As industrial organizations continue to invest in cybersecurity protections, scale AI and expand data usage, those initiatives do not automatically translate into operational resilience, according to a new study from digital transformation heavyweight Rockwell Automation.

See also: Who’s winning the cybersecurity arms race? A region-by-region scorecard  

Rockwell’s recently released Operational Resilience in the Age of Connectivity report revealed a disconnect between confidence in comprehensive cybersecurity protection and operational risk among organizations, with increased connectivity leading to more cybersecurity risks.

According to Rockwell’s research, based on input from 1,500 manufacturing and industrial operations decision-makers across 17 countries, more than one third of organizations see cybersecurity risk as one of the largest external obstacles to growth. 

Rockwell said this indicates a need to strengthen resilience as operations become more connected, especially as organizations continue to invest in connecting IT and OT systems, scaling AI and expand operational data usage.  

In fact, those connections can create new dependencies that can increase exposure to cyberattacks—IT/OT integration points ranked as one of the most vulnerable to cyber incidents, just behind IT systems/enterprise networks.  

Simultaneously, cybersecurity ranks as the second-highest ROI-generating technology investment reported by respondents, and over 60% of organizations have already invested in cybersecurity platforms. 

Organizations are also increasingly looking to AI as part of their cybersecurity response, with 45% planning to apply AI and machine learning to those initiatives over the next year.

While 46% of organizations experienced a cyber incident in the past year, 90% say they are confident in their ability to prevent, contain or recover from one.      

See also: IT-OT convergence: When ransomware hits the factory floor 

These statistics indicate a larger industry shift, according to the Rockwell report.

As organizations are embedding cybersecurity into broader digital transformation strategies alongside AI, automation, cloud technologies and connected operations, environments are more connected.

But resilience depends on how well organizations can translate investment into coordinated action, the report said.

See also: U.S. agencies report cybercriminals used AI-generated code to crack Siemens PLCs 

“Industrial organizations understand that cybersecurity directly affects uptime, continuity, productivity and growth, but technology investments alone do not create operational resilience or confidence in an organization's security posture,” said Rick Kaun, global director of cybersecurity services at Rockwell Automation.

“True resilience is built when cybersecurity becomes an integral part of business strategy. Organizations that proactively manage risk and prepare for disruption are better positioned to protect operations, sustain production and gain a competitive advantage,” he added.

According to Rockwell, the next step is for organizations to bring investments together into a cybersecurity program that improves visibility, reduces risk, and adapts to evolving operational needs.