OT security

For learners who want to connect plants to data systems, and keep them safe once connected.

You start with the first course. The next one is added when you are halfway through the one you are on.

See the courses in order
3 courses · 47 modules · 67h 58m of video · free, no card

What you can do at the end

Finish the path and you can do this

  • Explain how industrial networks and protocols carry data.
  • Build a dashboard and a data flow in Node-RED.
  • Describe the ISA/IEC 62443 approach to securing a plant network.

A path teaches skills. It does not promise a job, an interview or a salary.

Why these courses together

Each course builds on the last

  • 1Networks first: data flows and security both rest on knowing how devices talk.
  • 2Node-RED then moves and shows that data.
  • 3Security comes last because it makes most sense once you have seen what you are protecting.

A planned order also saves the time you would spend choosing what to learn next, and you finish with one story to tell: what you learnt, in order.

The roadmap

3 courses, in this order

  1. Step 1: Industrial Communication: Serial, Fieldbus, Ethernet, Modbus, PROFINET and OPC UA

    Adds: Every network a PLC engineer meets, from RS-485 and Modbus to PROFINET, EtherNet/IP and OPC UA, with hands-on PLC-to-PLC and Modbus configuration in TIA Portal.

    • Intermediate
    • 18 modules
    • 15h 52m of video

  2. Step 2: Node-RED for Industrial IoT

    Adds: The open-source glue of Industry 4.0: Node-RED fundamentals, core nodes and JSON, dashboards, Raspberry Pi and industrial hardware, Modbus RTU and TCP, Siemens S7-1500 with OPC UA and the IOT2050, MQTT, databases and email, APIs and cloud, Node-RED inside PLCs, and OEE and MES thinking.

    • Beginner
    • 13 modules
    • 17h 34m of video

  3. Step 3: OT and ICS Cybersecurity with ISA/IEC 62443

    Adds: Free OT security course for automation and IT staff: Purdue zones, ISA/IEC 62443 security levels, risk assessment. The certificate is optional and paid.

    • Intermediate
    • 16 modules
    • 34h 32m of video

3

courses

47

modules

67h 58m

of video in total

Example: at 5 hours a week, the video alone takes about 14 weeks. Practice tasks and the finals come on top, and you set the pace.

Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

See the 3D lab

What you get

What joining gives you

  • Every course is free, with lifetime access and no card.
  • Video lessons by credited independent creators, with our written notes and worked examples.
  • A practice task per module, and one final assessment per course.
  • Ask-an-engineer support.
  • Optional verifiable certificate for each course you pass, US$23.99 for a beginner course. There is no single certificate for the whole path.
  • One course at a time: you start with the first, and the next is added when you are halfway through it.
  • Each course keeps its own progress. You can open any course on its own at any time.

Put it into practice

Then try it in an internship

Fibre optic cables plugged into a network patch panel.

Cybersecurity (IT and OT) Internship

Eight short weeks of security basics, networks, access control, a security operations centre, industrial (OT) security, IEC 62443 and incident response: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises.

The Cybersecurity internship puts the security half into practice: risk, networks, access and logs first, then plant networks and IEC 62443 in its later weeks. Build a small Node-RED dashboard from the second course too, and keep it as your own project.

The Free internship is 4 weeks with a free certificate. It is training, not employment, and the Engineer-verified internship is optional.

See the Cybersecurity (IT and OT) internship

Questions

Questions about this path

Is the IIoT and OT security free?

Yes. Every course in the path is free in full: lessons, notes, practice tasks and the final assessment. The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion for each course.

What happens when I join the path?

You are enrolled on the first course straight away. The next course is added to your account when you are about halfway through the one you are on, so you never face a pile of unstarted courses. Each course keeps its own progress, notes and final.

In what order should I take the courses?

In the order listed: each course is placed after the ones it builds on. Every course also stands alone, so you can open any of them from the list.

Do I get one certificate for the whole path?

No. Certificates are per course, issued when you pass that course's final assessment, and you only buy one if you want it. Finishing every course gives you one optional, verifiable certificate for each.

How long will it take?

The video alone is about 67h 58m. Notes, practice tasks and the finals take extra time, and you go at your own pace.

Do I have to do the internship?

No. It is a separate, optional step. The Cybersecurity (IT and OT) Internship is training, not employment: the Free internship is 4 weeks with a free certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship is optional.

Ready to start IIoT and OT security?

You start with the first course. The next one is added when you are halfway through the one you are on.

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