Growth Opportunities in Operational Technology Cybersecurity Solutions

Growth Opportunities in Operational Technology Cybersecurity Solutions

Cybersecurity strategies have traditionally focused on IT security solutions and the protection of digital assets and systems. However, ongoing digitalization across industry verticals has allowed for many assets, devices, and systems that are critical to the operations of a business to now be connected into the same digital ecosystem. The rise in these connected operational technologies (OT), coupled with the fact that many of these systems do not act or respond as traditional IT assets do, means that many of the common IT cybersecurity solutions or strategies will be inadequate at protecting OT systems from attack. Coupling this fact with the idea that many businesses or organizations seen as critical infrastructure to society or national security run on vast, sprawling OT networks, businesses must approach any cybersecurity strategy and program with OT cybersecurity protocols as top-of-mind.

OT cybersecurity solutions are rapidly evolving to reach similar maturity levels to those of OT cybersecurity systems. This includes the addition of automated functionalities, continuous monitoring, asset visibility and detection, endpoint security principles, and the emergence of OT-specific intelligence and services. Because of the criticality associated with the businesses and organizations that utilize OT-centric networks and assets, ensuring that OT cybersecurity solutions can protect against as many threat vectors as possible will be crucial.

Critical infrastructure organizations are dependent upon uninterrupted services and operational efficiency, not just for their organization, but for society. With OT systems now viewed as vulnerable attack vectors, organizations must improve their OT cybersecurity resiliency with solutions that can protect, detect, and mitigate any potential attack or damage, all without hindering business activity.