Operational Technology (OT)

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Operational technology (OT) is a communications network designed to implement an industrial control system rather than data networking.

• used to monitor and control actual physical systems, processes, and events in the environment
• e.g.,
  • Industrial control systems
  • robotics
  • sensors
  • Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
  • SCADA systems
• presents unique concerns for cybersecurity
  • OT devices are highly susceptible to attacks
    • are designed with different criteria than typically computing devices
  • emphasize high availability
  • highly customized
  • failure or breach can result in tangible real-world impact
• protecting OT is highly specialized and sensitive work