Almost 40% of industrial enterprises identify cybersecurity as a key challenge in digitalising OT environments

The research “Securing OT with Purpose-built Solutions” aims to analyse the current state of Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity and provides valuable insights into the key business and technical trends affecting OT organisations, in addition to identifying the best practices being implemented to address these challenges. The findings are derived from ongoing research in the OT cybersecurity sector, conducted by VDC Research over several years, and a survey involving over 250 OT and IT decision-makers from various industries, including energy, utilities, transportation, logistics, and manufacturing.

According to the study, nearly a third (31.1%) of industrial companies are primarily or entirely dependent on manual processes or are just starting to implement digital technologies for specific tasks, while almost a quarter (22.7%) have already integrated some connected digital technologies. Despite these varying levels of digitalisation, a remarkable majority (63.6%) of industrial organisations expressed their intention to achieve the ‘fully digital’ stage of their transformation, characterised by proactive and continuous enhancement of digital capabilities, within the next two years.

OT organisations in Asia Pacific (APAC) are slightly ahead in terms of digitalisation, based on the results of this latest research. Just one in every five (22%) industrial companies is still in either a traditional process or beginning to adapt to digital technologies. The majority the respondents are either already running multiple connected digital technologies (36%), have obtained full digital integration (33%), while the remaining 9% have already reached digital maturity.

Because of this, concerns with regards to cybersecurity is higher in APAC compared to the global average.

The cybersecurity risks inherent in connecting operational technology (OT) systems can significantly undermine the benefits of digital transformation. With an increasing number of organisations moving towards a fully connected digital environment, cybersecurity concerns emerge as the most frequently cited factor negatively impacting the implementation of digital technologies in OT settings, affecting 39.3% of respondents. In APAC, it is almost half at 45%.

When discussing specific cybersecurity concerns that hinder companies’ adoption of digital technologies, global respondents highlighted several critical issues: 46.6% pointed to inadequate security measures within their existing infrastructure, while an equal percentage cited insufficient budgets or personnel dedicated to addressing operational technology (OT) cybersecurity. Additionally, 42.7% acknowledged the challenges of regulatory compliance, and 41.7% emphasised the complexities of IT/OT integration.

Industrial organisations in APAC are also plagued with gaps in security capabilities (68%), lack of sufficient personnel or budget to address their system’s defenses (56%), and issues with regulatory compliance (35%).

“While industrial companies in APAC are slightly ahead when it comes to digitalisation, our survey showed that almost one in every two companies still has outdated protocols and legacy systems and is trying to solve the complexities of internal IT and OT integration. With connected manufacturing in APAC predicted to balloon to an $80 billion industry in 2029, it is critical for OT customers to partner with cybersecurity provider which has the intelligence about the latest threats in the industrial sector and products and services which can provide holistic defenses against critical attacks,” comments Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.

Despite these concerns, it is important to recognise that cybersecurity serves as an enabling technology for digital transformation. Without robust protection for data and systems, the full potential of digital technologies remains unrealised, as such concerns can erode trust and hinder an organisation’s digitalisation journey.

“As connectivity and reliance on digital technologies continues to grow, the potential for cyber threats rises as well. It is crucial for industrial organisations to adopt robust cybersecurity solutions to ensure that while they implement new OT systems and enhance their overall efficiency, they simultaneously mitigate potential cyber risks that could result in significant disruptions and financial losses,” stated Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product line at Kaspersky.

For OT customers, Kaspersky provides a unique ecosystem that seamlessly integrates specialised OT-grade technologies, expert knowledge, and invaluable expertise. Kaspersky Industrial Cybersecurity (KICS), a native XDR platform for critical infrastructure, is the cornerstone of this OT ecosystem, that offers centralised asset inventory, risk management, and audit, and enables security scalability across diverse, distributed infrastructure via a single platform.