Strategic Resilience

Know the security baseline of your OT environment.

OT environments have different security needs than IT. IEC 62443 gap analysis with operationally feasible recommendations.

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What is an OT Security Baseline Assessment?

An OT Security Baseline Assessment evaluates the security posture of your operational technology with methods and criteria suited to industrial environments. The team understands that availability in OT comes first. The assessment evaluates network segmentation (Purdue model), access control, remote access, patch management, monitoring and incident response. Recommendations are always operationally feasible.

About this service

OT security requires a different approach than IT security

OT environments have fundamentally different security needs than IT. The assessment accounts for operational realities: legacy systems that cannot be patched, protocols without authentication and processes that cannot be interrupted. Recommendations are always feasible within your operational context.

The assessment evaluates network segmentation, access control, remote access, patch management, monitoring and incident response specifically for the OT environment. The result is a clear picture of your OT security level with concrete, operationally feasible improvement steps.

DEFION has specific OT security experience with environments in manufacturing, energy, water and transport. The team knows the protocols, the systems and the operational constraints. The assessment is mapped against IEC 62443.

The Problem

Your OT environment is connected but its security is unknown

IT/OT convergence, remote access and IoT connections make OT networks reachable by attackers. Yet most organisations have no systematic view of their OT security posture.

  • The IT/OT boundary is often poorly defined and inadequately protected, creating pathways for attackers to move from IT systems into operational processes.
  • NIS2 requires organisations in essential sectors to assess and improve their OT security, but generic IT frameworks do not translate well to OT environments.
  • Without an OT asset inventory and network topology, you cannot protect what you cannot see. Many OT environments lack basic documentation of their assets and connections.
Scope

What the assessment covers

  • OT network architecture and segmentation (Purdue model)
  • IT/OT boundary security
  • Remote access security
  • OT asset management
  • Patch management (accounting for OT realities)
  • Access control and authentication
  • OT monitoring and logging
  • OT incident response
  • Physical security of OT components
  • Backup and recovery of OT configurations
Our Approach

How DEFION conducts an OT Security Baseline Assessment

01

Kickoff

Inventory of OT environment, sites, stakeholders and operational constraints.

02

Document review

Assessment of existing OT security documentation, network diagrams and policies.

03

On-site assessment

Physical inspection and technical assessment of the OT environment at your facility.

04

Stakeholder interviews

Conversations with OT and IT teams to understand operational practices and security challenges.

05

IEC 62443 analysis

Assessment of findings against IEC 62443 and OT security best practices with maturity scoring.

06

Report and presentation

Report with operationally feasible recommendations and executive summary for plant management.

What You Receive

Deliverables

  • OT Security Baseline report
  • Network segmentation assessment (Purdue model)
  • OT asset inventory (if not already available)
  • Gap analysis against IEC 62443
  • Prioritised recommendations accounting for operational constraints
  • Executive summary for plant management and board
For Whom

Suitable for

  • Manufacturing companies wanting to assess their OT security
  • Organisations with IT/OT convergence projects
  • Companies that must demonstrate NIS2 or IEC 62443 compliance
  • Organisations starting with OT security and wanting a baseline
Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

Does the team need to come on-site?
Yes. The OT assessment requires physical presence to assess the environment, network topology and physical security of OT components. Remote-only assessment would miss critical findings.
How long does an OT Security Baseline Assessment take?
Typically 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the number of sites and complexity of the OT environment.
Can IT and OT teams be assessed separately?
The assessment evaluates both IT and OT and specifically the boundary between them. Both teams are involved to get a complete picture.
What if we have no OT network documentation?
The team inventories the OT environment as part of the assessment. This produces a valuable OT asset inventory and network topology, regardless of the security findings.
How does this relate to an OT Pentest?
A Baseline Assessment evaluates policy, configuration and architecture. An OT Pentest tests whether an attacker can actually exploit vulnerabilities. The baseline assessment is often the logical first step before a pentest.
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Ready to assess your OT security baseline?

Tell us what you need. We scope the right approach and start within days.

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