Gartner says worlds of IT, OT are converging

MUMBAI, INDIA: Research firm Gartner, Inc. on Wednesday said that the worlds of IT and operational technology (OT) are converging, and IT leaders must manage their transition by aligning and integrating IT and OT environments.

The company said in a press release that IT and OT the convergence is happening in the industries such as health care, transportation, defense, energy, aviation etc. and an independent world of physical equipment-oriented technology is developed, implemented and supported separately from the IT group.

"The relationship between the IT and OT groups needs to be managed better, but more importantly the nature of the OT systems is changing so that the underlying technology such as platforms, software, security and communications is becoming more like IT systems," said Kristian Steenstrup, research vice president and Gartner fellow.

"This gives a stronger justification for IT groups to contribute to OT software management, creating an IT and OT alignment that could be in the form of standards, enterprise architecture (EA), support and security models, software configuration practices, and information and process integration," he added.

IT leaders who are impacted by the convergence of IT and OT platforms should consider the value and risk of pursuing alignment between IT and OT as well as the potential to integrate the people, tools and resources used to manage and support both technology areas, the company added in the release.

"A shared set of standards and platforms across IT and OT will reduce costs in many areas of software management, and reduced risks come from reducing malware intrusion and internal errors," Steenstrup said.

Analysts say the benefits of managing IT and OT convergence includes optimized business processes, enhanced information for better decisions, reduced costs, lower risks and shortened project timelines,