Why OT Cybersecurity Is Moving to the CISO’s Desk—and What That Means for Manufacturers

For decades, cybersecurity in manufacturing was someone else’s problem—usually the plant manager’s. That’s changing fast. As industrial organizations digitize more of their operations and face increasingly aggressive cyber threats, responsibility for securing operational technology (OT) is shifting up the chain of command. More and more, CISOs are becoming the de facto owners of OT cyber strategy.

This shift isn’t just administrative—it’s architectural. It signals a broader move toward centralized, standardized, and risk-aware approaches to securing everything from PLCs to remote access tunnels. And it comes with both opportunities and growing pains.

The Risk Profile Has Changed

Manufacturers face a unique risk equation. Production downtime isn’t just a headache—it’s a revenue threat. According to recent threat intelligence reports, manufacturers are not only among the most targeted by ransomware groups, but also among the most likely to pay high ransoms due to the cost of halted operations. That calculus puts a premium on preventive security. But implementing that effectively across dispersed and complex environments isn’t something most plant-level teams are equipped to do alone.

This is where CISOs are stepping in. They’re bringing strategic oversight, budget authority, and a more integrated view of enterprise risk. But they’re also learning that applying traditional IT controls to industrial environments doesn’t always work.

Why OT Needs a Different Playbook

The OT world has different rules. Maintenance windows might happen once every few years. Systems can’t always be patched on schedule. Downtime is not an option. And operators aren’t focused on security—they’re focused on making product.

To bridge this gap, leading manufacturers are appointing OT security champions—people who understand both plant floor realities and cyber frameworks. These roles often sit within the security team but speak the language of operations. They help translate strategy into plant-friendly policies, without disrupting safety or production goals.

Collaboration Is the New Control Surface

What’s emerging is a model of shared ownership, where the CISO sets the direction, but execution is rooted in cross-functional partnership. This includes joint planning with OT leaders, clear communication about the why behind security controls, and adjustments to standard frameworks (like NIST or CIS) to account for industrial constraints.

Modern CISOs are also leaning on trusted technology partners—vendors who can provide visibility, not just alerts; and controls, not just compliance reports. This platform-based approach, rather than a scattered set of point tools, is proving to be more effective for managing risk across both IT and OT domains.

The Next 12 Months Will Define the Next Decade

The integration of OT cybersecurity into enterprise security strategy is not a trend—it’s a necessity. The next wave of manufacturing resilience depends on it. Manufacturers that succeed will be those that treat OT not as a bolt-on security project, but as a core part of their risk management architecture—led at the highest levels.

Because in the next incident, no one will ask where the breach occurred. They’ll ask who was responsible.