How to sell: OT services and support

What does the term OT cover?

Richard Oliver, director of strategy at Conscia UK, offers a clear definition: “OT includes the systems that directly control physical equipment and infrastructure. When inside a building, most systems we interact with, such as lighting, HVAC [heating, ventilation and air-conditioning], elevators, access control, water and energy, fall under OT systems. OT systems form the foundation of smart environments, driving safety, comfort and operational performance.”

Patrick Scholl, head of OT at the Infinigate Group, points out that these systems are often to be found in specialised businesses

“These are often highly specialised systems found in critical industries like energy, manufacturing, logistics and water/wastewater treatment. One of the most prominent forms of OT is industrial control systems (ICS). Using tools like supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), ICS collect and analyse real-time data to manage plant equipment, ensuring smooth and efficient operations,” he says.

What are the products and services the channel can supply to OT environments?

Conscia’s Oliver lists off several technologies the channel can step into to cover OT, including internet of things (IoT) sensors, secure network infrastructure, and an analytical data platform with managed services to provide operational context.

“Together, these help customers bring OT and IT data into one place to get clear, actionable insights, making it easier to predict maintenance needs, run buildings more efficiently and meet sustainability goals,” he says.

OT includes the systems that directly control physical equipment and infrastructure. They form the foundation of smart environments, driving safety, comfort and operational performance

Scholl also has some recommendations for products the channel can take out to serve OT customers.

“On the product side, the channel provides tools and technical solutions to minimise the impact of incidents. Network segmentation and architecture design isolate critical OT assets, preventing attacks from spreading to IT and OT environments,” he says.

“Secure remote access solutions ensure that maintenance and troubleshooting activities can be performed safely and efficiently, using strong authentication, encrypted connections and granular access control to prevent unauthorised entry,” he adds.

“Meanwhile, security operations centres (SOCs) and security information and event management (SIEM) capabilities enable continuous monitoring, threat detection and coordinated incident response. Together, these services enable organisations to build robust OT security, enable rapid recovery and ensure business continuity following a security incident,” he says.

Thomas Mardahl, CEO of Rejoose, stresses the opportunity to combine OT modernisation with sustainability expertise to help customers improve their position around emissions and energy usage.

“The IT channel can support OT transformation by delivering solutions that not only optimise operational performance and reduce energy consumption, but also track and connect carbon emissions across systems,” he says.

“By connecting OT performance to carbon impact, the channel helps companies make informed, measurable improvements in both cost and environmental footprint - while dramatically reducing internal time spent on data collection and eliminating the need for expensive manual consultant services,” adds Mardahl.

What are the challenges around OT?

The problem with OT is often the starting point, with systems being proprietary operating systems that have evolved over time. Unfortunately, it is not a simple case of connecting up what are often closed systems to add network security and AI.

“The main challenges are that many of the systems were never designed to communicate outside of a very defined environment, and as such, they have often been designed with very limited support for protocols that the IT world would recognise. These environments are often closed, so the equipment it contains is likely designed to talk only to other devices of the same type or a controller which may manage these devices,” says Chris Dyke, sales director for the UK and Ireland at Allied Telesis.

“Cabling of systems doesn’t lend itself to methodologies that IT systems typically use, such as structured cabling or fibre, often preferring 2 pair serial connections instead. Due to the fact that these systems are often designed to be closed, they rarely support IP [internet protocol] natively, so joining them to a converged network with other systems at scale is time-consuming and difficult,” he adds.

That picture of outdated legacy systems is one that others have experienced, which inevitably increases security risks as those closed systems are opened up to the rest of the network.

The biggest challenge with OT threats is still the convergence of OT and IT systems. Over the past year, more than 50% of organisations have experienced at least one security incident involving ICS/OT systems

“The main challenges are outdated, disconnected systems, old or proprietary protocols, and growing cyber security risks as OT and IT come together. Many customers struggle to connect these systems securely. Creating consistent and secure data flows is key to turning information into insights that drive better outcomes across the business,” says Oliver.

That need for improved security is echoed elsewhere across the industry, and is seen as a significant area where the channel can expect demand for its expertise.

Ric Derbyshire, principal security researcher at Orange Cyberdefense, says the moment when OT becomes an opportunity is when customers start talking about digital transformation.

“The first major challenge is around modernisation, particularly of OT. Traditionally, OT and IT have been isolated from one another, but in recent years, the two have become increasingly interconnected. This convergence and transformation brings opportunities, but it also opens up OT systems to the threats that have historically targeted just IT,” he says.

“OT networks are often expansive, having grown organically over time through incremental changes and without comprehensive records of the devices and technologies of which they’re composed. This limited visibility leads to incomplete knowledge of the attack surface, resulting in potentially unknown vulnerabilities,” adds Derbyshire.

“To worsen this problem, utilities also face chronic staff shortages. With engineers and other personnel stretched thin, it can be difficult to enforce accountability for OT networks. Knowledge hoarding is also a major problem here, with engineers sometimes keeping mental logs of the OT environments they operate without proper records,” he says.

Those security fears are well-grounded. As James Neilson, senior vice-president for international at Opswat, points out, there have already been attacks on OT systems.

“The biggest challenge with OT threats is still the convergence of OT and IT systems. For example, over the past year, more than 50% of organisations have experienced at least one security incident involving ICS/OT systems. The interconnected and risky nature of IT and OT environments is creating new vulnerabilities that adversaries are exploiting at an alarming rate,” he says.

IT systems, network connections, and transient devices remain primary attack vectors for ICS/OT infrastructure. Without proper controls on data entering or leaving OT networks, organisations struggle to contain IT-originated threats,” he adds.

Others agree that criminals are all too aware of the potential weak link that OT systems present once they are connected to the network.

“Often, OT systems are seen as easier attack surfaces to hackers as not only can they be used as backdoors, but in poorly designed systems, they can also be used to springboard to other connected systems, potentially compromising multiple systems from the same vector,” says Dyke.

What does the OT market opportunity look like for the rest of this year and into 2026?

This is not a market that is slowing down anytime soon. Some in the channel have identified OT as a growth area, including the likes of security specialist Distology, and the market should continue to grow into the next year and beyond.

“The OT market is growing and more focused on smarter, more sustainable and data-led operations. The biggest opportunities are in secure, integrated data platforms and service models that keep improving performance, help meet net-zero goals, and bring IT and facilities teams closer together,” says Conscia’s Oliver.

Those businesses that have made the effort to gain expertise around OT environments are well placed to take advantage of that ongoing demand for support.

“As OT and IT systems converge, there’s a growing opportunity for those who can manage data flows. Organisations now recognise the need to detect and neutralise hidden threats before they reach critical OT environments, driving demand for solutions that secure data in transit,” says Neilson.

Infinigate’s Scholl also points to the impact of regulations to drive activity across the OT world as customers react to the pressures to get on top of security issues.

“Regulatory momentum is building fast, with NIS2 enforcement and the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) creating strong demand for OT security and compliance across manufacturing and critical infrastructure. Vendors and OEMs now face mounting pressure to secure “digital OT elements”, environments, ensure audit readiness and embed product cyber security – from SBOM [software bill of materials] and vulnerability handling to secure updates – by the December 2027 CRA deadline,” he says.

There are clearly opportunities for the IT channel to support OT environments, but these complex systems require levels of expertise that involve a commitment from channel businesses to grasp the nature of old proprietary specialist systems and take the necessary steps to protect and connect them.