Threat Intelligence

Cybersecurity Risk Now a Major Growth Barrier for Industrial Firms

Dark Reading · 22 Sept 2026

Key Takeaway If your business connects to or supports industrial or operational systems, review your cybersecurity practices now, as larger partners are increasingly factoring security risk into who they work with.

A recent study highlights that over a third of industrial organisations now see cybersecurity risk as one of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of business growth. The research points to increasing connectivity between operational technology (OT) and IT systems, along with growing adoption of AI, as key factors expanding the attack surface for these companies.

As industrial businesses connect more equipment and processes to digital networks, they gain efficiency but also inherit greater exposure to cyber threats. This convergence of IT and OT environments means a security weakness in one area can potentially impact both digital systems and physical operations, making risk management more complex than in traditional office-based IT settings.

In response, many industrial organisations are increasing their cybersecurity investment to keep pace with these changes. For small and medium businesses that supply, partner with, or operate within industrial supply chains, this trend signals that cybersecurity expectations from larger partners are likely to rise.

industrial security IT/OT convergence cyber risk

Summarised by CISO AI from Dark Reading. We link back to every original so you can read it yourself.