The Rising Importance of Operational Cybersecurity for the Future of Operations

This IDC Perspective focuses on the cybersecurity risks and best practices that organizations need to consider on their path to the future of operations. As digital technology continues to be embraced across operations, the potential avenues for attack have also increased. For operational groups, IT/OT convergence initiatives and legacy equipment pose significant security risks that can no longer be overlooked. The document will focus on the best practices and technology enablers that organizations reliant on physical operations can utilize to reduce the risk of operational network security incidents from occurring."The importance of digital transformation has been understood for some time across most operational groups. Most organizations have been rethinking fundamental aspects of their operations and how a digital-first strategy will be essential to success. While digitization efforts have led to many improvements in performance, the associated security implications are also important to consider - it only takes one incident to cripple an organization. Operations need to implement a comprehensive security strategy that combines key business capabilities and technologies to keep their networks secure," said Reid Paquin, research vice president, Future of Operations, IDC Industry Insights.