Despite recent advances in security for OT, most organizations still struggle to achieve OT network security, or even achieve the visibility they need to start. According to a recent study by cybersecurity consultancy Dragos, 86% of organizations they worked with in 2021 lacked visibility across their OT networks.
With OT cybersecurity attacks hitting as much as 90% of the industrial sector over the past year, companies within this space can no longer afford to fall short in this area. To protect their key assets and defend their business, they must find effective security solutions.
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What to Look for in an OT Network Security Vendor
11 Top OT Network Security Solutions
Build Your Network of Trusted OT Network Security Partners
What to Look for in an OT Network Security Vendor
When organizations have effective network security in place, they can map their asset landscape, create valuable OT analytics, establish activity baselines, evaluate security tactics, and more. As they research potential vendors, companies in the industrial sector should look for OT network security solutions that…
- … can handle legacy infrastructure: Many organizations in this space have operations that rely on outdated machinery, making it critical for manufacturers to find a solution built to work with legacy devices.
- … can be operated by non-security staff: Not all industrial players have the internal cybersecurity expertise to use specialized solutions. The best OT network security tools are easy for non-security staff to use.
- … supply smooth integrations: OT environments cannot afford the delays and disruptions that IT systems can. Look for a solution that can integrate with trusted parties — like IT users and vendors — without causing any interruptions and other issues.
11 Top OT Network Security Solutions
Byos
A leading provider of Zero Trust OT network security, Byos enables organizations to get a direct line of sight into their entire device landscape as well as simplify data collection and device accessibility, even when it’s a worldwide deployment across many plants.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Network and device security
- Differentiators: The Byos Secure Edge natively supports legacy systems and devices that are unable to accept an agent. Byos can be implemented without changes to the underlying network. It enables operations engineers — who do not typically have extensive cybersecurity and IT training or knowledge — to do day-to-day administration. Finally, the base Secure Edge system is designed from the ground up with unified support for IT users, vendors, and third-party remote access without disrupting operations.
- Best for: While Byos can help all organizations improve their OT network security, Gateway Edge’s full support of legacy technologies makes it a go-to option for manufacturers with legacy devices. (Which is just about everyone.)
RunZero
Used by innovative firms like Capgemini and founded by cybersecurity legend HD Moore, runZero provides OT network discovery tools that extract more information from devices than they should be able to give up. (But then, that’s why Byos is at the top of our list.)
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Asset discovery
- Differentiators: runZero’s proprietary scanner can be quickly deployed on any platform — without needing agents, span/tap ports, endpoint logins, etc. But this speed doesn’t come at the cost of increased instability within your OT infrastructure, as the discovery engine doesn’t use scanning tactics, like probes, that could disrupt your industrial systems. Lastly, runZero is fully searchable, allowing organizations to easily find critical information about their asset inventory.
- Best for: When it comes to safe scanning, runZero is a top OT network inventory tool — meaning organizations with especially fragile OT devices should consider evaluating this option.
Phosphorus.io
A 2022 SINET16 Innovator Award winner, Phosphorus develops enterprise solutions for xIoT security.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Discovery and policy management
- Differentiators: Designed to help organizations achieve truly granular visibility into their asset network, Phosphorus’s Spyglass can determine a device’s firmware version, whether it is still supported, and more. The solution is budget-friendly for the capabilities that it delivers, and it doesn’t need SPAN ports or any other kind of hardware to operate.
- Best for: Unlike other vendors on this list, Phosphorus has yet to release a solution specifically tailored for the industrial sector. But their activity in every other IoT segment makes them one to watch closely in 2023 Consequently, for now, Spyglass might be a better fit for companies with a smaller OT footprint.
Axonius
Founded in 2017, Axonius specializes in building solutions that supply up-to-date device inventory, detect gaps, and automate remediations and device updates. .
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Asset and policy management
- Differentiators: Axonius uses an array of device detection techniques to ensure organizations can map out their entire device inventory. These include alternative, agentless routes such as connecting to firewalls and switches, allowing industrial players to discover unmanaged devices that can evade IT visibility tools. Real-time visibility is another key feature, as Axonius automatically and immediately spots new devices on your OT network.
- Best for: While it might not be accessible to non-IT functions, Axonius’s solution is ideal for those wanting to put their security resources to the best use.
Device Authority
Designed for the challenges of industrial IoT, Device Authority register, provision, and connect devices to IoT platforms.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Identity and access management
- Differentiators: Device Authority’s Keyscaler platform minimizes the impact of human error on your OT network security posture via automatic device registration and authentication. Keyscaler also provides robust enterprise data protection using advanced data encryption technology.
- Best for: Device Authority is for large manufacturers and other industrial players looking for a specialized IAM solution.
Microsoft Defender for IoT
Azure Defender for IoT, formerly CyberX, is a mature security solution for IoT and OT infrastructure defense.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Visibility and vulnerability management
- Differentiators: Deployable in the cloud or on-prem, Microsoft Defender for IoT has a suite of features that help industrial players protect their OT environments, including IoT and OT-aware behavioral analytics, continuous agentless monitoring, and extensive equipment discovery functionality.
- Best for: Microsoft Defender for IoT is a good option for enterprises using other Microsoft security solutions like Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel.
Sectrio
With a 4.6 out of five stars on G2, Sectrio is a top OT network security solution that provides asset discovery and vulnerability management.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Visibility and vulnerability management
- Differentiators: Sectrio helps organizations to rapidly identify their vulnerabilities across their OT and IoT device fleet. The platform also helps them conduct thorough investigations of issues and prioritize mitigation efforts according to threat level and other vital parameters.
- Best for: Companies facing issues with shadow IT and rogue assets could benefit from Sectrio’s powerful device vulnerability mapping features.
Dragos
One of the most well-known names in cybersecurity, Dragos builds leading asset visibility solutions and other IT security tools.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Visibility and vulnerability management
- Differentiators: The Dragos Platform visualizes your device landscape on a customizable Asset Map with configurable zones, historical timeline views, and comprehensive data filters for in-depth analysis. With this and other key features, users can achieve a complete asset inventory, spot device gaps, and synchronize industrial assets.
- Best for: With particularly strong device communication analysis capabilities, the Dragos Platform can help organizations struggling to understand complex equipment interaction problems.
Claroty
A 2021 Forrester Wave Leader, Claroty builds solutions for asset discovery and other critical industrial environment challenges.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Visibility and vulnerability management
- Differentiators: Claroty’s OT network security solution boasts comprehensive protocol coverage, supporting nearly 500 proprietary protocols as of this writing. Another key feature of the solution is 3D visibility, which provides complete asset discovery and thorough mapping of interrelationships across the device landscape.
- Best for: Claroty is a good choice for enterprises with an extensive network of Extended Internet of Things (xIoT) assets.
Armis
From the factory floor to management operations, Armis helps industrial players surface and monitor all their OT network assets.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Visibility and vulnerability management
- Differentiators: The Armis Agentless Device Security Platform can provide visibility across your entire organization, discovering every asset used to support your industrial operation. After discovery, the Armis Platform uses its extensive Device Knowledgebase to categorize your assets in detail. This library includes key details such as device type, model, manufacturer, location, etc.
- Best for: Armis is best for organizations that want extensive metadata on their devices to support their asset management strategy.
Verve
With thousands of deployments, hundreds of satisfied customers, and over 25 years of experience, Verve has earned a reputation as a trusted OT security partner.
- IoT Cybersecurity Category: Consulting and design
- Differentiators: Verve’s ICS cyber security advisory services start with a thorough security assessment — the Baseline Workshop — followed by security roadmapping and OT/ICS security policies and procedures development. Built on the significant expertise of its experienced team, this three-step process can help enterprises at every stage of the OT cybersecurity journey protect their industrial assets from cyber threats.
- Best for: Verve services are most useful for companies just beginning to develop their approach to OT cybersecurity.
Contact Byos today to get closer to comprehensive network security across your OT network.
Build Your Network of Trusted OT Network Security Partners
While every organization in the industrial sector needs to achieve a high level of security into their OT network, most don’t have the spare resources to dedicate it. Their employees are already stretched thin, and adding another initiative, however valuable, is hard to justify without outside support.
With years of experience in this space, Byos is a trusted partner for many manufacturers and industrial players — and has designed solutions that can help any organization get the OT network security they need. Ready to learn more, or want to get directed to the right person at one of the other vendors? Get in touch with us here.