What is a data diode, and why does India need more of them?
A data diode is a network device that physically allows data to travel in only one direction. It is the standard way nuclear plants, grids and militaries worldwide let data out of a critical network without letting attackers in.
A firewall decides. A data diode can't.
A firewall is software making decisions on every packet. Rules can be mis-configured, credentials stolen and firmware exploited, and once an attacker has a path in, the control network is exposed.
A data diode removes the return path in hardware. There is no rule to get wrong and no reverse channel to exploit. Monitoring data, logs and reports can flow out to the SOC, the enterprise or the cloud, while ransomware, remote commands and malware have nowhere to come in.
- Recommended segmentation for the most critical zones under IEC 62443 and CEA guidelines
- Lets you connect OT to analytics, AI and the SOC without connecting it to risk
- No patching race on the protected side, because the diode accepts no inbound traffic
The one-way principle
✕ No return traffic. Ever.
The transmit side has no receiver and the receive side has no transmitter. Physics enforces the policy.
Choose the right diode for the job
| DD-100 | DD-1000 / DD-10G | CDS-500 Guard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | One-way (UDP) | One-way (multi-protocol proxies) | Two-way, each direction filtered |
| Throughput | Min. 70 Mbps | Up to 1 / 10 Gbps | Up to 500 Mbps |
| Protocols | UDP: syslog, SNMP traps, telemetry | TCP, files, OPC, Modbus, IEC 104, video | Files, XML/JSON, email, chat |
| Content inspection | Not required | Integrity verification | Deep inspection + CDR |
| Form factor | 19" rack | 1U rack | 2U rack |
| Best for | Logs & telemetry to SOC | Historians, files, CCTV out of OT | Classified ↔ unclassified exchange |
ARKA™ DD-100 Data Diode
Hardware-enforced one-way UDP gateway. Data leaves the protected network; nothing can come back in.
View product →ARKA™ DD-1000 Protocol-Aware Data Diode
High-throughput data diode with built-in proxies for TCP, files, OPC UA, Modbus, historians and video.
View product →ARKA™ CDS-500 Cross-Domain Guard
Policy-controlled, content-inspected transfer between classified and unclassified networks, in both directions.
View product →Download the DD-100 data sheet
Full specifications, applications and licensing details.