The Future of Industrial Network Security: How IT-OT Collaboration Drives Resilience

Insights from IDC on the Urgency of IT-OT Convergence and How ConnX Maestro Delivers a Unified Security Approach 

As industrial organizations accelerate their digital transformation efforts, the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) has become a strategic imperative. Legacy OT systems, rising cybersecurity threats, and tightening regulatory requirements have created an environment where traditional, siloed approaches no longer suffice. What’s needed is a unified security strategy—one that bridges the IT-OT divide, enhances visibility, and safeguards operations across the entire industrial ecosystem. 

As industrial organizations accelerate their digital transformation journeys, the convergence of IT (Information Technology) and OT (Operational Technology) has become mission-critical. The complex roadblocks posed by legacy OT assets, increasing cybersecurity threats, and stringent compliance regulations necessitate a new approach, one that breaks down silos and unifies security strategies across IT and OT domains. 

At ConnX, we work closely with manufacturers and critical infrastructure providers to strengthen cyber resilience where it matters most—at the intersection of IT and OT. We’ve seen firsthand how unified visibility, secure, reliable connectivity, and intelligent collaboration can transform operations. Our ConnX Maestro Orchestration Platform is central to this transformation, delivering real-time observability, advanced network and application control, and built-in Zero Trust architecture—all designed to secure even the most distributed and dynamic industrial environments. 

At ConnX, we see firsthand how unified visibility, secure and reliable connectivity, and smart collaboration are enabling manufacturers and critical infrastructure providers to build more cyber-resilient operations. Our ConnX Maestro Orchestration Platform plays a vital role in delivering this resilience through intelligent network and application control, real-time observability, and Zero Trust architecture across distributed business environments. 

This blog draws on key insights from the recent IDC Infobrief, “Securing the Future Through IT and OT Collaboration,” which explores how industrial organizations are rethinking cybersecurity in the face of rising threats and regulatory demands. Building on these findings, we will dive into how ConnX and the Maestro Orchestration Platform address critical challenges highlighted in the report. 

Why IT-OT Convergence Is the Future 

According to the IDC Infobrief, the top reasons organizations are pursuing IT-OT integration include improved performance (36%), product innovation (32%), and sustainability (30%). These percentages represent the proportion of industrial decision-makers who identified each factor as a primary driver, highlighting a strong and growing consensus that secure, interoperable systems are essential for achieving their strategic goals. 

The real challenge, however, lies in the fragmentation between IT and OT teams. Today, 71% of industrial organizations report needing IT support to secure operations. Without a shared view of network activity and risk, both sides fall short in managing risks. 

ConnX Maestro helps bridge this divide by providing a centralized orchestration layer that gives IT and OT teams a unified view of performance, security posture, and application behavior. It enables real-time collaboration, automated policy enforcement, and intelligent service assurance across hybrid environments. 

From Compliance to Competitive Advantage 

Security concerns are no longer confined to IT departments alone. They have risen to become top-of-mind priorities at the board level. As new regulations like NIS2, TSA mandates, and NERC-CIP reshape industrial cybersecurity, CISOs are increasingly held accountable for OT compliance. This shift calls for tighter alignment between IT and OT engineering teams in order to meet security goals without compromising operational performance. 

Balancing security with efficiency is a persistent challenge across industries.  Manufacturing companies are particularly being impacted, with 37% of CIO's in the industry citing this as a top obstacle, according to IDC’s recent infobrief. At ConnX, we help industrial clients address this challenge through secure-by-design architectures and converged security operations. With Maestro, organizations can build automated compliance into their workflows by leveraging policy-based access controls, end-to-end observability, and threat intelligence integration all from a single, intuitive platform. 

Visibility and Zero Trust Are Cornerstones 

A core challenge in today’s industrial environments is the lack of integrated, real-time visibility across OT systems. With over half of all OT assets more than a decade old, many organizations have limited awareness of their current security posture—leaving critical vulnerabilities hidden and exploitable by increasingly sophisticated threat actors. 

To close this gap, modern tools like network-embedded visibility, adaptive zone segmentation, and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) are essential. Yet many industrial enterprises still depend on legacy VPNs that were never designed for the complexity and performance demands of OT environments. These outdated solutions create operational inefficiencies, obscure threat activity, and increase exposure to cyberattacks. 

 One of the foundational issues in industrial environments is the lack of visibility. More than half of all OT assets are over a decade old, and many organizations remain unaware of their current security posture. Without real-time, automated insights into the network, vulnerabilities can remain hidden, making targeted attacks much simpler for threat actors. 

Modern solutions like network-embedded visibility, adaptive zone segmentation, and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) are essential to closing this gap. Despite this, many organizations still rely on legacy VPNs that fall short of meeting the specific requirements of industrial environments. These outdated tools often lead to operational inefficiencies and security blind spots. 

AI Secure delivers Zero Trust enforcement and network segmentation as embedded features, providing secure remote access and full application awareness without the overhead of traditional VPNs. With Maestro’s AI-driven anomaly detection and telemetry correlation, teams can instantly identify issues, mitigate threats, and maintain compliance across even the most distributed environments. 

Building a Unified SOC: IT, OT, and Cloud 

Traditional security operations centers (SOCs) are no longer sufficient when it comes to managing threats in modern industrial environments. Detecting and responding to cyber incidents now requires visibility across IT, OT, and cloud domains. A unified SOC provides this integrated view, allowing teams to identify hidden attack paths and correlate threat activity across all systems. 

ConnX supports this evolution by delivering integrated monitoring and response solutions. Our Maestro platform consolidates threat data from multiple domains, enabling security teams to make faster, more accurate decisions. It connects the dots between network activity, application behavior, and endpoint security, giving teams the full context needed to protect mission-critical operations. 

A Strategic Approach to Industrial Security 

IDC outlines a clear path for organizations at different stages of their security maturity: 

• Short-Term: Begin with an assessment of OT security posture using automated visibility tools and gap analysis. 

• Mid-Term: Implement changes using frameworks like ISA/IEC-62443 and reduce risk through segmentation and tighter access controls. 

• Long-Term: Extend full IT security capabilities to OT environments. Integrate threat intelligence, enable data-driven remediation, and unify response protocols. 

At ConnX, we work with clients across industries to implement this roadmap and help secure their critical infrastructure without sacrificing performance or scalability. Maestro plays a pivotal role in each phase, from discovery and policy orchestration to secure access and analytics-driven remediation. 

Final Thoughts 

The convergence of IT and OT represents more than just a technological shift. It is a strategic must for any organization aiming to remain secure, compliant, and competitive in a connected world. By embedding security into every layer of the industrial network, businesses can strengthen their resilience and future-proof their operations. 

ConnX Maestro empowers this transformation by acting as the digital conductor of your networked environment.  We unify observability, control, and security across IT, OT, and cloud systems, making industrial resilience an achievable reality.