Enabling your IT/OT Convergence Journey with Dispel
Christopher McCormick
Christopher McCormick
Christopher McCormick
Jan 16, 2025
Jan 16, 2025
Jan 16, 2025
min read
min read
min read
Article
Article
IT/OT Convergence refers to the integration of Information Technology (IT) systems, which manage data and communication, with Operational Technology (OT) systems, which control and monitor industrial processes. This convergence allows organizations to securely connect traditionally siloed systems, fostering collaboration, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
For example, automotive manufacturers leverage IT/OT convergence to optimize production, enhance quality, and strengthen cybersecurity. Robotic welders, torque tools, and assembly sensors generate OT data, which IT systems analyze to provide real-time insights into efficiency and maintenance needs. IT systems can detect deviations in torque data, alerting operators to prevent defects. Simultaneously, OT systems report vulnerabilities in PLCs, HMIs and other devices to both IT and OT cybersecurity teams, enabling proactive threat mitigation. This integration creates a unified view of operations, improving quality control, reducing downtime, and ensuring compliance with cybersecurity standards such as NIST 800-82 and IEC 62443. The result is a more efficient, secure, and innovative manufacturing process.
When evaluating IT/OT integration strategies, it’s important to recognize that each organization’s journey is unique. Understanding your specific needs and challenges, as well as how the Dispel Zero Trust Engine can accelerate adoption, is critical to success.
IT/OT Convergence Value
Enhanced Visibility: Unified IT/OT data streams enable better analytics, predictive maintenance, and decision making.
Greater Efficiency: Automation reduces redundancies and speeds up issue resolution.
Cost Savings: Centralized systems lower expenses and reduce duplication.
Digital Transformation: Enables adoption of IoT, AI, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
Stronger Security: Unified cybersecurity strategies protect against OT-specific cyber threats and meet compliance standards.
Faster Recovery: Speeds anomaly detection and mean time to recovery (MTTR).
IT/OT Convergence Challenges
Increased Complexity: Requires expertise, infrastructure updates, and team alignment.
Legacy Systems: Older OT systems may need costly upgrades for integration.
Cultural Barriers: Differing priorities between IT and OT hinder collaboration.
Downtime Risks: Integration can disrupt operations without careful planning.
Cybersecurity Risks: Exposes OT systems to IT threats if not properly secured.
Compliance Challenges: Ensuring regulatory adherence demands significant resources.
Key Cybersecurity Benefits to IT/OT Convergence
Strengthening IT/OT Security and Risk Mitigation
Effective IT/OT risk mitigation relies on secure remote access, network segmentation, and Zero Trust principles to minimize cyber threats. Real-time monitoring, patch management, and robust incident response plans proactively address vulnerabilities head-on while ensuring compliance with industry standards like NIST 800-82 and IEC 62443. Training programs reduce human error, and strong vendor management secures the supply chain, creating a layered defense strategy that minimizes disruptions and fosters secure IT/OT integration.
Enhanced Segmentation and Compliance
Segmentation establishes security boundaries to isolate critical assets, limit unnecessary communication, and prevent breaches from spreading while aligning policies with security frameworks and compliance standards. However, segmentation is not static or a standalone solution; it requires ongoing management, logical and physical tools, and integration with authentication and monitoring. When effectively implemented, segmentation enhances visibility, efficiency, and cybersecurity for secure IT/OT convergence.
Unified Monitoring Through Data Enrichment
Integrating OT data into IT-centric tools such as SOC and SIEM platforms unifies asset visibility and strengthens proactive threat management. Unified data streams enable real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and enriched alerts, reducing false positives and uncovering hidden vulnerabilities. This holistic approach enhances cybersecurity, operational resilience, and incident response across IT and OT environments.
Dispel Securely Bridges Your Access and Productivity
IT/OT Convergence refers to the integration of Information Technology (IT) systems, which manage data and communication, with Operational Technology (OT) systems, which control and monitor industrial processes. This convergence allows organizations to securely connect traditionally siloed systems, fostering collaboration, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
For example, automotive manufacturers leverage IT/OT convergence to optimize production, enhance quality, and strengthen cybersecurity. Robotic welders, torque tools, and assembly sensors generate OT data, which IT systems analyze to provide real-time insights into efficiency and maintenance needs. IT systems can detect deviations in torque data, alerting operators to prevent defects. Simultaneously, OT systems report vulnerabilities in PLCs, HMIs and other devices to both IT and OT cybersecurity teams, enabling proactive threat mitigation. This integration creates a unified view of operations, improving quality control, reducing downtime, and ensuring compliance with cybersecurity standards such as NIST 800-82 and IEC 62443. The result is a more efficient, secure, and innovative manufacturing process.
When evaluating IT/OT integration strategies, it’s important to recognize that each organization’s journey is unique. Understanding your specific needs and challenges, as well as how the Dispel Zero Trust Engine can accelerate adoption, is critical to success.
IT/OT Convergence Value
Enhanced Visibility: Unified IT/OT data streams enable better analytics, predictive maintenance, and decision making.
Greater Efficiency: Automation reduces redundancies and speeds up issue resolution.
Cost Savings: Centralized systems lower expenses and reduce duplication.
Digital Transformation: Enables adoption of IoT, AI, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
Stronger Security: Unified cybersecurity strategies protect against OT-specific cyber threats and meet compliance standards.
Faster Recovery: Speeds anomaly detection and mean time to recovery (MTTR).
IT/OT Convergence Challenges
Increased Complexity: Requires expertise, infrastructure updates, and team alignment.
Legacy Systems: Older OT systems may need costly upgrades for integration.
Cultural Barriers: Differing priorities between IT and OT hinder collaboration.
Downtime Risks: Integration can disrupt operations without careful planning.
Cybersecurity Risks: Exposes OT systems to IT threats if not properly secured.
Compliance Challenges: Ensuring regulatory adherence demands significant resources.
Key Cybersecurity Benefits to IT/OT Convergence
Strengthening IT/OT Security and Risk Mitigation
Effective IT/OT risk mitigation relies on secure remote access, network segmentation, and Zero Trust principles to minimize cyber threats. Real-time monitoring, patch management, and robust incident response plans proactively address vulnerabilities head-on while ensuring compliance with industry standards like NIST 800-82 and IEC 62443. Training programs reduce human error, and strong vendor management secures the supply chain, creating a layered defense strategy that minimizes disruptions and fosters secure IT/OT integration.
Enhanced Segmentation and Compliance
Segmentation establishes security boundaries to isolate critical assets, limit unnecessary communication, and prevent breaches from spreading while aligning policies with security frameworks and compliance standards. However, segmentation is not static or a standalone solution; it requires ongoing management, logical and physical tools, and integration with authentication and monitoring. When effectively implemented, segmentation enhances visibility, efficiency, and cybersecurity for secure IT/OT convergence.
Unified Monitoring Through Data Enrichment
Integrating OT data into IT-centric tools such as SOC and SIEM platforms unifies asset visibility and strengthens proactive threat management. Unified data streams enable real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and enriched alerts, reducing false positives and uncovering hidden vulnerabilities. This holistic approach enhances cybersecurity, operational resilience, and incident response across IT and OT environments.
Dispel Securely Bridges Your Access and Productivity
Dispel enables your organization to confidently achieve IT/OT convergence and drive sustainable, long-term success by securing your access and data connectivity. The Dispel Zero Trust Engine provides your team with robust zero trust security, access control, and industrial data streaming while enhancing operational efficiency and productivity.
OT Secure Remote Access
No two OT environments are the same. That’s why the Dispel Zero Trust Engine creates a secure, scalable connectivity layer across all makes, models, and generations of equipment—standardizing access and enabling internal teams, external contractors, and third-party vendors to securely connect to mission-critical OT assets, even in the most complex environments.
Designed for how OT really works:
Total access control and full visibility
Tailored for every role, every use case
Out-of-the-box compliance with NIS2, NIST 800-53, and NERC CIP
Flexible deployment model—SaaS, Private, or On-Prem
Deploy at scale in hours, not months
Industrial Data Streaming
Simplify device-to-device transfer of real-time operational, diagnostic, and system data between industrial assets and cloud environments—enabling bidirectional and unidirectional flows to support predictive maintenance and streamline system updates for greater efficiency.
Stream critical industrial data directly into your cloud environment:
Data Export Files – Transmit logs, reports, and other essential exports.
Vibration Data – Enable real-time equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Offsite Diagnostics – Centralize fault diagnostics to accelerate issue resolution.
Supply Chain Logistics – Improve operational visibility with real-time data flow.
WSUS Server Updates – Securely automate patch and update management.
Custom Data Streams – Adapt to unique industrial data needs with flexible architecture.
Enhance operational efficiency
Without altering internal networks, Dispel’s OT DMZ Unification Fabric standardizes how access occurs across all facilities while maintaining a Zero Trust framework. Integrate new sites in weeks, not years, while eliminating redundant assets, duplicate licenses, and administrative overhead. This allows your team to make a resource available across multiple secure environments to standardize systems.
Dispel OT DMZ Unification Fabric enables you to:
Eliminate duplicate OT DMZ Asset licenses
Eliminate duplicative processes in OT environments
Centrally monitor OT systems access
Simplify facility modernization
Reduce the cost of securing the OT environment
Take the First Step Toward Secure Remote Access
Get in touch with our team today or watch our new On-Demand Demo to see the Dispel Zero Trust Engine in action!
Simplify Your Cyber-Physical System Access
Experience Dispel with a 30-day free trial.
Simplify Your Cyber-Physical System Access
Experience Dispel with a 30-day free trial.
IT/OT Convergence refers to the integration of Information Technology (IT) systems, which manage data and communication, with Operational Technology (OT) systems, which control and monitor industrial processes. This convergence allows organizations to securely connect traditionally siloed systems, fostering collaboration, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
For example, automotive manufacturers leverage IT/OT convergence to optimize production, enhance quality, and strengthen cybersecurity. Robotic welders, torque tools, and assembly sensors generate OT data, which IT systems analyze to provide real-time insights into efficiency and maintenance needs. IT systems can detect deviations in torque data, alerting operators to prevent defects. Simultaneously, OT systems report vulnerabilities in PLCs, HMIs and other devices to both IT and OT cybersecurity teams, enabling proactive threat mitigation. This integration creates a unified view of operations, improving quality control, reducing downtime, and ensuring compliance with cybersecurity standards such as NIST 800-82 and IEC 62443. The result is a more efficient, secure, and innovative manufacturing process.
When evaluating IT/OT integration strategies, it’s important to recognize that each organization’s journey is unique. Understanding your specific needs and challenges, as well as how the Dispel Zero Trust Engine can accelerate adoption, is critical to success.
IT/OT Convergence Value
Enhanced Visibility: Unified IT/OT data streams enable better analytics, predictive maintenance, and decision making.
Greater Efficiency: Automation reduces redundancies and speeds up issue resolution.
Cost Savings: Centralized systems lower expenses and reduce duplication.
Digital Transformation: Enables adoption of IoT, AI, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
Stronger Security: Unified cybersecurity strategies protect against OT-specific cyber threats and meet compliance standards.
Faster Recovery: Speeds anomaly detection and mean time to recovery (MTTR).
IT/OT Convergence Challenges
Increased Complexity: Requires expertise, infrastructure updates, and team alignment.
Legacy Systems: Older OT systems may need costly upgrades for integration.
Cultural Barriers: Differing priorities between IT and OT hinder collaboration.
Downtime Risks: Integration can disrupt operations without careful planning.
Cybersecurity Risks: Exposes OT systems to IT threats if not properly secured.
Compliance Challenges: Ensuring regulatory adherence demands significant resources.
Key Cybersecurity Benefits to IT/OT Convergence
Strengthening IT/OT Security and Risk Mitigation
Effective IT/OT risk mitigation relies on secure remote access, network segmentation, and Zero Trust principles to minimize cyber threats. Real-time monitoring, patch management, and robust incident response plans proactively address vulnerabilities head-on while ensuring compliance with industry standards like NIST 800-82 and IEC 62443. Training programs reduce human error, and strong vendor management secures the supply chain, creating a layered defense strategy that minimizes disruptions and fosters secure IT/OT integration.
Enhanced Segmentation and Compliance
Segmentation establishes security boundaries to isolate critical assets, limit unnecessary communication, and prevent breaches from spreading while aligning policies with security frameworks and compliance standards. However, segmentation is not static or a standalone solution; it requires ongoing management, logical and physical tools, and integration with authentication and monitoring. When effectively implemented, segmentation enhances visibility, efficiency, and cybersecurity for secure IT/OT convergence.
Unified Monitoring Through Data Enrichment
Integrating OT data into IT-centric tools such as SOC and SIEM platforms unifies asset visibility and strengthens proactive threat management. Unified data streams enable real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and enriched alerts, reducing false positives and uncovering hidden vulnerabilities. This holistic approach enhances cybersecurity, operational resilience, and incident response across IT and OT environments.
Dispel Securely Bridges Your Access and Productivity
Dispel enables your organization to confidently achieve IT/OT convergence and drive sustainable, long-term success by securing your access and data connectivity. The Dispel Zero Trust Engine provides your team with robust zero trust security, access control, and industrial data streaming while enhancing operational efficiency and productivity.
OT Secure Remote Access
No two OT environments are the same. That’s why the Dispel Zero Trust Engine creates a secure, scalable connectivity layer across all makes, models, and generations of equipment—standardizing access and enabling internal teams, external contractors, and third-party vendors to securely connect to mission-critical OT assets, even in the most complex environments.
Designed for how OT really works:
Total access control and full visibility
Tailored for every role, every use case
Out-of-the-box compliance with NIS2, NIST 800-53, and NERC CIP
Flexible deployment model—SaaS, Private, or On-Prem
Deploy at scale in hours, not months
Industrial Data Streaming
Simplify device-to-device transfer of real-time operational, diagnostic, and system data between industrial assets and cloud environments—enabling bidirectional and unidirectional flows to support predictive maintenance and streamline system updates for greater efficiency.
Stream critical industrial data directly into your cloud environment:
Data Export Files – Transmit logs, reports, and other essential exports.
Vibration Data – Enable real-time equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Offsite Diagnostics – Centralize fault diagnostics to accelerate issue resolution.
Supply Chain Logistics – Improve operational visibility with real-time data flow.
WSUS Server Updates – Securely automate patch and update management.
Custom Data Streams – Adapt to unique industrial data needs with flexible architecture.
Enhance operational efficiency
Without altering internal networks, Dispel’s OT DMZ Unification Fabric standardizes how access occurs across all facilities while maintaining a Zero Trust framework. Integrate new sites in weeks, not years, while eliminating redundant assets, duplicate licenses, and administrative overhead. This allows your team to make a resource available across multiple secure environments to standardize systems.
Dispel OT DMZ Unification Fabric enables you to:
Eliminate duplicate OT DMZ Asset licenses
Eliminate duplicative processes in OT environments
Centrally monitor OT systems access
Simplify facility modernization
Reduce the cost of securing the OT environment
Take the First Step Toward Secure Remote Access
Get in touch with our team today or watch our new On-Demand Demo to see the Dispel Zero Trust Engine in action!
Simplify Your Cyber-Physical System Access
Experience Dispel with a 30-day free trial.
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