# De-Risking Operational Technology: 5 Security Investments That Deliver Disproportionate Returns

- Link: https://www.agilicus.com/webinar/2026-05-14-derisking-operational-technology/
- Published: 2026-04-30T14:35:10+00:00
- Author: Don Bowman

# De-Risking Operational Technology: 5 Security Investments That Deliver Disproportionate Returns

The economic reality of just-in-time manufacturing and remote diagnostics has destroyed
the traditional air gap. We have converged information technology and operational
technology, which means legacy security models are now actively dangerous. You cannot
simply drop a corporate firewall onto a plant floor and declare the environment 
secure.

When threats pass through flat networks, programmable logic controllers are left
entirely exposed. It is time to step back from the marketing fluff. Join us to unpack
five orthogonal dimensions of industrial cyber security. We will show you exactly
where to allocate your time and resources to build a robust architecture that protects
uptime and fundamentally breaks the attack chain.

## **Webinar Highlights **

### The Speaker

[⌊don-bowman⌉⌊don-bowman⌉[

#### **Don Bowman, CEO at Agilicus**

Founder and CEO of Agilicus, Don Bowman is an expert in cloud, security, and networking
with 30 years of experience in global Internet, technology, public policy.

The convergence of business networks and industrial control systems has created 
unprecedented hybrid environments. Today, mid-market manufacturing companies face
significant challenges as the economic drive for remote diagnostics and integrated
supply chains forces these systems together. This shift introduces immense technical
friction. Traditional security tools designed to protect corporate laptops fail 
spectacularly when applied to programmable logic controllers and safety instrumented
systems.

Data from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency clearly shows that
adversaries are not relying on highly advanced, theoretical exploits. They are simply
walking through open doors. Rebuilding true defence in depth for critical infrastructure
requires abandoning the illusion of a secure perimeter and assuming the internal
network is already hostile.

To actively address these vulnerabilities, we must distill industrial cyber security
into five distinct, orthogonal dimensions. These represent specific vectors to invest
in, measure against, and continuously improve. The most crucial aspect of these 
five dimensions is that they are orthogonal, meaning they mitigate different risks
using entirely independent mechanisms.

Consider the Swiss cheese model of defence in depth. Every defensive layer has inherent
flaws. If you stack multiple layers of the exact same defence, the vulnerabilities
align, allowing a threat to pass straight through your environment. However, if 
you implement orthogonal defences, a failure in one specific layer does not result
in a systemic breach. This is similar to the concept of multi-factor authentication,
where you combine uncorrelated risks. A criminal who purchases a database of stolen
passwords does not possess your physical hardware token.

In this educational webinar, we will translate complex global standards, such as
NIST SP 800-82 and ISA/IEC 62443, into a practical roadmap. We will examine each
of these dimensions in depth:

 * **[Boundary Defence:](https://www.agilicus.com/boundary-defence-the-first-layer-of-industrial-cyber-security/)**
   Moving beyond simple perimeters to establish robust zones and conduits.
 * **[Identity and Credentials](https://www.agilicus.com/identity-and-credentials-the-new-air-gap):**
   Why identity is the new air gap, requiring strict cryptographic verification 
   and multi-factor authentication.
 * **[Lateral Movement:](https://www.agilicus.com/halting-lateral-movement-in-operational-technology)**
   Eliminating broad network access to ensure a compromised device does not create
   a bridge into the critical operational technology environment.
 * **[System Hardening:](https://www.agilicus.com/system-hardening-fortifying-industrial-infrastructure)**
   Securing legacy devices and endpoints to prevent a single compromised machine
   from taking down the plant floor.
 * **[Visibility and Detection](https://www.agilicus.com/visibility-and-detection-illuminating-the-industrial-network):**
   Gaining the crucial insight required to identify manipulation of control logic
   before an incident impacts your mean time to repair.

Because these dimensions are independent, an adversary who successfully bypasses
a network boundary does not automatically acquire the authentication token needed
to issue an operational command. We intend to cut through the marketing fluff and
focus strictly on the structural realities of securing operational technology. Register
today to learn how to fundamentally reduce your risk profile.

Industrial Cybersecurity Best Practices

 * [Assessing Your Industrial Cyber Security Posture](https://www.agilicus.com/assessing-your-industrial-cyber-security-posture/)
 * [Boundary Defence: The First Layer of Industrial Cyber Security](https://www.agilicus.com/boundary-defence-the-first-layer-of-industrial-cyber-security/)
 * [Identity and Credentials: The New Air Gap](https://www.agilicus.com/identity-and-credentials-the-new-air-gap/)
 * [Halting Lateral Movement in Operational Technology](https://www.agilicus.com/halting-lateral-movement-in-operational-technology)
 * [System Hardening: Fortifying Industrial Infrastructure](https://www.agilicus.com/system-hardening-fortifying-industrial-infrastructure)
 * [Visibility and Detection: Illuminating the Industrial Network](https://www.agilicus.com/visibility-and-detection-illuminating-the-industrial-network)
 * [A Pragmatic Blueprint for Industrial Cyber Security](https://www.agilicus.com/a-pragmatic-blueprint-for-industrial-cyber-security/)

[Download the Best Practices Guide](https://www.agilicus.com/white-papers/industrial-cyber-security-best-practices/)

[Take the Cybersecurity Assessment](https://www.agilicus.com/l/industrial-cyber-security-best-practices-scorecard/)

BOOK A MEETING

Ready To Learn More?

Agilicus AnyX Zero Trust enables any user, on any device, secure connectivity to
any resource they need—without a client or VPN. Whether that resource is a web application,
a programmable logic controller, or a building management system, Agilicus can secure
it with multi-factor authentication while keeping the user experience simple with
single sign-on.

[BOOK A MEETING](https://www.agilicus.com/book-calendar-meeting/)

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