How Manufacturing CEOs can help resolve IT/OT convergence risks

Cybersecurity is rising rapidly up manufacturers’ priority list. A major study commissioned by Fujitsu of more than 200 manufacturing ICT decision-makers across 17 countries uncovered that their top six business objectives were about just two themes: meeting financial targets and beefing up security. Security is the number one ICT challenge and manufacturers plan to invest heavily over the next 12 months.

This is a markedly stronger reaction than would have emerged even five years ago. For many years security has been a “distress purchase” – something you just have to do to protect against information loss, especially customer data and reputational damage. However, from talking to customers, it’s clear the drivers have changed, especially when protecting manufacturing systems. The role of security is increasingly seen as an enabler rather than a cost – great security enables you to be in business and reap the digital dividend.