IT/OT Convergence: A New Approach to Security

The pandemic accelerated the rate at which businesses are transforming and automating, especially in critical infrastructure like banking, energy, and healthcare. A lot of this transformation is supported by the deployment of smarter Operational Technology (OT) to optimise services and costs. This in turn is driving the convergence of the IT and OT technology, but with each still having its own unique security issues.

At the same time, ransomware actors are increasingly targeting organisations and operators of essential services for greatest chance of reward. Organisations need an integrated and proactive approach to security to build resilience to these threats. In this session we will look at:

• Why organisations need a more single and structured approach to cybersecurity as IT and OT environments connect.
• How shifting the focus from protecting the network to protecting the asset can simplify and boost cybersecurity.
• The importance of understanding the flow of data throughout the extended asset attack surface and separating key functions within the network.