Kaspersky and VDC Research have recently unveiled significant findings pertaining to the cybersecurity landscape within Operational Technology (OT) environments. This comprehensive report sheds light on both the challenges that industrial organizations encounter during their digital transformation initiatives and the pressing need for enhanced cybersecurity measures tailored to address these vulnerabilities.
Titled “Securing OT with Purpose-built Solutions,” the report draws on extensive research, which includes a survey conducted among more than 250 decision-makers in OT and IT across various sectors—including energy, utilities, transportation, logistics, and manufacturing. The research not only identifies key business and technological trends impacting OT cybersecurity but also highlights the best practices being developed to address prevalent issues.
One of the most noteworthy revelations from the study is that nearly two-fifths (39.3%) of global industrial enterprises perceive cybersecurity as a critical challenge during the digitalization of OT environments. This figure is even higher in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, where it rises to 45%, reflecting a slightly more advanced level of digital transformation among local OT organizations.
However, the pace of digitalization is not uniform across industries. The findings indicate that over 31% of industrial companies are still dependent on manual processes or are in the nascent stages of integrating digital technologies. Close to 23% have begun to incorporate certain connected digital solutions. Despite this array of digital maturity, a notable 63.6% of respondents expressed intentions to reach a fully digital state marked by ongoing improvement in their digital competencies within the next two years.
Organizations in the APAC region appear to be marginally ahead in this regard, with only 22% of respondents still operating under traditional or preliminary digitalization frameworks. A majority of these organizations report either using several connected technologies (36%) or achieving full digital integration (33%). Meanwhile, approximately 9% claim they have attained digital maturity. However, amid this progress, worries surrounding cybersecurity remain pronounced in the region.
Cybersecurity risks such as inadequate protection measures and insufficient resource allocation for OT security pose urgent obstacles to the digital transformation journey. The survey data reveals that globally, 46.6% of respondents identified inadequate security protocols within their current infrastructure. Additionally, an equal proportion pointed out the lack of sufficient budgets or personnel dedicated to OT cybersecurity. Further complicating the landscape, 42.7% of respondents noted regulatory compliance challenges, with 41.7% emphasizing the complexity of integrating IT and OT systems as a major concern.
In the APAC region specifically, 68% highlighted deficiencies in security capabilities, while 56% cited a lack of adequate personnel or funding as significant hurdles. Furthermore, 35% mentioned difficulties related to regulatory compliance. These statistics illustrate an ongoing struggle to align cybersecurity measures with the demands of increasing digitalization.
Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky, elaborated on the regional findings, stating, “While industrial companies in APAC are slightly ahead regarding digitalization, our survey revealed that nearly half still contend with outdated protocols and legacy systems, grappling with the complexities of integrating internal IT and OT spheres.” Hia underscored the urgency of the situation, especially considering that connections in the manufacturing sector in APAC are projected to reach a staggering USD $80 billion by 2029. This trajectory underscores the necessity for OT customers to collaborate with cybersecurity providers equipped with insights into the latest threats facing the industrial sector.
The report ultimately emphasizes that the ongoing wave of digitalization continues to introduce new cyber risks that jeopardize both data integrity and system operations, thereby threatening the value organizations seek from their digital technology investments. Consequently, there is a burgeoning necessity for robust cybersecurity practices to foster trust and ensure the successful implementation of digital strategies.
Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product Line at Kaspersky, succinctly articulated the broader implications of the findings. He noted, “As connectivity and reliance on digital technologies escalate, so too does the risk of cyber threats. Therefore, it is imperative for industrial organizations to adopt strong cybersecurity solutions that not only enhance the efficiency of newly implemented OT systems but also mitigate potential risks that could lead to significant disruptions and financial setbacks.”
Kaspersky’s solutions for OT clients encompass an integrated ecosystem designed to marry OT-centric technologies with industry expertise and knowledge. The Kaspersky Industrial Cybersecurity (KICS) platform serves as a cornerstone of this offering, providing critical features such as asset inventory management, risk assessment, auditing, and unified security scaling across distributed infrastructures.
These findings emerge at a time when an increasing number of organizations within the industrial sector are preparing to navigate their transitions toward heightened digital maturity, all while grappling with the intertwined challenges of cybersecurity and system integration that accompany this essential shift.