Infosys TechCompass

Emerging technologies

Trend 13: IT-OT security convergence gains popularity for unified, rapid protection

As IT and OT merge, treat them equally. Apply IT security controls to OT. Collaborate, don't isolate, IT and OT teams. A skill gap exists between OT and cyber teams. Security teams lack awareness of OT device vulnerabilities and patches. The OT team doesn't grasp business risks from vulnerabilities. Security issues in OT devices can harm systems and human safety. So, organizations should monitor IT and OT systems and correlate logs to understand vulnerabilities and take necessary actions.

Managing IT and OT environments from a unified perspective helps the cyber team understand the threat landscape across networks and correlate alerts, incidents, and vulnerabilities.

Major IT SIEM providers like Splunk, Qradar, and Azure Sentinel integrate with OT security platforms such as Claroty, Nozomi, and MDIoT. They send alerts, events, and logs for monitoring and action. Before, hidden OT incidents caused delays in addressing threats. This integration offers quick action, removes OT blind spots, and addresses cybersecurity worries.

A major US beverage company aimed to monitor its IT and OT environments from a single interface for enhanced cybersecurity. It previously used an SIEM solution for the IT environment, and separately monitored OT, leading to unnoticed alerts and vulnerabilities. In collaboration with Infosys, it integrated an IT-OT SOC monitoring solution with its existing SIEM and Claroty OT platforms. This streamlined event and alert handling and provided quicker incident responses. The IT-OT SOC team now monitors both IT and OT environments from a single platform that requires less resources.

Emerging technologies

Trend 14: Organizations embrace zero-trust security in OT/IoT network

Zero-trust principles in OT/IoT networks gain importance in cybersecurity. Old perimeter-centric security isn't enough against advanced threats. With more devices and IT-OT convergence, a proactive and adaptive approach is vital.

Zero trust is an innovative security framework that assumes no implicit trust, inside or outside the network perimeter. It verifies and authenticates every user and device, regardless of location or network connection. Zero-trust architecture reduces attack surface, minimizes threat movement, and enhances network security.

Zero trust gains importance in IT-OT networks that involve critical processes and are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Stringent access controls and continuous device monitoring enable organizations to secure critical infrastructure and reduce risks related to unauthorized access, tampering, and disruptions.

Zero trust suits IT-OT settings with legacy and modern systems. Despite diverse protocols, it grants detailed control for secure communication and integration among devices and systems.

A global manufacturing company with 22 OT plants faced challenges like poor asset visibility, security gaps, and a lack of skilled OT security staff. Infosys helped the firm establish a zero-trust framework by identifying cybersecurity gaps. It prioritized key infrastructure, reduced cyberattack risks, strengthened OT security against targeted attacks, and raised vulnerability awareness. The company also introduced 24/7 security monitoring to spot OT-related threats.