Executive overview

Today, organizations must understand the similarities and differences between their information technology( IT) and operational technology( OT) networks and the measures needed to protect OT. OT technology controls processes that have safety and physical impacts, including equipment in manufacturing plants, power stations, pipelines, railways, and other cyber physical systems( CPS). OT technology is critical to public safety and global economic health, so implementing advanced, unified security capabilities that are simple to deploy and manage is paramount.

Fortinet secures the interconnected IT and OT infrastructure while fully enabling integration through an OT security platform, which spans solutions and supports security automation across the entire security ecosystem.

Nearly 80 % of professionals surveyed by Fortinet reported at least one cyber incident in their OT environment over the past year.

IT and OT network convergence

OT networks include industrial control systems( ICSs) that control equipment in industrial sectors such as manufacturing, energy and utilities, and transportation.

ICSs were deployed decades before IT networks and were at first analog and proprietary, with little or no connectivity to IT or external networks. This lack of connection, called the“ air gap,” between networks protected OT networks, and they were deemed“ safe” because of their relative isolation.

As more processes were digitized, the traditional boundaries between IT and OT networks broke down. The Internet of Things, Industrial Internet of Things( IIoT), cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other innovations converged IT and OT networks to optimize operations, improve safety and reliability, and deliver a competitive edge.

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