C-suite takes charge of OT cybersecurity: Fortinet

A new Fortinet report reveals a dramatic shift in how global organisations approach operational technology (OT) cybersecurity, with responsibility increasingly shifting to the C-suite. The 2025 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report, based on a global survey of over 550 OT professionals, underscores the growing importance of OT security amid an evolving threat landscape.

The study highlights a major uptick in executive involvement: 52% of organisations now place OT security under the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or Chief Security Officer (CSO), up from just 16% in 2022. Overall, 95% of organisations report that someone in the C-suite is responsible for OT security, reflecting a growing recognition of its business-critical nature. Furthermore, 80% of respondents plan to formally shift OT security oversight to the CISO within the next year.

The report also links increased OT security maturity with a reduction in the impact of cyber intrusions. Organisations that have progressed to higher security maturity levels reported fewer disruptions from tactics like phishing or malware, and revenue-impacting operational outages dropped from 52% to 42% over the past year.

Best practices such as cyber hygiene, employee training, and threat intelligence adoption are playing a key role. Notably, the use of threat intelligence rose by 49%, and 78% of organisations now rely on fewer OT device vendors, suggesting a move toward vendor consolidation and operational efficiency.

Fortinet’s report outlines several recommendations for improving OT cybersecurity: enhancing visibility, implementing network segmentation, integrating OT into incident response plans, adopting platform-based security architectures, and embracing AI-powered threat intelligence. These steps aim to improve responsiveness while reducing complexity across IT/OT environments.

The findings are based on responses from professionals in sectors such as manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and transportation, representing countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

As OT systems become increasingly interconnected with IT infrastructure, Fortinet’s report emphasises that securing these environments is no longer optional; it is a board-level imperative for resilient operations.

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