4 Tips to Help Future-Proof Your OT Security Strategy

Erin Anderson | January 8, 2020
There’s no argument that the operational technology (OT) security market is officially in transition. Acquisitions are accelerating, venture capital investment is slowing, and strategic partnerships are becoming critically important. OT systems themselves are also in a transitional state, as traditional, isolated legacy systems turn into fully IP-connected, cyber-physical systems. To stay relevant in the OT world, the cybersecurity market is evolving alongside them.
According to Gartner, by year-end 2023, organizations will need to adjust their OT security solutions, because 60% of today’s point solution OT security providers will have been rebranded, repositioned or bought, or will have disappeared. While this statistic may cause anxiety for OT security stakeholders out there, the good news is that there are things you can do now to help prepare yourself for the imminent changes in the OT security market.
Here are 4 tips to help future-proof your OT security strategy:
Ask vendors pointed questions like1:
The answers provided to these questions should give you a pretty clear idea of where a vendor is headed and if they will still be around in 2-3 years. If a vendor gives you answers that create doubts about their longevity, don’t hesitate to re-evaluate others. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that the maturity of the OT security market has greatly increased since you last evaluated solutions and discover products with features that add more value for you.
Since the future of the OT security market isn’t set in stone, it’s important to stay up to date on the latest trends and emerging technologies in the market. To learn more about the current and future state of the OT cybersecurity market, download Gartner’s Market Guide for Operational Technology Security.
1 Questions adapted from Gartner Market Guide for OT Security, 2019 https://www.forescout.com/gartner-market-guide-for-operational-technology-ot-cybersecurity
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