OT-IT Security – A Comprehensive Approach

Operational Technology and Information Technology are two prominent aspects of any organization. Owing to their prominence, both these areas are highly vulnerable to security threats.

Conventionally, OT security and IT security are addressed differently, but over the years, the gap between OT IT security has reduced significantly.

What is OT Security?

Operation technology encompasses both hardware and software that identifies and directs a change through regular monitoring or controlling of the devices or processes within the organization.

OT is responsible for executing a wide range of processes, and a breach in this system can result in serious damages. This is why companies hire OT security services to protect their networks and maintain efficiency in operation and ensure compliance.

What is IT Security?

IT security is a combination of cybersecurity strategies that together work to protect unauthorized access to your assets such as computers, data, and networks.

It aims to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the information by blocking hackers. Today the need to protect your digital assets has become greater than ever. Reinforced IT security can help organizations avoid breaches and its related implications.

Difference Between OT and IT security

IT is Dynamic Whereas OT is Deterministic

IT encompasses a lot of moving aspects that are connected to each other. This means that there are tons of exploitable variants. From a network, computer to application data, and much more, the IT team is responsible for protecting multiple layers in a technology stack. The IT team is a part of the perpetual cycle of identifying new vulnerabilities, updating malware, closing the loopholes, etc.

The OT security, on the other hand, is designed to protect specific actions depending on the content. This is why OT security is deterministic. A single pre-designed process is followed. An input will only generate a particular output time and again. While OT security threats are scary, they are not as dynamic as IT security threats.

IT is About Data; OT is About Process

IT centers on the collection, retrieval, transfer, and manipulation of digital information. Companies aim to make sure that there is a smooth flow of data. However, OT security is about controlling the process.

A collection of control applications are used in this process to manage and maintain the efficiency of the system. In OT security, the environment remains mostly static.

The Difference Lies in the Gateway

The IT environment has more gateways, which means there are larger possibilities of attack. Moreover, 60% of the network traffic account of bots, meaning the attackers only need to get things right once. IT security teams always need to be on their toes to deal with sophisticated scammers.

OT environment encompasses fewer gateways, thereby reducing the chances of attacks. The expertise strengthens armaments at the handful of gates from outsets to reduce any occurrence of the breach.

Where the Priorities Lie?

In an IT environment, confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility hold the most priority. Along with these priorities, in an OT environment, control also plays an imperative role. Here control is proportionate to safety, a loss of which can be detrimental.

IT OT Convergence

For years industrial systems significantly depended on proprietary protocols as well as software. And these were controlled and monitored manually by experts without any connection to the outside world.

This is why they were not a big target for cyber attackers due to the lack of networked interface. Attackers could only infiltrate the system by acquiring physical access to any terminal, and this was not an easy task.

However, things have significantly changed today with the more industrial system being online in order to facilitate smart analytics and big data, and leverage the advanced abilities through technological advancements.

IT-OT convergence provides organizations a comprehensive view of the industrial system along with process management solutions that ascertain that the right information is being delivered to the people, devices, sensors, machines, etc. Additionally, when IT-OT convergence is facilitated, it paves the way for new efficiencies, remote management of systems, and optimized security benefits.

IT-OT convergence still has a lot of challenges that need to be addressed; however, their potentials are immense. An extensive zone where you can access solutions to manage a wide range of tasks can significantly improve the efficiency of both IT and OT environments.

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