Edge computing will represent the next battleground, writes Andrew Foster, Product Director, IOTech, and organisations must secure it
Industrial organisations are racing to modernise. Sensors, controllers, and Edge platforms are being deployed across factories, plants, and warehouses to enable real-time visibility, automated control, and smarter operations. But in the rush to connect, many have overlooked one critical factor: security.
As legacy operational technology (OT) systems are brought online to feed data into cloud analytics platforms and enterprise software, they’re entering a threat landscape they were never designed to survive. Industrial systems that operated safely for decades behind locked doors and air-gapped networks are now exposed to global attack surfaces. This shift is creating a growing risk that is catching many organisations off guard.
The vulnerability within
The problem isn’t just that these systems are old. It’s that they were built for isolation, not for the Internet. Protocols like Modbus and OPC Classic were never designed with encryption or authentication in mind. Many legacy devices still in use today lack even basic credential management. Some can’t be updated. Others run on unsupported operating systems.
These systems were reliable in their day, and in many cases they still are from a process standpoint. But in a modern industrial IoT environment, reliability is no substitute for resilience. Once connected, these devices are vulnerable. And attackers know it.
High-profile incidents have shown how exposed some systems really are. While not every attack makes headlines, the threat is real. Ransomware groups have begun actively targeting industrial environments, not just IT networks. In one case, attackers breached a global chemical distributor and stole over 100GB of sensitive files. The company paid millions in ransom just to prevent the data from being published. In another well-documented incident, malware was designed specifically to interfere with safety systems at a petrochemical facility.
This isn’t theoretical. For companies operating aging equipment, every new data connection, whether for remote access, predictive maintenance, or analytics, must be treated as a potential entry point for attackers.
Why the Edge is a critical battleground
Edge computing sits at the intersection of these challenges. It’s where legacy meets modern. It’s the layer that translates industrial protocols into data streams for enterprise use, connects the plant floor to the Cloud, and supports time-sensitive processing close to the asset.
Done well, the Edge is a powerful enabler. But without the right architecture, it can also become a weak point. This is especially true when Edge platforms are treated purely as data gateways and not as critical security control points.
That’s where many organisations go wrong. They assume that if their Cloud provider has strong security, the rest of the pipeline must be protected. But Edge devices deployed on factory floors often lack proper segmentation. They may be running on default configurations, connected through flat networks, or missing firmware updates because there’s no secure update mechanism in place.
The result is a growing attack surface in one of the most critical parts of the industrial stack.
What industrial teams can do now
The good news is that securing industrial environments doesn’t always require ripping and replacing legacy equipment. In many cases, it’s about applying modern protections in the right place. There are several key areas that organisations should focus on in doing this:
- Segmentation: separate OT networks from IT systems. Avoid flat architectures. Use VLANs, firewalls, and access control to create boundaries between systems that shouldn’t talk to each other
- Protocol translation and containment: use secure Edge platforms that can interact with legacy devices, but insulate them from external networks
- Patchability and observability: where possible, ensure systems can be updated securely. And where patching isn’t feasible, add monitoring capabilities at the edge to detect unusual behaviour early
- Vendor access: control and audit remote access, especially for support partners. Limit what systems can be accessed remotely and under what conditions
One way to achieve this is by placing a security-aware Edge platform between legacy equipment and external networks. For example, platforms like IOTech’s Edge Central are designed to act as secure intermediary layers between legacy devices and external networks. These systems allow industrial teams to maintain existing equipment while layering in modern protections, including protocol translation, encryption, authentication, and remote access control at the Edge.
Above all, recognise that security isn’t a one-time project. It’s a process that must be maintained continuously as systems evolve, new connections are added, and threat actors adapt.
A shift in culture and priorities
One of the most overlooked barriers to progress isn’t technical at all. It’s organisational. In many industrial companies, the cybersecurity conversation is still siloed. IT manages the corporate network. OT manages the plant floor. There is limited alignment between the two, and the result is often inconsistent security practices that leave critical systems exposed.
Bridging this gap requires more than just communication — it requires shared accountability. Both teams must understand how their decisions affect the other. For example, IT policies that mandate regular system reboots may disrupt 24/7 production environments, while OT’s reluctance to patch outdated systems may introduce vulnerabilities that IT has to defend. These tensions can’t be resolved through policy alone. They require a cultural shift that puts shared risk management at the centre of security planning.
This shift must also reach the executive level. Security leadership should have a seat at the table when digital transformation strategies are developed. Procurement teams should evaluate vendors not just on functionality and price, but also on how well they integrate into a facility’s overall security architecture. When security becomes a shared responsibility, organisations can build a much stronger, more unified defense.
Closing the gap
The industrial sector has made impressive strides in digitisation. New sensors, smarter machines, and more agile analytics are delivering real value — from improved asset utilisation to predictive maintenance and energy efficiency. But too often, these gains are built on top of infrastructure that lacks the resilience to withstand modern cyber threats.
Closing the gap between connectivity and security means taking a hard look at the systems already in place and being honest about their limitations. It means building security into every new connection, not as an afterthought but as a design principle. It means investing in tools and processes that make monitoring, access control, and response not just possible but practical for operational teams.
Most of all, it means realising that industrial security isn’t a checkbox. It’s not a product. It’s a mindset. Facilities that treat security as a core element of operational excellence — just like safety and reliability — will be far better positioned to handle the challenges of an increasingly connected world.
The next wave of industrial innovation will be powered by Edge intelligence, real-time data, and seamless integration across systems. But none of it will matter if the foundation isn’t secure. Now is the time to get that foundation right.
Andrew Foster is Product Director at IOTech, with over 20 years of experience developing IoT and Distributed Real-time and Embedded (DRE) software products. He has held senior roles in product delivery, management, and marketing, and frequently speaks at industry conferences on distributed computing, middleware, embedded technologies, and IoT. Andrew holds an M.S. in Computer-Based Plant and Process Control and a B.Eng. in Digital Systems.
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