250 decision makerswere polled to bring you the following cyber trends they faced in the course of accelerated IT/OT convergence.

Based on a commissioned survey in 2025* of around 250 Operational Technology (OT) and IT decision-makers from sectors such as energy, utilities, transportation, logistics, and manufacturing, a cybersecurity firm has disclosed some observations about the level of digital transformation and cybersecurity challenges in industrial environments.

First, 60.3% of respondents had indicated experiencing cybersecurity breaches in 2023 and 2024.

Second, one-quarter of respondents who were OT decision-makers estimated that cyberattack-related damages had exceeded US$5m per incident over the past two years. The most commonly reported cost categories included lost revenue, unplanned downtime, incident response, equipment repair or replacement, ransom payments, and loss of work-in-progress inventory.

Other findings

Third, cybersecurity-related concerns were the most frequently cited barrier to implementing digital technologies in OT environments, with 39.3% of respondents identifying this as a primary challenge. Also:

• 46.6% of respondents had cited insufficient budgets or personnel as a cybersecurity concern, and an equal proportion pointed to inadequate security measures in existing infrastructure.

• 42.7% reported regulatory compliance as a challenge, while 41.7% highlighted the complexity of IT/OT integration.

• The majority of respondents’ organizations were cited as patching OT systems only every few months or less frequently, with 31.4% reporting monthly patching.

• More than one-third of respondents had identified a shortage of personnel with OT security knowledge, as a significant challenge.

According to Adrian Hia, Managing Director (APAC), Kaspersky, the cybersecurity firm that commissioned the survey: “Unplanned downtime can cost organizations millions of dollars, making it a critical issue for industrial and manufacturing companies. … Strengthening cybersecurity is essential to prevent breaches that lead to costly equipment failures and outages.”

* Disclosed as conducted in early 2025, with respondents selected based on their familiarity with OT cybersecurity practices in their organizations. No details were disclosed on the countries involved. Readers are advised to perform their own diligence in examining the actual survey report in detail.