Operational technology (OT) systems keep critical industrial processes, equipment, and infrastructure running. As organizations in the Philippines continue to digitize their operations and connect OT with IT, cloud platforms, and other technologies, these environments are becoming more connected and exposed to cyber threats.
The good news is that organizations are taking OT security more seriously. The 2026 Fortinet State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report, based on a global survey of more than 700 OT professionals, shows that organizations are reassessing their security maturity, improving visibility, and giving OT risk greater attention at the leadership level.
However, while OT security continues to mature, this does not mean the risks are going away. In fact, organizations are gaining a more realistic understanding of where their defenses still need work.
The report highlights several areas that shape OT security posture-from leadership and maturity to visibility, threat detection, and resilience. Together, these findings offer a clearer picture of where organizations are making progress and where gaps remain. These are insights that Philippine organizations can take note of as they strengthen their own OT security strategies.
OT Security Responsibility Still a Leadership Concern
OT security remains a senior leadership responsibility, with 60% of respondents identifying the CISO and CIO as primarily responsible, down from 69% in 2025. This does not indicate less executive attention. Some organizations are now distributing OT risk ownership across other senior leaders as they formalize their security strategies and governance. Meanwhile, 81% of organizations where OT security is not yet under the CISO plan to make the transition within the next year.
This leadership focus also comes with greater pressure to demonstrate the value of security investments. Cost reduction and avoidance were the top cybersecurity metrics tracked and reported by respondents, followed by productivity gains. For organizations, this means balancing security investments with the need to maintain efficient, resilient, and uninterrupted operations.
OT Security Maturity Is Being Reassessed
One of the notable findings in the 2026 report is how organizations are reassessing their OT security maturity. As IT and OT teams gain more resources, deploy additional solutions, and improve visibility, they are also developing a clearer understanding of where their defenses remain exposed. This is reflected in the numbers: the share of respondents at Level 4 for cybersecurity process maturity fell from 49% in 2025 to 17% in 2026, while Level 0 increased from 1% to 5%, Level 1 from 5% to 17%, and Level 2 from 13% to 27%.
At first glance, these figures may appear to signal a decline. However, the report describes the shift as a positive recalibration, as organizations gain the experience and visibility to identify previously unseen gaps. Recognizing these gaps is an important step toward building a stronger OT security foundation.
Greater Visibility Is Changing the OT Risk Picture
Visibility plays a critical role in understanding and managing OT risk, and organizations are making progress in this area. Fourteen percent of respondents reported full visibility into their OT systems, up from 5% in 2025. Still, nearly a quarter (23%) could see only about half of their OT environment.
Greater visibility can also give organizations a clearer view of their exposure. Seventy-one percent of respondents reported between one and nine intrusions, up from 47% in 2025, suggesting that organizations are becoming better at detecting activity that may have previously gone unnoticed. At the same time, longer attacker dwell times are becoming more common, with more incidents lasting weeks or months. This gives attackers more time to monitor systems, access sensitive information, or disrupt operations. The focus, therefore, should be on turning greater visibility into quicker detection and response.
Regulation and Modernization Are Reshaping OT Security
OT security is also being shaped by two forces: regulatory pressure and modernization. In fact, 89% of respondents anticipate more regulations within five years or less. At the same time, more organizations are modernizing their industrial control systems, with 40% reporting ICS systems less than five years old. These shifts point to a need for organizations to consider security alongside compliance and modernization, rather than treating it as a separate requirement.
Building More Resilient OT Environments
Organizations can take practical steps to strengthen their OT security, from segmenting IT and OT networks and securing remote access to integrating OT into security operations and incident response. OT-specific threat intelligence and a more unified security approach can also help teams manage these environments more effectively.
For Philippine organizations, these practices offer a way to strengthen security as their OT environments continue to evolve. Ultimately, protecting OT requires more than individual solutions. It calls for people, processes, and technology to work together so organizations can manage cyber risks while keeping essential operations running.