No. Constant Guardian® uses passive TAP-based monitoring that creates a one-way mirror of network traffic. The device has zero operational impact on your industrial control systems. It cannot introduce latency, block traffic, or cause network loops. Even if the device fails or loses power, your OT network continues operating normally.

Constant Guardian® continues monitoring and protecting your OT network even without Internet connectivity. All detection, analysis, and alerting functions operate locally. Internet is only used for remote management and cloud-based analytics. The device includes cellular failover (optional) and can buffer alerts for later transmission. For air-gapped deployments, the device operates entirely offline with local web interface access.

Discovery Mode typically runs for 1-4 weeks depending on network complexity and operational cycles. During this period, Constant Guardian® passively learns normal behavior patterns, builds a comprehensive asset inventory, and establishes baseline traffic profiles. The device provides immediate visibility, but the longer discovery period ensures accurate behavioral baselines that reduce false positives once in Protection Mode. Additionally, as may be necessary Constant Guardian's configuration time can be substantially sped up through selective manual configuration by our team or if so desired, by your team.

Yes. Because Constant Guardian® uses passive monitoring at the network layer, it's compatible with any Ethernet-based OT equipment regardless of age. It doesn't require agents, configuration changes, or integration with or reconfiguration of existing devices such as HMIs and PLCs. The device recognizes 7 major industrial protocols and can fingerprint devices even when using proprietary or undocumented protocol variants. This makes it ideal for protecting legacy systems that cannot be modified or upgraded.

Minimal. We supply all needed hardware, including our appliance, and our team performs the installation onsite at your facility.

Specifically, Constant Guardian® requires: (1) Network TAP or SPAN port installed on your OT switch, (2) Standard 120V power outlet, (3) Optional internet connection (cellular or Ethernet). The device is rack-mountable (1U) or can be shelf-mounted in control panels. No special cooling or environmental controls needed beyond typical industrial equipment ranges (-10°C to 60°C). Our installation process typically takes 1-2 hours including TAP placement, initial configuration, and testing.

Constant Guardian® implements defense-in-depth security: TPM 2.0 hardware encryption for data at rest, mTLS encryption for all cloud communications, outbound-only network connectivity (cannot be remotely accessed), encrypted local database, and role-based access controls. The device only transmits metadata and alerts to the cloud, never full packet captures or process values. For maximum security, our team deploys Constant Guardian in air-gapped mode with no external connectivity.

Yes. A single Constant Guardian® appliance can monitor traffic from multiple TAP ports or VLANs simultaneously. For large facilities with multiple isolated OT networks, deploy multiple appliances that report to a centralized management platform. This provides unified visibility across your entire industrial infrastructure while maintaining network segmentation and security zones. As an included part of our deployment process, we will work with you to determine the optimum configuration of Constant Guardian in your facility or facilities.