People, Not Just Firewalls: Why OT Cybersecurity Starts with Training
The wake-up call no one wanted Just after midnight on September 22, 2024, a suspected ransomware attack forced operators at the Arkansas City, Kansas, water-treatment plant to switch to manual controls, anxiously safeguarding drinking water for the town’s residents. Downtime hurts more than you think According to the ITIC 2024 Hourly Cost of Downtime Survey, over 90% of mid-size and large organisations now put the price of a single hour of outage above $300,000, with 41% saying the bill tops $1 million. For OT industries, such as energy, costs can go up to $2.48 million per hour. When a cyber incident can drain six figures before a morning coffee break, prevention clearly beats recovery. Why training, not just tech, keeps the plant running Early threat spotting – Staff who know what an abnormal human-machine interface (HMI) screen looks like can isolate a rogue process long before malware reaches the production line. Fewer human-error openings – Phishing remains OT’s favourite attacker on-ramp; rehearsed teams click fewer bad links. Regulatory head-start – Standards such as IEC 62443 demand demonstrable cyber competence; fines for non-compliance often dwarf the cost of training. Three quick wins Quick win What it looks like The win Role-based micro-modules Deliver bite-sized, job-specific training. e.g. Modbus for SOC analysts, cyber awareness for OT Engineers. Builds practical, role-relevant cyber instincts. Table-top drills Simulate a cyber incident alert and map “who calls whom, who shuts what”. Prepares teams for real-world response. Visible leadership Get managers in the room with frontline staff during training. Makes security a shared responsibility. Bottom line Tools catch packets; people catch trouble. Invest in your workforce’s OT-security skills today, and the next midnight alarm could become just another drill instead of headline news. Learn more at my Labs Live OT Special Sign up for my Labs Live OT Special on July 15 as I tackle a brand new OT lab collaboratively, with you on a webinar. Register your attendance here! Share your thoughts Thoughts or questions? Drop them in the comments. Let’s keep the conversation (and the plant) running.Operational Technology: What It Is, Why It Matters, and Why Cybersecurity Can’t Wait
What is OT? Operational technology refers to the hardware and software systems that monitor and control physical devices, processes, and infrastructure. This includes everything from the systems that manage electricity generation and water treatment to manufacturing lines, railway signals, and building automation. Think programmable logic controllers (PLCs), SCADA systems, and human-machine interfaces (HMIs). Unlike IT, which focuses on data, OT is about controlling the physical world, keeping lights on, water flowing, trains running, and factories producing. Why is OT important? OT is the backbone of our critical infrastructure. A malfunction or compromise in these systems doesn’t just result in data loss; it can cause physical damage, safety incidents, environmental harm, or massive economic disruption. In other words, OT is where digital risk becomes real-world impact. Why is OT cybersecurity becoming critical? Historically, OT networks were isolated; the so-called “air gap” kept them separate from the internet and IT systems. But that gap has been shrinking fast: IT/OT convergence means OT systems are increasingly connected to enterprise networks for efficiency, monitoring, and remote access. Legacy systems not designed with cybersecurity in mind are being exposed to new threats. Ransomware and other attacks are now hitting OT environments, either indirectly as collateral damage from IT infections or directly as intentional targets – as seen in the Colonial Pipeline incident. The result? OT systems are now in the crosshairs of threat actors, but they often lack the same level of visibility, patching, and protection that IT environments enjoy. Share your thoughts Have you encountered OT in your role? What challenges have you faced? Drop a comment and let’s build some shared knowledge. Ready to double down on OT? Sign up for my Labs Live OT Special on July 15 as I tackle a brand new OT lab collaboratively, with you on a webinar. Register your attendance here!
