Industrial Firms Struggle with OT Cybersecurity Visibility

Industrial organisations continue to struggle with operational technology (OT) cybersecurity despite growing confidence in their security programmes. According to Honeywell Technologies' 2026 OT Cybersecurity Benchmark Report, only 21% of industrial firms maintain a complete inventory of OT assets.

The report surveyed over 600 industrial cybersecurity leaders globally and found that 88% of respondents considered their OT cybersecurity programmes mature. However, limited visibility across connected industrial systems, legacy infrastructure, and skills shortages continue to affect organisations' ability to prevent and recover from cyber incidents.

The average organisation experienced 16.2 hours of downtime from its most significant cybersecurity incident, with losses reaching up to $500,000 per hour. The report also found that 99% of respondents expect artificial intelligence (AI) to impact OT security over the next two to three years.

Ritwij Kulkarni, vice-president and general manager, India and APAC, Process Automation, Honeywell Technologies, noted that legacy systems are a significant obstacle to improving security. He stated that 48% of organisations identified legacy systems as their biggest barrier to stronger OT security.