OT Cybersecurity is Still a Black Hole for Facility Managers

 

A confident cybersecurity strategy for facility managers is still out of reach. Even though most facilities have a grasp on IT networks, a steady increase of IoT connections in commercial buildings is creating confusion and opacity in OT strategies. This increase in devices shows no signs of slowing, either; Statista forecasts new smart building connections in the billions by 2025.

This disconnect between cybersecurity and OT networks isn’t a surprise for facility managers, either, though a solution still isn’t clear. A Honeywell survey from late summer found facility managers in the US, Germany, and China share concerns around OT cybersecurity, with only 44% of respondents signaling they have an OT security solution in place, and only 33% planning to invest in one in the next year.

Why is OT network security still such an afterthought for facilities? Is a more confident OT strategy the responsibility of the facility or the vendor? Jeff Ewing, VP of Operations for the Cyber team at 5Q, a commercial real estate technology and cybersecurity company, gave his perspective on this disconnect and how to build a more thoughtful and sustainable OT security approach.

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