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OT/ICS Cybersecurity

Risk ≠ Hype: The New Rules of OT Cybersecurity

For over a decade, the world of OT cybersecurity was shaped by head-to-head comparisons. Who had the most signatures, the slickest dashboard or the fastest detection? But those days are fading. 
Today, the industry is shifting away from competitive feature ‘bake-offs’ and is instead moving toward a more collaborative, ecosystem-driven approach. This evolution isn’t just a trend, but a reflection of how complex, connected and consequence-driven industrial environments are.
Let’s explore the most notable signals from the market that highlight this shift.


From Competition to Collaboration

In past years, cybersecurity vendors often found themselves in fierce competition over capabilities. Conferences were battlegrounds and proof-of-concepts were designed as zero-sum games. But now, both end users and industry analysts are asking a new question: How well do you play with others?

Today’s customers are focused on how technologies integrate, not only how they compare as the industry has realized that there is no single technology to address visibility and risk fully. Therefore, it requires multiple technologies, working together, to gain the necessary visibility needed to bring risk to an acceptable level. The new measure of value is the ability to collaborate—both technically and operationally—to deliver real-world outcomes. Whether it’s through joint incident response playbooks or API-level integrations, the spotlight is shifting from solo performance to ensemble delivery.


Integration Over Isolation

Solutions such as Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and ICS Configuration Management are no longer viewed through an isolated lens. Customers now expect these capabilities to operate cohesively—integrating with foundational functions like asset inventory and vulnerability management—while also delivering their own unique value such as control logic validation. This integrated approach is vital to reducing both the probability of incidents and the consequence when they do occur.

That expectation is driving vendors to build for interoperability from the start. Features are valuable, but what matters more is the ability to fit into a larger cybersecurity architecture that spans IT, OT and cloud environments.


Thinking at the Ecosystem Level

OT cybersecurity is now a team sport. No single vendor can do it all and thankfully, few are trying to anymore. Strategic partnerships across previously siloed solution providers are becoming the norm. These partnerships are not just about expanding market reach—they’re about closing critical visibility and control gaps that no one player can solve alone.
Vendors are co-developing integrations, aligning roadmaps and prioritizing interoperability because that’s what customers now demand: security technologies that work together to increase visibility and reduce risk.


Global System Integrators Are Evolving, Too

Global System Integrators (GSIs) are also adjusting to this new reality. Instead of prescribing one-tool-fits-all recommendations, GSIs are assembling toolchains based on customer environments, risk profiles and use cases. They're moving away from tool standardization and toward outcome-driven solutions.

The result? More flexible, tailored deployments that combine best-in-class technologies to meet increasingly complex operational needs.


A More Mature View of Risk

Cyber risk is no longer defined solely by the question, “What’s the likelihood of a breach?” Industrial organizations are adopting a more balanced and business-aligned perspective:

Risk = Probability × Consequence

This shift is aligning OT cybersecurity better with enterprise risk management frameworks. Boards and business leaders are now focused on a more practical questions: “What are the most likely causes of process disruption or downtime, and how can we prevent, detect, and recover from them?”

This shift in perspective changes how organizations assess threats, prioritize investments and measure risk. The intent of the threat actor (whether malicious or accidental) is no longer the central concern. It’s not about reacting to headlines or chasing hype. It’s about focusing on what’s most likely to happen and understanding the potential consequences. By prioritizing based on probability and impact, organizations can direct their resources where they’ll have the greatest effect—delivering the most value in reducing real, measurable risk. 


Internal Threats in the Spotlight

Not all threats come from adversaries. In fact, many operational disruptions stem from internal changes such as accidental misconfigurations, undocumented updates or improperly managed asset changes. The industry is now waking up to this reality.

Configuration management, change detection and documentation are no longer “nice to have” tools—they’re essential pillars of operational resilience. Detecting external threats is only part of the job. Preventing and recovering from internal missteps is equally critical.


Backups and Recovery: From Afterthought to Forethought

We’ve heard too many stories: a ransomware attack hits and recovery stalls because backups were outdated, corrupted or incomplete. Today, backups and recovery are finally being treated as first-class citizens in OT cybersecurity.

Organizations are now investing in layered restore points, automated backup validation and integration with incident response workflows. It’s no longer about if a restore is needed but how fast and how reliable that restore will be.


From Detection to Preparedness

Detection is still essential—but it’s no longer enough. The true test of resilience is how an organization responds and recovers. That’s why the conversation is expanding to include playbooks, recovery drills and continuous improvement cycles.

Ultimately, the guiding formula—Risk = Probability × Consequence—calls for a more comprehensive and resilient approach to cybersecurity. One that recognizes breaches can and will happen, that not all threats stem from malicious intent, and that true success lies not only in prevention, but also in the ability to respond and recover effectively.


The Industry Is Growing Up

These market shifts are not just signs of technological evolution. They also signal a maturing industry. OT cybersecurity is growing beyond its reactive roots into a proactive, integrated discipline that balances technical sophistication with operational realism.
And in this new chapter, the winners won’t be those with the most features, but those who can work together to deliver measurable, meaningful outcomes.

About the Author

Nick Cappi is Vice President, Portfolio Strategy and Enablement for OT Cybersecurity in Hexagon Asset Lifecyle Intelligence division. Nick joined PAS in 1995, which was acquired by Hexagon in 2020. In his role, Nick oversees commercial success of the business, formulates and prioritizes the strategic themes, and works with product owners to set strategic product direction. During his tenure at PAS, Nick has held a variety of positions including Vice President of Product Management and Technical Support, Director of Technical Consulting, Director of Technology, Managing Director for Asia Pacific Region, and Director of Product Management. Nick brings over 26 years of industrial control system and cybersecurity experience within the processing industries.

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