Career

  • Studied physics at the University of Cologne, scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation
  • Diploma thesis on “Data analyses on prototypes of the OPAL central detector at CERN” at the University of Freiburg i. Br.
  • Doctorate in physics (Dr. rer. nat.) at the University of Bonn
  • 1987 – 1990 part-time lecturer (for prospective data processing specialists) at the Bildungsinstitut der Rheinischen Wirtschaft in Cologne and at the Telekolleg Physik in Cologne
  • 1990 – 1996 Software developer, head of department and consultant for software development, comma gmbh, Bonn
  • 1997 – 1998 Managing Director GiKOM Pro GmbH, Bonn
  • Since 1998 Managing Partner of active BIT GmbH, Bonn; management of various key account projects in FDL, Automotive, Energy and Aktion Mensch
  • 2009 – 2025 Senior Manager at Bayer Technology Services in Leverkusen, Engineering and Technology, Bayer Business Services, Bayer AG
  • 2018 – 2023 Lecturer for Cyber Security at the FHDW in Bergisch Gladbach
  • Since 2023 Lecturer for Business Informatics at the FHDW in Bergisch Gladbach and Mettmann

Research and consulting focus

  • Security for automation technology (OT) in chemical production, maintenance/inspection
  • Industry norms and standards
  • Internet of Things, sensors, actuators, transmission technologies
  • Data modeling, digital transformation
  • Applied cryptography, PKI

Publications

NA 135 Remote maintenance of automation technology systems in the process industry, NAMUR 2024

Sven Müller, Walter Speth, Jan Russmann, Christian Haul: Sicherheit trotz Distanz: Die aktualisierte Fassung der NE 135, atp magazin (Vulkan Verlag), Feb. 2022

IT-Grundschutz-Profil für PLT-Sicherheitseinrichtungen in Produktionsanlagen der chemischen Industrie, Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, Publication Jan. 2023

Walter Speth, Erwin Kruschitz: OT-Security: What to do in the event of cyber attacks on OT, atp magazin (Vulkan Verlag), Feb. 2023

Walter Speth: Security considerations for Industrial Communication 4.0, ChemManager, Mar. 2016

Markus Runde, Walter Speth, Thomas Steffen, Christoph Thiel: Automation Security Risk Assessment, atp magazine, Jan. 2016

Walter Speth, Christoph Thiel, Detlef Winkel: Who guards the guardians?, atp magazin (Vulkan Verlag), Mar. 2015

Walter Speth: Nur Befehle befolgt, atp magazin (Vulkan Verlag), Dec. 2013

M.Q. Tran, J. Barth, C. Bennhold, […], A. Wolf: Measurement of γp→K+Λ and γp→K+Σ0 at photon energies up to 2 GeV, Physics Letters B, Dec. 1998

W.J. Schwille et. al.: Design and Construction of the SAPHIR detector, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 344 (1994) 470-486, 1994

Walter Speth (Thesis): A computerized system for SAPHIR online data analysis, University Bonn, Jun. 1992

Walter Speth (Thesis): Track Reconstruction for the OPAL Central Detector at LEP (CERN), University Freiburg, Aug. 1986