IT/OT convergence

IT/OT convergence describes the trend of connecting operational technology systems (which control physical processes) with information technology systems (which handle data and business computing) — for example, feeding real-time SCADA data into cloud analytics platforms for predictive maintenance, or allowing remote access to control systems for monitoring and support.

Convergence brings real benefits (better visibility, predictive maintenance, remote operations) but also means OT systems — many originally designed assuming isolation — now face IT-style exposure (network-based attacks, software vulnerabilities) that their original design didn't account for.