With the rise of remote workforces and globally distributed operations, today’s OT environments are more complex—and more fragmented—than ever before. From legacy systems to IIoT devices, many industrial organizations are forced to manage a patchwork of equipment that spans decades of technologies, protocols, and security models. 
 
In modern industrial environments, remote access isn’t just a convenience—it’s a necessity for monitoring and managing critical systems. And we understand the roadblocks you're up against. Industrial organizations face unique challenges and threats that traditional IT-focused remote privileged access management (RPAM) and secure remote access solutions were never designed to handle. Too often, organizations fail to allocate adequate resources for OT security, often attempting to extend these IT-focused solutions into OT environments, leaving critical systems exposed to these unique threats and vulnerabilities.  

RPAM Tools Were Not Built for OT — And It Shows

RPAM solutions work well for centralized IT environments, but they break down in OT networks. Why? Because RPAM assumes standardized systems, persistent connectivity, and user-role models that simply don’t translate to industrial use cases. 

Key limitations of RPAM in OT environments include: 

• Limited support for legacy systems and proprietary protocols 

• Incompatibility with device- and interface-based access models 

• Persistent, bidirectional connections that violate OT segmentation or air-gapped network designs 

• Proxy-based access models that introduce latency—unacceptable for time-sensitive control tasks 

• Lack of process-level visibility or insight into device interactions 

• Interfaces designed for IT administrators, not technicians in the field 

Gartner notes that while RPAM tools manage IT systems and standard protocols effectively, they often fail to integrate with industrial infrastructure—leading to operational disruption, configuration conflicts, and auditability gaps. 
 
The impact is real. In 2024, Dragos intelligence shows 65% of assessed OT environments had insecure remote access conditions, including misconfigurations, outdated systems, and weak segmentation.

Jump Servers: High Maintenance, Low Security

Jump servers—also called jump hosts or bastions—were once seen as a stopgap solution for bridging access between IT and OT. But as threats have grown and infrastructures have scaled, the model has collapsed under its own weight. 

Why jump servers fall short for OT: 

• Grant broad access, violating least privilege principles 

• Require individual jump hosts per asset or zone—neither scalable nor secure 

• Offer no granular session control, no just-in-time access, and no ability to block risky behavior like unauthorized file transfers 

• Rely on shared credentials, which obscure user accountability and complicate incident response 

• Often remain active after contractors or vendors depart, increasing insider risk 

• Create massive operational overhead—requiring constant patching, manual configuration, and labor-intensive content management 

In an environment where uptime is critical and resources are often limited, jump servers become a maintenance headache. Every host requires configuration, updates, vulnerability management, and access auditing. As environments scale, this multiplies—quickly becoming unmanageable without ballooning operational staff.  
 
Security consequences are significant. A recent report revealed that 50% of ransomware incidents stemmed from compromised remote access services, with attackers exploiting unpatched VPN appliances, or remote access applications, leading to severe operational disruptions. The inherent weaknesses of traditional remote access methods, such as corporate VPNs and jump servers, have expanded attack surfaces, exposing OT networks to escalating cyber threats.  

A Patchwork of Remote Access Tools Creates More Problems Than It Solves

To meet the needs of diverse users—engineers, contractors, OEMs, and third-party vendors—many organizations have cobbled together remote access solutions using VPNs, jump servers, RPAM, and vendor portals. The result is tool sprawl: inconsistent access policies, fragmented visibility, increased management overhead, and unexpected “sticker shock” in total cost of ownership. 
 
According to the SANS ICS/OT Cybersecurity Survey, 42% of organizations use three or more remote access tools, and 20% use five or more, often without centralized oversight. Dragos highlights remote access complexity and lack of standardization as a top contributor to OT cyber incidents. Industry analysts like ARC Advisory Group and Gartner recommend platform consolidation to improve visibility, control, and resilience.  

Standardize OT Secure Remote Access—Reduce Maintenance, Scale with Confidence

Industrial organizations need more than retrofitted IT tools—they need to standardize their remote access to eliminate tool sprawl, reduce maintenance burdens, achieve immediate value, and deliver security that matches the complexity of today’s industrial environments. 
 
The path forward is clear: consolidate fragmented, high-maintenance remote access tools into a single, scalable platform designed for how OT really works. 
 
The Dispel Zero Trust Engine provides tailored OT secure remote access for every role and use case—whether it’s a field technician connecting to legacy systems, a remote vendor responding to an urgent issue, or a security team enforcing access policies in real time. Only Dispel gives you the flexibility to replace high-maintenance jump servers to improve operational efficiency and security.  
 
Dispel is engineered for scale—supporting thousands of users, tens of thousands of endpoints, and hundreds of thousands of access control rules across globally distributed OT networks. Organizations can simplify and secure remote access across every environment—while significantly reducing operational burden.