Breaking Down the IT-OT Wall: Why IT Cybersecurity Tools Fail on the Plant Floor

In this episode, Dino Busalachi and Craig Duckworth tackle a critical disconnect plaguing industrial organizations: the disconnect in understanding and communication between IT and OT regarding industrial cybersecurity.

 While some IT departments are investing in OT cybersecurity platforms, 85% of the data these tools collect is designed for OT teams to act upon. Unfortunately, plant floor personnel, system integrators, and OEMs working in these environments rarely get access to dashboards, asset inventories, or vulnerability reports.

Organizations must move beyond the "oil and water" mentality between IT and OT. This means involving plant personnel in cybersecurity decisions, sharing data with trusted partners who "build the cars" (not just buy them), and recognizing that effective OT security requires collaboration with the people who live and breathe on the plant floor every day.

Bottom Line: If you're not sharing cybersecurity data with your system integrators, OEMs, and plant operations teams, you're not practicing true IT-OT convergence. You're missing critical opportunities to improve your security posture where it matters most.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - Why Local Collaboration is Critical for Cybersecurity Success
• 00:01:07 - Meet Dino and Craig: Experts in IT/OT Integration
• 00:01:49 - Unpacking the Challenges of IT/OT Convergence
• 00:02:28 - Why IT and OT Teams Often Struggle to Align
• 00:04:48 - Building Collaborative Frameworks for Stronger Cybersecurity
• 00:07:33 - The Role of CIOs and CISOs in Driving Change
• 00:08:44 - Navigating the Complexities of Diverse Plant Environments
• 00:10:23 - Partnering with Vendors to Enhance Security Outcomes
• 00:11:16 - Key Questions to Evaluate System Integrators Effectively
• 00:16:35 - Using Tabletop Exercises to Align IT and OT Teams
• 00:22:20 - Closing Thoughts: Bridging the Divide for Unified Cybersecurity

Links And Resources:

• Want to Sponsor an episode or be a Guest? Reach out here.
• Industrial Cybersecurity Insider on LinkedIn
• Cybersecurity & Digital Safety on LinkedIn
• BW Design Group Cybersecurity
• Dino Busalachi on LinkedIn
• Craig Duckworth on LinkedIn

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