IT/OT integration connects information technology (IT) systems with operational technology (OT) systems in industrial and building environments. Where IT manages data, analytics and business logic, OT controls physical processes: sensors, actuators, PLCs and control networks. Historically these worlds were kept separate for stability and security. Today convergence is both inevitable and necessary.
The challenge is not just technical. IT and OT teams have different cultures, priorities and risk tolerances. IT teams update frequently; OT teams prioritise uptime above all else. A well-designed IT/OT integration architecture respects both while enabling the data flows that make digitalisation real.
Starting point for any IT/OT project: understand where the boundary is today, what crosses it, how it is secured, and who owns the architecture decisions on each side. Without that clarity, every integration project carries hidden risk.
The convergence of IT and OT is not a technology event. It is an organisational and architectural decision.
Key concepts
- IT/OT Convergence
- OT
- Purdue Model
- Cybersecurity (OT)
- IEC 62443
- NIS2
- Network Segmentation
- VLAN
- Secure Connect
- Ethernet
- Gateway
- Protocol
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