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Operating Philosophy

Eight Key things to consider when kicking off an IT / OT Convergence Capability and Maturity

2023-02-14 Business Transformation - LinkedIn Post

The Initiative Initialisation Process should consider

Clear goals and objectives: Clearly define the objectives and goals of integrating IT and OT systems as part of your overall Operating Philosophy. This could include improving operational efficiency, reducing siloed costs, increasing cyber security, and facilitating data exchange between systems.
Assess current state systems: Conduct a thorough assessment of existing IT and OT systems to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and compatibility with the desired Operating Philosophy. This will help identify any gaps, constraints and limitations that need to be addressed in the integration process.
Define roles, people processes, data: Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each department, team or siloed cross-over involved in the business process and the integration processes, including IT, OT, and any other relevant stakeholders. The process and data owners need to be appointed and key data requirements per process clearly documented….. From this step, it is critical to build a “Trusted Data Layer”.
Develop an integration road map: Develop a road map for integrating IT and OT systems that outlines the key steps, timelines, milestones and rituals. This should be based on the outcomes of the previous steps and consideration given to future optimisation and extensibility visions.
Plan Security Measures: Ensure that appropriate security measures are in place to protect sensitive information and prevent cyber attacks. Plans should also be put in place for business continuity should such attacks take place.
Revise technology footprint: Choose technology solutions that are suitable for both IT and OT systems and that can support the integration of these systems. Consider factors such as security, scalability, long-term interoperability capability, and compatibility with existing systems. Consideration should also be given to maximising Unified Platforms that may also reduce technical debt.
Decide monitoring and control methods: Regularly monitor and maintain the integration of IT and OT systems to ensure that it continues to meet the defined objectives. This may involve updating or modifying integration components as business requirements change.
Foster Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging the IT and OT teams to continuously work closely with the business to identify and implement opportunities for enhancing the integration outcomes.