Rockwell Automation, Inc., a global leader focused exclusively on industrial automation and digital transformation, has published a new industry insights report titled “Operational Resilience in the Age of Connectivity.” The report draws on insights from 1,500 manufacturing and industrial operations decision-makers across 17 countries. Its findings highlight a gap between organizations’ confidence in their overall cybersecurity capabilities and the operational risks they continue to face. While industrial companies are increasing their investments in cybersecurity, the research indicates that stronger cybersecurity spending alone does not necessarily ensure greater operational resilience.
As organizations continue to connect information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems, scale AI initiatives, and expand the use of operational data across the enterprise, they create new dependencies that can increase exposure to cyber-related risk. In fact, more than one-third of industrial organizations see cybersecurity risk as one of the biggest external obstacles to growth, underscoring the need to strengthen resilience as operations become more connected.
Key findings from the report include:
- Organizations remain confident despite rising incident exposure: While 46% of organizations experienced a cyber incident in the past year, 90% say they are confident in their ability to prevent, contain, or recover from one.
- Cybersecurity delivers strong perceived ROI: 62% of organizations have already invested in cybersecurity platforms, and cybersecurity ranks as the second-highest ROI-generating technology investment reported by respondents.
- Organizations are looking to AI as part of their cybersecurity response: 45% plan to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity initiatives over the next 12 months.
- IT/OT convergence creates both risk and opportunity: IT and OT integration points rank as the second-most vulnerable to cyber incidents. At the same time, 37% say securing IT/OT architecture will drive positive business outcomes over the next five years.
“Industrial organizations understand that cybersecurity directly affects uptime, continuity, productivity and growth, but technology investments alone do not create operational resilience or confidence in an organization’s security posture. True resilience is built when cybersecurity becomes an integral part of business strategy. Organizations that proactively manage risk and prepare for disruption are better positioned to protect operations, sustain production and gain a competitive advantage.”
– Rick Kaun, global director, cybersecurity services at Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, is a leading global provider of industrial automation and digital transformation solutions. The company brings together human ingenuity and advanced technology to help organizations enhance productivity and drive greater sustainability. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation has approximately 26,000 employees working to support customers across more than 100 countries, as of the end of fiscal year 2025.
