Tripwire Survey: Energy IT and OT Pros Collaborating More Effectively on ICS Security

With most industrial control systems (ICS) now connected to the Internet, energy organizations have had to shift how they think about security. Addressing new digital threats against the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has presented unique challenges, not just technologically but also organizationally. This next set of results from Tripwire’s Energy ICS Security research explores how IT and OT (operational technology) teams are working together to tackle this challenge.

The study, conducted by Dimensional Research in March, included 151 individuals with responsibility for ICS security at energy companies, comprised an even mix of individuals with IT and OT functions.

According to the survey, the longstanding divide between IT and OT teams may be closing. 73 percent of participants said that their IT and OT teams are working better together now than compared to the past. The majority of all groups indicated stronger collaboration. However, almost a fifth (19 percent) of IT respondents said collaboration is weaker now than in the past.

“Bridging the gap between IT and OT has been a topic of discussion for quite some time,” said Tim Erlin, vice president of product management and strategy at Tripwire. “Industrial security can be quite complicated, but organizations have no choice but to get their teams to work together on this as the threat of attack continues to rise. We’ve seen that IT and OT teams are now more aligned on what’s at stake if they don’t get industrial security right.”

While participants indicated greater collaboration between IT and OT teams, most suggested that IT still leads the initiative. When asked whether IT or OT teams were taking the lead on ICS security needs, 50 percent of total participants said IT, 35 percent said its evenly shared between IT and OT and 15 percent said OT.

Comparing (Read more...)