Industrial cybersecurity: why cyber risk Is driving investment

Industrial companies are increasing cybersecurity investment as connected operations, AI adoption and IT/OT convergence expand operational risk, with more than one-third seeing cybersecurity risk as a top obstacle to growth, according to a new study from Rockwell Automation 

Industrial companies are connecting more systems, scaling AI faster, and pushing operations to move in real time. Those investments create speed, efficiency and flexibility, but also expand operational risk. As organisations continue to connect information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems, scale AI initiatives, and expand the use of operational data across the enterprise, they create new dependencies that can increase exposure to cyber-related risk, underscoring the need to strengthen resilience.

The report, Operational Resilience in the Age of Connectivity, based on input from 1,500 manufacturing and industrial operations decision makers across a range of industries in 17 countries, reveals a disconnect between confidence in comprehensive cybersecurity protection and operational risk. Although industrial organisations are investing in cybersecurity in the face of the growing risks, those investments do not automatically translate into operational resilience.

Key findings

Key findings from the report include:
• Organisations remain confident despite rising incident exposure: While 46% of organisations experienced a cyber incident in the past year, 90% say they are confident in their ability to prevent, contain or recover from one.
• Cybersecurity delivers strong perceived ROI: 62% of organisations have already invested in cybersecurity platforms, and cybersecurity ranks as the second-highest ROI-generating technology investment reported by respondents.
• Organisations are looking to AI as part of their cybersecurity response: 45% plan to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity initiatives over the next 12 months.
• IT/OT convergence creates both risk and opportunity: IT and OT integration points rank as the second-most vulnerable to cyber incidents. At the same time, 37% say securing IT/OT architecture will drive positive business outcomes over the next five years.

The findings point to a clear shift: organisations are embedding cybersecurity into broader digital transformation strategies alongside AI, automation, cloud technologies and connected operations. But as environments become more interconnected, resilience depends on how well organisations can translate investment into coordinated action.

Resilience requires continual improvement

Resilient operations depend on continuously adapting OT cybersecurity programmes as operational needs and risks evolve, the report says. It requires a proactive, end-to-end approach aligned to globally recognised frameworks and standards such as NIST, NIS2 and IEC 62443. This gives organisations a structured roadmap to improve security maturity while meeting regulatory requirements.

The organisations that gain the most value from cybersecurity will be those that take a proactive, programmatic approach. By building visibility, risk-based decision making, secure architectures, continuous monitoring and recovery readiness into their operations from the start, they can reduce operational risk, sustain production during disruption and enable the business to move forward with confidence.

The good news is that organisations are rising to the challenge. They no longer treat cybersecurity as a separate IT initiative but are instead increasingly viewing it as part of operational performance.

“Industrial organisations understand that cybersecurity directly affects uptime, continuity, productivity and growth, but technology investments alone do not create operational resilience or confidence in an organisation's security posture,” said Rick Kaun, global director, cybersecurity services at Rockwell Automation. “True resilience is built when cybersecurity becomes an integral part of business strategy. Organisations that proactively manage risk and prepare for disruption are better positioned to protect operations, sustain production and gain a competitive advantage.”

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is operational resilience?

Operational resilience is an organisation's ability to sustain safe, secure, and reliable industrial operations by proactively managing risk, limiting disruption and providing rapid recovery from incidents.

Why is IT/OT convergence increasing cybersecurity risk?

IT/OT convergence increases cybersecurity risk because it expands the attack surface, introduces new points of connectivity and allows threats that originate in IT environments to potentially impact industrial operations. As operational data, systems, users and third-party connections become more interconnected, a single cyber incident can have broader consequences across production, safety, quality and business continuity.

How are industrial organisations using AI for cybersecurity?

According to the research, 45% of industrial organizations plan to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity over the next 12 months to help improve detection, monitoring and risk management capabilities.

The full report, is available HERE and explores how industrial organisations are strengthening cybersecurity, managing IT/OT convergence and building more resilient operations in an increasingly connected environment.