OT modernization projects must begin with the examination of the use cases that drive the need to integrate and update the OT network. Every organization is unique, so use cases will be unique. Four key needs tend to rise to the top as the most common drivers to modernize: the need for data, prediction capabilities, decision support and balancing security with operations.
Right Data at the Right Time, at the Right Level
Data drives business. Access to the right data at the right time allows organizations to make the decisions that grow their business, control their costs and stop issues before they occur. The segmentation of IT and OT networks adds complexity in data exchange and slows system integration, potentially preventing access to the right data. A modernized OT network securely bridges the gap between the IT and OT networks to permit the seamless transfer of data from the OT environment to the IT network where traditional management systems can be used to monitor, audit and analyze operations.
With the ability to move data in a more seamless fashion, a whole new world of systems and capabilities become available. OT systems in the past were seldom able to access systems such as big data platforms, analytics engines, and public and private cloud resources. IT networks can be challenged to assess asset performance data stored in time-series engines, real-time operational status and facility maintenance. An integrated network enhances organizational agility by enabling the exchange of data between technology systems that allow the view of data to widen at the pace required by the business to make decisions.
Historical Data Drives Toward Predictive Capabilities
In a segmented OT network, data analytics is constrained to the capacity and capability of the local historian. Large-scale analytics systems are often deployed on virtual infrastructure in private or public clouds. In a modernized OT environment, the data exchange between the IT and OT networks enables operational data to be ingested by data lakes or warehouses and then consumed by an analytics pipeline. These tools drive an organization to analyze historical data, unleashing the potential of predictive capabilities not previously possible.
Predictive analytics is often associated with predictive maintenance or asset failure prediction. These are valuable use cases which increase availability of high-value assets and decrease operational costs. The combination of historical asset information and operational performance with existing business systems opens the door for new possibilities. Predicting holistic business outcomes that combine traditional operational data in combination with business system enables faster decisions and increased business agility. These capabilities are the cornerstones of digital transformation and organizational agility initiatives.
Supporting Rapid Decision-Making
Organizations can gain a greater view of their operations and support decision-making with actionable information gathered by the interconnected systems. This puts the data in the hands of the decision-makers much faster than waiting for a report to be generated and manually disseminated. With business environments changing rapidly, modernized OT environments can enable organizations to keep pace with the changes occurring around them with data-driven decision models.
Instead of focusing on a reactionary operation with visually or manually gathered data, information is gathered for the user and can be used for more detailed analysis through automation tools. This empowers the workforce to make decisions faster and more accurately to maintain operations more efficiently. Giving the workforce more capabilities for decision-making utilizes their historical knowledge of operations without the administrative burden of gathering and documenting information.
Balancing Security and Operations
To maximize their effectiveness, security controls need to be integrated into everyday processes and procedures; however, this can be more challenging as the complexity of an organization’s environment increases. The primary goal of a business is to be profitable and often security is viewed as a hindrance to maximizing profitability. This may be due to the absence of planning, lack of consideration for security requirements during system development, or underestimation of the resources required to identify and address threats. There is no magic formula to determine the right balance between security and operations because the tolerance for risk changes from organization to organization.
The key to optimizing the balance between operations and security is in performing a thorough risk assessment. An evaluation of the risk associated with OT modernization is not immune to this assessment. The risk assessment should clearly define and understand the cost of modernization and help the organization to project the time frame necessary to realize the return on investment. Organizations will also uncover the negative impact or risk of not modernizing its operations. Ultimately, each organization needs to see that the benefits of modernizing outweigh the decision not to.