Security management platform provider Trackforce recently released a new industry report “examining how cyber-physical convergence is reshaping security operations across manufacturing environments,” according to a company announcement.
“As manufacturing has become the most targeted industry for cyberattacks, accounting for 25.7% of incidents in 2024, manufacturers are facing new operational and risk management challenges as operational technology (OT), IT systems, industrial control systems (ICS) and networked physical security infrastructure become more closely connected,” the announcement says.
Informed by expert interviews and supporting research, the report “examines how organizations are responding, outlining the developments influencing security operations across facilities and the operational changes that can help improve resilience, maintain uptime, and strengthen coordination when disruptions occur.”
“Even as manufacturing environments become more connected, many organizations still operate in silos. Industry estimates suggest that 85-90% of organizations keep IT and OT teams separate, which can slow coordination when incidents span multiple domains,” says Jeff DiDomenico, vice president of strategic development at Trackforce, in the company announcement.
“As incidents increasingly affect IT systems, operational technology and physical operations at the same time, organizations that improve coordination across those teams will be better positioned to manage risk while keeping production running,” he says.
The Trackforce Cyber-Physical Security Convergence Trends in Manufacturing Report highlights several developments shaping manufacturing security operations, including:
Segmentation becomes an uptime-linked business control. Manufacturers are facing more pressure to strengthen segmentation, understand critical dependencies, and improve recovery readiness as ransomware and credential-based threats continue to affect industrial environments.
Expanded oversight of contractor and third-party access. The report points to growing risk tied to contractors, visitors and remote-access permissions, including inconsistent credential practices, weak offboarding processes and unmanaged access windows that can create exposure across connected environments.
Convergence challenges across IT, OT, and facilities. As incidents increasingly cut across IT, OT, facilities and physical security teams, organizations are rethinking escalation paths, incident ownership and coordination between teams to improve response and recovery.
The findings also point to growing insurer scrutiny of the operational evidence behind security programs. Underwriters are placing greater weight on time-stamped activity logs, standardized incident documentation and repeatable response protocols that show security controls are being carried out in practice, not simply outlined on paper.
For manufacturing organizations, these shifts are making security operations more measurable and more closely tied to business continuity, claims defense and risk discussions. The report offers practical guidance for manufacturing leaders looking to strengthen coordination between IT, OT and physical security teams while improving resilience across facilities.
