Navigating the OT/CPS Security Journey: Key Learnings and Best Practices for Success

I have had the privilege of witnessing the transformative power of Operational Technology (OT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) in various industries. However, securing these systems is a critical challenge that organizations must address. The OT/CPS Security Journey provides a valuable roadmap for navigating this complex landscape. In this article, I will share my key learnings, recommendations, and best practices to help you benchmark with your peers and advance your journey.

1. Awareness: The first step in any security journey is recognizing the need for a combined IT/OT security strategy. This often arises from a breach, the pandemic, or geopolitical conflict. Organizations must overcome the challenges of IT and OT teams working together and develop a deeper understanding of unique CPS cybersecurity requirements.
2. Outreach, Asset Discovery, and Network Topology Mapping: Before implementing security measures, teams must identify their assets, connections, and security posture. This stage fosters collaboration between IT and OT teams as they work together to address concrete challenges and develop a consolidated governance strategy.
3. The "Oh Wow!" Moment: This phase is characterized by the discovery of unmanaged assets, unexpected connectivity, and numerous vulnerabilities. While many security challenges are unearthed, teams now have visibility into these issues and can begin addressing them.
4. Firefighting: With a multitude of findings from the previous stage, organizations must prioritize their efforts and align them with business objectives. This phase is crucial for demonstrating how cybersecurity can be a competitive advantage and for leveraging advances in technology and connectivity to serve the company's larger goals.
5. Integration: This phase requires significant effort and resource allocation. Organizations should leverage platforms that facilitate integration to reduce implementation costs. Centralizing responsibility and accountability for OT network security under the CSO or CISO is essential for consolidated governance and continuous monitoring and reporting.
6. Optimization: In this final stage, organizations can harness the power of data and analytics from their integrated environment to uncover new ways to improve their business. Achieving this level of operational resilience and efficiency is challenging, but the benefits of digitalization and CPS convergence are well worth the effort.

The past two years have highlighted the critical importance of OT networks for operations and revenue generation. The surge in attacks on these systems has exposed their vulnerabilities, but organizations are now prioritizing operational resilience and taking decisive steps to protect them more effectively. By following the OT/CPS Security Journey, businesses can navigate the complexities of securing their systems and unlock the full potential of digitalization and CPS convergence.