Fortinet Report Highlights Rising Executive Focus on OT Cybersecurity Amid Evolving Threat Landscape
Bengaluru, July 16: As operational technology (OT) systems increasingly become targets of cyberattacks, global cybersecurity leader Fortinet has released its 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report, revealing a significant shift in how OT security is being prioritized at the executive level.
According to the report, 52% of organizations now assign OT security oversight to their CISO or CSO, a dramatic rise from just 16% in 2022. Moreover, an overwhelming 95% of organizations report C-suite involvement in OT cybersecurity, highlighting the growing recognition of OT as a critical pillar in enterprise risk management.
“The findings show that organizations are now taking OT security more seriously than ever,” said Nirav Shah, Senior Vice President of Products and Solutions at Fortinet. “The C-suite’s direct involvement, paired with rising maturity levels in OT cybersecurity, is a clear signal that companies are evolving in their approach to securing cyber-physical systems.”
OT Maturity Reduces Risk Impact
The report also reveals that organizations with higher levels of OT security maturity are experiencing fewer incidents and lesser disruptions. Companies that have adopted foundational practices like network segmentation, asset visibility, and endpoint monitoring are not only more resilient to attacks like phishing and OT malware but are also reporting fewer operational outages. For example, outages impacting revenue have dropped from 52% to 42% over the past year.
Best Practices Gaining Ground
The adoption of cyber hygiene, threat intelligence, and vendor consolidation are helping organizations bolster their OT cybersecurity frameworks. Notably, 78% of organizations now use fewer than four OT vendors, indicating a trend toward operational efficiency and simplified infrastructure.
The report also underscores the advantages of Fortinet’s unified security platform, which helped reduce cyber incidents by 93% and improve response performance by sevenfold, based on customer success stories.
Key Recommendations
Fortinet’s report provides actionable best practices for organizations seeking to elevate OT security:
Establish visibility and controls for OT assets
Deploy strong network segmentation using standards like ISA/IEC 62443
Integrate OT into security operations and incident response plans
Adopt platform-based security architectures
Leverage OT-specific AI-driven threat intelligence
Global Perspective
The survey, conducted globally across 550+ OT professionals, includes insights from industries such as manufacturing, energy, transportation, water, and pharmaceuticals. Respondents hailed from over 30 countries, including India, the US, Germany, Japan, and South Korea, reflecting a comprehensive view of OT cybersecurity maturity worldwide.
As IT and OT environments continue to converge, Fortinet’s report serves as a critical benchmark for organizations to assess their cybersecurity readiness and align with best practices to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats.
