GUEST OPINION: Operational technology (OT) environments are changing rapidly. Digital modernisation has already increased connectivity between industrial systems, IT, cloud platforms, applications, operators, and third parties. Artificial intelligence (AI) could accelerate that shift by making it easier and more cost-effective to connect systems and put operational data to work.
These connections can deliver business benefits. Industrial organisations can use data to improve decision-making, optimise resources, increase efficiency, identify operational problems faster, and reduce downtime. However, every additional connection can also create another potential pathway into an OT environment.
For security leaders, the challenge isn’t to prevent connectivity. Organisations will continue connecting systems because of the operational and commercial benefits. Instead, cybersecurity teams need to become involved earlier so security is built into how those connections are designed, deployed, and managed.
Michael Murphy, Director, Operational Technology and Critical Infrastructure, APAC, Fortinet, said, “Connectivity is fundamental to modern industrial operations, and AI will accelerate how organisations connect systems and use operational data. The security conversation can’t start after new technology has been deployed. OT and cybersecurity teams need to be involved from the outset so organisations can capture the benefits of modernisation without introducing unnecessary operational risk.”
Industrial digital transformation has traditionally depended on connecting systems, collecting and storing data, and turning that information into operational insights. AI can reduce the effort required to bring information from different environments together.
For example, an AI-enabled industrial application could draw information from a manufacturing execution system, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) environment, warehouse management system, maintenance platform, historian, and shipping system to identify production problems and their likely causes. This creates opportunities to solve operational problems faster. It also changes the scale of the security challenge.
The issue isn’t AI in isolation. It’s the connections organisations create so AI systems and agents can access data and interact with operational applications. As these connections become easier and cheaper to establish, projects that were previously too costly or complex can become viable.
Michael Murphy said, “AI changes the economics of connecting industrial data. Projects that previously required extensive integration work can become much easier to implement. This creates significant potential for OT operators, yet security teams need visibility of those connections, the data moving across them, and the permissions associated with them.”
This challenge builds on a transformation already underway. Greater connectivity among IT and OT networks, remote operators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), service providers, cloud environments, and third parties has reduced the isolation that once characterised many industrial environments.
At the same time, legacy assets remain essential to operations. Some have operated reliably for decades and weren’t designed for today’s level of connectivity or cyber risk. Their operational importance and sensitivity to change can also make conventional security measures, such as frequent patching, difficult to apply.
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The result is an environment where modern applications and connectivity increasingly sit alongside long-lived operational assets.
Michael Murphy said, “Understanding connections is therefore as important as understanding individual devices. Organisations need to know what is communicating, why that communication is required, what information is moving, and what could happen if a connection is compromised.”
The consequences of an OT cyber incident can extend beyond data and systems to production, service availability, equipment, supply chains, and physical processes. Organisations therefore need to assess cyber risk according to operational consequences rather than relying solely on technical severity.
For critical infrastructure operators, this means understanding which assets and processes are essential to maintaining services and what dependencies exist across interconnected environments.
Michael Murphy said, “A vulnerability might look significant from a technical perspective, yet the business question is what it means for the operation. Conversely, an apparently minor system can be critical if other processes depend on it. Organisations need to connect cyber risk to operational consequences so leaders can make informed decisions about where resources and controls are most needed.”
Understanding these dependencies is increasingly important because modern supply chains are interconnected. Manufacturers, suppliers, logistics providers, and infrastructure operators rely on automated systems and digital information flows, creating dependencies that extend beyond individual sites. Disruption at one point can affect organisations and services elsewhere in the value chain.
Securing technology after deployment becomes increasingly difficult as the number and pace of connections increase, meaning that security needs to become part of the design process. This includes assessing how systems will connect before deployment, limiting access to what is operationally required, establishing appropriate segmentation, applying strong controls for remote and third-party access, and maintaining visibility as environments change.
The objective isn’t to put cybersecurity in the way of modernisation. It’s to make modernisation more resilient.
Michael Murphy said, “OT environments will continue to become more connected because the operational case for connectivity is compelling. Security teams that engage early can help shape those projects rather than trying to retrofit controls later. The goal should be to support innovation while maintaining the availability and resilience that critical operations depend on.
“As AI and digital modernisation reshape industrial environments, connectivity itself needs to become a core part of OT risk management. Organisations that understand their connections, dependencies, and operational consequences will be better placed to adopt new technology while strengthening cyber resilience.”
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