If you’re responsible for protecting your organization’s operational technology (OT), you’ve likely run into the same wall: the risk is growing, but the budget isn’t.
After speaking with CISOs and plant managers at both ISASAC and GISEC Global this year, one thing is clear:“Everyone wants to do everything, but they can’t afford to.” That’s why it’s time to shift the conversation. Rather than spreading resources thin, we need to adopt a more strategic, risk-based approach to cybersecurity spending. In 2025, strategic cybersecurity spending isn’t just a good idea, it’s essential to resilience.
The Problem: Limited Budget, Unlimited Risk
The threats are evolving but be mindful that many of these threats are internal threats such as poor asset visibility, inherent vulnerabilities in your asset base with a lack of awareness and training to name but a few. OT budgets are typically inadequate to deal with these issues.
OT environments are expanding, integrating with IT, and becoming more complex by the day. But they weren’t built with cybersecurity in mind. Many were built decades ago for availability, not security, and have grown organically over time introducing gaps, legacy systems, and unseen vulnerabilities. But not every asset in your environment is equally important or equally vulnerable. So why treat them that way? We need to focus. We need prioritization. We need clarity.
Solution: Rethinking Cybersecurity Budget Strategy: Focus on What Matters Most
Given constrained budgets, we need to rethink how we approach OT cybersecurity altogether. Instead of spreading limited resources across every device and endpoint, the goal should be to identify and protect the systems that matter most: the ones that, if compromised, would have real operational, financial, or safety impact.
We start by asking:
- What assets, if compromised, could bring operations to a halt?
- Which systems carry the greatest financial or safety impact?
- Where are we exposed, not just likely, but devastatingly?
By zeroing in on those answers, you’re already moving toward a risk-based approach and halfway to a smarter budget.
How We Get There: A Risk-Based OT Security in Action
- Get a Deep View of Your Assets
First things first you need deep visibility. I am talking beyond just an inventory list i.e. a contextual view of every OT asset: what it is, where it sits, how it’s configured, and who accesses it. This includes
- Baseline configurations.
- Tracking firmware, software and operating systems.
- Patch status and.
- Communication paths and exposures.
Without this foundational insight, risk prioritization is guesswork.
- Categorize, Segment, and Microsegment
Once you know what assets you have, start segmenting your network into zones based on function and criticality. Think beyond perimeter defense microsegment your environment like locking every room in the house, not just the front door.
Secure remote access, enforce least privilege principles, and ensure lateral movement is limited in case of breach. Why? Because it’s not just about keeping threats out. It’s about making sure that if something does go wrong, you can contain it, minimize the damage, and bounce back fast.
- Prioritize Based on Impact & Risk
This is the backbone of a smart OT cybersecurity strategy. Not all assets carry the same weight. Prioritize based on:
- Business function.
- Criticality to operations.
- Vulnerability level.
- Consequence of compromise.
- Ease of attack.
Apply the 80/20 rule: 80% of your budget and attention should go toward securing 20% of assets that would cause the most damage if compromised.
- Maintain Proactively – Based on Risk
Cybersecurity isn’t just about defense it’s about upkeep. Use your asset insights to maintain proactively, not reactively. Focus patching, hardening and updates on assets that are both critical and vulnerable. Don’t waste resources patching low-risk endpoints at the expense of exposed high-value targets. It’s smarter, faster, and reduces risk.
- Audit Regularly And Don’t Trust Static Data
Your OT environment isn’t static, and neither is your threat landscape. New devices come online, people change roles, and old assets quietly retire without being decommissioned. That’s why regular audits are critical, not just to check compliance boxes, but to validate segmentation, confirm access controls, and identify drift.
So, we should not overlook access control. When an employee leaves or a vendor finishes a contract, you need processes in place to revoke credentials and close access pathways. Staying on top of these details isn’t just the best practice, it’s what keeps your operation resilient in the face of constant change and emerging vulnerabilities.
Final Thoughts: Make It Count
Cybersecurity in OT isn’t about covering every endpoint. It’s about identifying critical priorities and executing with precision. In 2025, as threats grow more sophisticated and persistent, the most resilient organizations won’t be those with the largest budgets, but those with the most disciplined, risk-informed strategies.
So, when you’re evaluating your OT cybersecurity budget, begin with visibility and clarity. Conduct a comprehensive asset inventory, classify systems by criticality, and implement a risk-based security strategy. Prioritize what matters, segment and monitor it. Remaining adaptive is essential because in OT security, the best offense is a well-targeted defense.
