The Convergence of Physical and Cybersecurity in Industrial Operations

The Convergence of Physical and Cybersecurity in Industrial Operations

This IDC Perspective proposes the process-based integration of physical and cybersecurity into operational processes to enable a path to action and the necessary context for security initiatives to succeed. From this baseline of cultural and process change, technology solutions can hit their mark and reduce physical and cyber-risk for industrial organizations.OT cybersecurity has become the most acknowledged and least talked about imperative of Industry 4.0. The major challenge of the task is to improve the security posture of highly heterogeneous legacy environments without disruption to operations. So long as IT and OT remain siloed in their behavior and toolchains, this challenge will persist."Security has been an afterthought and a nuisance for many enterprises embarking on Industry 4.0 journeys," says Jonathan Lang, research manager, IDC's Worldwide IT/OT Convergence Strategies research program. "To advance Industry 4.0 maturity overall requires strong security capabilities, and that means context must be preserved in security practices, and secure behaviors must be embraced by operations professionals. The integration of physical and cybersecurity processes and technologies is one path to achieve this necessary change."

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