GoKawiilRockwell Automation: Over a Third of Manufacturers Cite Cyber Risk as Growth Barrier
Rockwell Automation surveyed 1,500 industrial and manufacturing decision-makers across 17 countries for its new report on operational resilience and cybersecurity. The study found that while 46% of organizations suffered a cyber incident in the past year, 90% remain confident in their ability to prevent or recover from one, and 62% have already invested in cybersecurity platforms. More than a third of respondents still identify cybersecurity risk as a top external obstacle to growth, with IT/OT convergence flagged as a major vulnerability point.
The gap between high confidence and rising incident rates suggests many industrial firms may be overestimating their actual resilience as they merge IT and OT systems and expand AI use. As connectivity deepens across factory floors and enterprise networks, unaddressed vulnerabilities at integration points could translate into costly operational disruptions rather than just data breaches.
- 46% of industrial organizations had a cyber incident last year, yet 90% feel confident in their defenses.
- IT/OT integration points are the second-most vulnerable area to cyberattacks.
- 45% of organizations plan to apply AI/ML to cybersecurity efforts within a year.
Cisco Firepower 1010 Firewall — As IT and OT networks converge, having a dedicated firewall to segment and monitor industrial control traffic is a practical first step toward resilience. The Cisco Firepower 1010 offers robust network security features suited for small industrial and branch deployments, helping organizations reduce exposure to the cyber risks highlighted in this report.
See Cisco Firepower 1010 Firewall on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: darkreading.com, 2026-09-22
Published there as: “More Than a Third of Industrial Orgs See Cybersecurity Risk as a Top Obstacle to Growth, Study Finds”
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