Cybersecurity risk is emerging as a significant obstacle to growth for industrial organisations as manufacturing operations become more connected, according to a new study from Rockwell Automation.
The company’s Operational Resilience in the Age of Connectivity report draws on survey responses from 1,560 manufacturing and industrial decision-makers across 17 major manufacturing countries. The research examines how organisations are managing cybersecurity as IT and operational technology (OT) systems become increasingly interconnected and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) expands.
Rockwell Automation said more than one-third of respondents identified cybersecurity risk as one of the biggest external obstacles to growth. At the same time, 46% said their organisation had experienced a cyber incident in the past year, while 90% expressed confidence in their ability to prevent, contain or recover from such incidents.
The findings also indicate continued investment in cybersecurity, with 62% of respondents saying their organisations had already invested in cybersecurity platforms. Cybersecurity was identified as the second-highest ROI-generating technology investment among those surveyed.
AI is also expected to play a greater role, with 45% of organisations planning to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity initiatives over the next 12 months.
The report identified IT/OT integration points as the second-most vulnerable area to cyber incidents. However, 37% of respondents said securing IT/OT architecture could drive positive business outcomes over the next five years.
“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.”
Rockwell Automation said the report highlights the need for industrial organisations to consider cybersecurity alongside broader operational resilience as manufacturing systems, data and technologies become more interconnected.
The research was conducted by Sapio Research in association with Rockwell Automation and included respondents from industries including consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, automotive, semiconductor, energy and life sciences. Respondents represented companies with revenues ranging from $100 million to more than $30 billion.
