What is IT/OT?
IT/OT refers to the connection between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), two worlds that used to work separately but now sit tightly linked in modern enterprises. As more organizations adopt connected systems, cloud services, remote operations, and IIoT, the line between IT and OT keeps fading and with it comes a new set of security, visibility, and governance challenges.
This IT/OT convergence affects everything from IT security, OT security, and monitoring IT systems and OT systems to managing IT devices, OT devices, and the networks that link them. Understanding IT/OT is essential for any team responsible for protecting critical infrastructure, industrial environments, or connected operations.
IT/OT describes the merging of information technology – systems that store, transmit, and process data – with operational technology, which controls physical equipment like PLCs, sensors, and industrial machinery.
Traditionally, these two domains operate on different architectures, priorities, and teams. Information Technology (IT) focused on data, availability, and user access. Operational Technology (OT) focused on uptime, physical processes, and safety. But with increased connectivity, remote control, and digital transformation across industries, OT environments are no longer isolated. They rely on modern networks, cloud-based tools, and shared IT resources.
What this really means is that IT network security and OT network security now overlap. A compromise in IT can impact physical processes, and a breach in OT can give attackers a pathway back into IT. This shared risk drives the need for stronger IT security solutions, OT security solutions, and unified visibility across both domains.
Synonyms
- Information Technology (IT)
- Operational Technology (OT)
- IT/OT Convergence
- IT/OT Integration
- IT/OT Alignment
- Industrial Digitalization
- Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
- Digital Transformation
- Connected Industry
- System Integration
Why IT/OT Matters
Here’s the thing: once IT and OT connect, organizations gain efficiency, automation, and new analytics capabilities, but they also inherit shared cyber risk.
IT/OT matters because it affects:
- Operational continuity: A cyberattack in OT can stop production, disrupt utilities, or halt industrial processes.
- Information protection: IT environments hold business data, intellectual property, and communications systems.
- Safety: OT incidents aren’t just digital; they can lead to real-world physical consequences.
- Integrated teams and workflows: IT and OT teams must collaborate on IT network, OT network, patching, access control, and monitoring.
The more connected the environment becomes, the more essential unified information technology security and operational technology security become.
How IT/OT Works (and Where the Risks Appear)
To understand IT/OT, it helps to break down the key components that link these environments:
1. IT Systems and Services:
This includes all IT systems, business applications, cloud platforms, IT devices, user workstations, and communication tools. IT environments are built for flexibility, scale, and data management, making IT cyber security essential.
2. OT Systems and Industrial Control Layers:
OT includes OT systems, control loops, SCADA, HMIs, programmable logic controllers, OT devices, and field sensors. These systems prioritize uptime and safety, so downtime, even for patching, can be difficult.
3. Shared Networks:
Modern organizations use converged networks where IT and OT traffic flows through common switches, firewalls, or gateways. This increases efficiency but introduces shared attack vectors.
4. Integrated Platforms and Solutions:
To manage convergence, many organizations rely on IT solutions, OT solutions, analytics tools, automation systems, and monitoring platforms that span both environments.
5. Cybersecurity Controls Across Both Sides:
Unified monitoring, incident response, asset discovery, and behavioral analytics help detect attacks across both IT and OT. This is where modern security platforms make the difference, especially in environments where an IT breach can affect physical systems.
Best Practices to Secure IT/OT
A strong IT/OT strategy requires structure, clarity, and ongoing collaboration:
- Map your assets across both IT and OT so you know what’s connected and where the risks lie.
- Segment networks to reduce lateral movement between business systems and operational processes.
- Monitor both sides continuously, because threats often cross from IT to OT before anyone notices.
- Apply consistent identity and access controls to users, machines, and service accounts.
- Invest in unified visibility, so you aren’t switching between tools when analyzing incidents.
- Support both teams, because IT and OT must work together, not in silos.
NetWitness Connection
IT/OT environments need one thing above all: unified visibility. NetWitness helps security teams monitor their networks and OT networks together, detect threats across converged environments, and investigate incidents with the depth needed to protect both digital and physical operations.
Related Terms & Synonyms
A quick look at terms frequently used alongside or in place of IT/OT:
- Information Technology (IT): Systems that manage data, communications, and digital processes.
- Operational Technology (OT): Systems that manage physical operations and industrial processes.
- IT/OT Convergence: The merging of IT and OT environments through shared networks and digital systems.
- IT/OT Integration: Technical alignment between data, processes, and tools across both domains.
- IT/OT Alignment: Organizational alignment between IT and OT teams.
- Industrial Digitalization: Bringing digital tools and workflows into industrial operations.
- Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT): Connected sensors and devices used in industrial systems.
- Digital Transformation: Using modern technology to improve business operations.
- Connected Industry: Industrial environments tied together through networks, data flows, and automation.
- System Integration: Combining multiple systems so they operate as one coordinated environment.
People Also Ask
1. What is OT?
OT refers to operational technology – the hardware and software that control physical industrial processes such as manufacturing lines, utilities, and critical infrastructure.
2. What is IT?
IT refers to information technology – systems responsible for data management, networks, communications, and digital services used across an organization.
3. What is IT/OT?
IT/OT represents the merging of information technology and operational technology environments, creating shared systems, networks, and cybersecurity requirements.
4. What is OT in cybersecurity?
OT in cyber security focuses on protecting industrial systems, machinery, and physical processes from cyber threats that could disrupt operations or cause safety risks.
5. What is information technology?
Information technology includes computers, communication networks, software, databases, and services that support digital operations.
6. Are information systems easy?
Information systems can be approachable depending on background, but they require understanding of networks, databases, and business processes.
7. What is IT communications?
IT communications refers to the technology that supports messaging, data exchange, collaboration tools, and communication networks across an organization.
8. What is IT department?
An IT department oversees technology operations, security, support, infrastructure, and digital services.
9. What is medical information technology?
Medical IT includes systems that manage patient data, health records, diagnostics, and hospital networks.
10. Is information systems and information technology the same?
Not exactly — information systems focus on how technology supports business processes, while information technology focuses on the technology itself.
