As threats to operational technology (OT) and IT systems escalate, cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue, or just an OT issue. Modern operational technology isn’t isolated from corporate networks anymore–it’s made up of networked endpoints that share data with enterprise systems. This integration has expanded the attack surface creating attack paths from information systems to physical ones. A cyberthreat that starts in your corporate email system can migrate to shut down operational technology while compromised industrial sensors can expose corporate data. This new reality calls for cooperation and unified defense strategies, not siloed IT and OT teams.

The importance of cooperation is the foundation of StrongerTogether: Securing Critical Infrastructure with IT/OT Collaboration, an article we authored for the upcoming State of OT Cybersecurity Report from the Canadian Cybersecurity Network (CCN), to be published on September 18th. In it, Ashif Samnani, Cybersecurity Principal – National PracticeLeader at MOBIA and Burt Kim, Managing Director at SimpliGRC, explore why bringing IT and OT teams together is no longer optional. They also outline practical strategies for enabling convergence, including collaboration best practices, an implementation framework, and success factors specific to the Canadian context.

Here, we’ll examine the critical forces making collaboration an urgent priority for Canadian organizations, setting the stage for the practical roadmap detailed in the upcoming CCN report.

The Current State of OT/IT Silos

Before we look at these forces, it’s worth understanding the context around the separation between information and operational systems. Traditionally, IT has focused on data management, cybersecurity, and other shared services while OT managed industrial control systems, and field processes and operations. Understandably, the two departments had very different goals, with IT working to optimize information systems and enable new technologies and OT concentrating on keeping machinery and physical processes running uninterrupted.

When IT and OT systems didn’t intersect, keeping these departments siloed made sense. But as more operational technology is connected to corporate networks, managing these systems separately is costly and inefficient. More importantly, the teams’ fragmented approaches leave security gaps that represent prime opportunities for cyberattacks.

Today, resilience depends on a united front, making collaboration between IT and OT a strategic imperative. For Canadian organizations, three realities are driving more urgency than ever to bring these teams together.

1.  Regulatory Pressure: Compliance as a Catalyst

In response to rising cyberthreats, governments and other regulatory bodies are tightening compliance requirements for mandatory regulations and voluntary frameworks. In some cases, these evolving requirements prescribe collaboration between IT and OT directly. In others, it’s simply impossible to achieve compliance without a unified effort between the two departments.

Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), for example, requires you to appoint someone to be responsible for your organization’s compliance with its fair information principles. Since many of today’s OT systems collect personal data, or share networks with IT systems that do, collaboration between IT and OT teams is critical to meeting this unified accountability requirement.

If your organization adheres to CSA Z246.1, NIST800-82, IEC 62443, or NERC-CIP, you’re already aware that these leading frameworks directly prescribe alignment between IT and OT policies and procedures. While compliance with these frameworks is voluntary, it signals your organization’s commitment to security to customers and partners, making it essential for maintaining a leading position in today’s competitive marketplace.

Whether mandatory or voluntary, the changing regulatory landscape represents a powerful catalyst for IT/OT convergence.

2.  Financial Pressure: The Economic Imperative

Financial pressure stemming from the rising costs of maintaining and securing separate IT and OT environments are pushing organizations to look for efficiencies by streamlining operations. Collaboration between IT and OT supports these efforts by reducing the need for redundant hardware and software, consolidating maintenance and support, and improving decision-making with holistic data. But convergence doesn’t just make it possible to consolidate systems, data, and maintenance activities—it enables teams to share resources and expertise.

In capital-intensive industries, leveraging IT expertise to secure operational technology allows organizations to stretch limited budgets while enhancing protection. At a time when talent is in short supply and salaries for security professionals are soaring, making the most out of your team’s knowledge and skills translates into significant savings.

3. Canada’s Geography: Distance as a Driving Force

Canada’s vast northern and rural regions create obstacles that fuel the urgency for collaboration. Limited connectivity in these regions complicates real-time communication, making collaboration harder but even more vital. Bringing IT and OT teams together makes it possible to effectively monitor, maintain, control, and secure remote operations from a centralized location. This eliminates the need to keep specialized staff and redundant equipment at every remote site.

Organizations in industries like mining, oil and gas, and telecommunications that embrace collaboration betweenIT and OT turn geographic challenges into operational advantages, while those that operate in silos will face rising costs and cybersecurity risks associated with managing disconnected operations.

Why Timing Matters

With the rapid pace of digital transformation, delaying convergence exposes your organization to the risk of falling behind. With time, the cost of convergence rises as legacy systems become more entrenched, the skills gap widens, and the complexity of regulatory requirements grows. Cyber adversaries are also becoming more sophisticated every day, and finding new ways to exploit the gaps between IT an OT.

By contrast, as a first mover, you can translate collaboration into a competitive advantage, delivering measurable returns from streamlined operations, stronger compliance, and robust cyber defenses.

Conclusion

Modern organizations are navigating a shifting landscape as information technology and operational technology systems become increasingly interconnected. With rising cyberthreats targeting both environments, operatingIT and OT in silos leaves gaps that adversaries are turning into prime opportunities for attack.

Cooperation between IT and OT is not only essential for closing these gaps, but it’s also becoming increasingly urgent for Canadian organizations. In the face of tightening regulations, financial pressures, and Canada’s unique geographical challenges, it’s clear that when it comes to defending our most critical systems we are always stronger together. In Stronger Together: Securing Critical Infrastructure with IT/OT Collaboration, one of the cornerstone articles in this year’s State of OT Cybersecurity Report, we explore this further with insights, strategies, and best practices for collaboration tailored for Canadian organizations.