How Do OT and IT Differ?

IT is the technology backbone of any organization. It's necessary for monitoring, managing, and securing core functions such as email, finance, human resources (HR), and other applications in the data center and cloud.

OT is for connecting, monitoring, managing, and securing an organization's industrial operations. Businesses engaged in activities such as manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, utilities, and transportation, among many others, rely heavily on OT. Robots, industrial control systems (ICS), Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and computer numerical control (CNC) are examples of OT.

Operational technology can also be found in warehouses and in outdoor areas such as parking lots and highways. Some such OT examples include ATMs and kiosks, connected buses, trains, and service fleets, weather stations, or a system that allows a city to manage chargers for electric vehicles.

The key difference between IT and OT is that IT is centered on an organization's front-end informational activities, while OT is focused on their back-end production (machines).

The IT department is responsible for the informational infrastructure of an enterprise. IT teams focus on maintaining consistent policies and control across the organization. IT is responsible for the protection of sensitive applications and confidential data from unauthorized access.

The OT department is responsible for the equipment on industrial sites. It's focused on production output and worker safety. Because OT performance is key to the company revenues, the team pays particular attention to the uptime and maintenance of machinery.

Contrary to IT, which is mainly focused on making data available, OT is focused on making machines impact the physical world. Machines can also generate data that will need to be archived for monitoring industrial processes and to be processed to help operators make decisions such as predictive maintenance.

IT devices are usually off-the-shelf, replaceable, generally have a lifespan of 3-5 years, and are relatively easy to maintain. They typically run on common operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Linux.

OT devices tend to be purpose-built, so they generally have specialized software and may run proprietary protocols. They have a much longer lifetime, as industrial sites are built to operate many years or even decades. OT devices may need to operate 24/7 without failure, as they control critical infrastructures.

Also, OT devices and systems aren't updated as often as IT devices and systems and might have numerous software vulnerabilities. Accessing them may be difficult because they might be installed in remote locations or harsh environments. They may even be controlled by partners or vendors. In all cases, modifications to OT devices may be subject to a complex approvals process as any change (even a simple software update) can have numerous cascading effects on the industrial process.

OT and IT network infrastructure have similar elements, like switches, routers, and wireless technology. Therefore, OT networks can benefit from the rigor and experience that IT has built over the years with common network management and security controls to build a solid network foundation.

However, there are key differences:

Form factor: OT network devices come in smaller and modularized form factors so they can be mounted in different ways, such as on rails, walls, or light poles, in cars, or even embedded within other equipment.

Hardening: OT network infrastructure may need to be ruggedized when deployed in severe industrial conditions. The infrastructure must be resistant to shock, vibration, water, extreme temperatures, and corrosive air and chemicals.

Network interfaces: Depending on their purpose, OT devices may support networks such as LoraWAN or WiSun to connect industrial IoT (IIoT) devices.

Protocols: OT network devices connect IoT sensors and machines, which run communications protocols that are not commonly used in traditional IT networks. Therefore, industrial networking products must support a wide variety of protocols such as Modbus, Profinet, and Common Industrial Protocol (CIP).

The ISA99/IEC62443 set of standards helps businesses achieve operational goals by connecting the enterprise network to the industrial network in a secure manner. They provide IT and OT common ground to work together, properly architecting an industrial network for effective operations and implementing industrial cybersecurity best practices step by step, for continuous improvement.

A productive relationship between IT and OT hinges greatly on these teams understanding each other's responsibilities and how they can work together.

OT professionals include machine operators, control engineers, and plant managers. IT professionals include network administrators, architects, and security officers. OT and IT professionals must evolve their roles and learn new skills and technologies to suit the new collaborative framework.

For example, a chief security officer (CSO) who is responsible for defining security policies for the enterprise network would need to learn how to govern cybersecurity best practices for both IT and OT networks.

Securing OT infrastructures is key to enable the digital transformation of any industry. It requires a precise view of connected assets, communication patterns, and network topologies so that IT and OT experts can work together to define zones of trust, enforce segmentation, and monitor endpoints to detect threats before it’s too late.

Because industrial assets can be deployed in remote locations, might have been installed a long time ago, or are sometimes managed by third parties, studies show that 55 percent of organizations have inaccurate or no asset inventory. A solution that automatically builds a precise and dynamic list of all of the industrial assets is required for IT and OT teams to define plans that will improve network hygiene, drive segmentation, and enhance security to help ensure production continuity, resilience, and safety.

As industrial operations are digitizing, OT assets and industrial networks need a strong IT foundation to facilitate uptime and help enable industrial processes to run even faster to increase output. More than ever, IT and OT teams must collaborate to deploy a modern, managed, agile, and secure wired and wireless network infrastructure that will help grow industrial productivity and lower operational costs.

Implementing a modern infrastructure, and digitizing in general, isn't an easy transition for OT. It requires a strategic, security-focused approach to reduce the risk of creating digital blind spots when connecting industrial assets and bringing more data and insights to IT and OT teams.

IT can leverage the skills and expertise acquired in deploying modern enterprise networks to help OT implement robust and agile networks. With the right industrial switches, routers, management and security tools, this will unlock many benefits such as:

• Reduced unplanned asset downtime with more secure and reliable connectivity
• Lower operational costs through remote management capabilities
• Superior agility with automated deployment features and extensive use of software
• Reduce risk thanks to enhanced security