Operational Technology (OT) systems are responsible for the critical operations across a wide variety of industries, including Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, and Transportation, and Defense. OT foundationally drives everything from manufacturing floors and oil rigs to complex transportation systems. Arguably, the most critical infrastructure systems of our society are dependent upon and continuously sustained by OT.
Historically, OT systems were protected by keeping them completely isolated from the enterprise IT network. This “air gapping” strategy was necessary as OT systems are less resilient and simply not designed to accommodate operational interruptions due to cyberattack preventative practices like routine patching.