Operational Technology Management

The Challenges Facing Operational Technology Systems
With the rise of Industry 4.0, technologies in manufacturing environments have become increasingly complex and integrated. However, manufacturers are often still dependent on manual processes and legacy knowledge to maintain their critical Operational Technology (OT) environment. As a result, it’s challenging to gain a complete picture of operational technology— let alone efficiently secure, monitor, and manage it all. Without contextual visibility, one minor issue can quickly evolve into a complex problem with costly solution. Entire operations could be halted due to a maintenance problem with one piece of machinery, putting production behind schedule.

In an era of connected manufacturing, this approach doesn’t scale, especially with growing cybersecurity threats, a coming wave of worker retirements, and a need to maximize the productivity of people and systems. In addition, the process is rife with the potential for unplanned downtime.