Qualitymag iconQualitymagSep 25, 2026 ~3 min source read

Study: Over One-Third of Industrial Firms See Cybersecurity as a Major Growth Obstacle

Rockwell Automation’s survey of 1,500 manufacturing and industrial operations decision makers across 17 countries finds widespread confidence in cybersecurity despite frequent incidents, rising IT/OT exposure, and plans to apply AI to defenses.

More Than One-Third of Industrial Organizations See Cybersecurity Risk as a Top Obstacle to Growth, New Global Study Finds

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Useful takeaways from this story.

More than one-third of organizations now view cybersecurity risk as a top external obstacle to growth as IT and OT systems become more connected.

62% have invested in cybersecurity platforms and rank cybersecurity as the second-highest ROI-generating technology investment.

45% plan to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity over the next 12 months, while IT/OT integration points are among the most vulnerable areas.

The useful part

The research reveals a disconnect between confidence in comprehensive cybersecurity protection and operational risk. Although industrial organizations are investing in cybersecurity, those investments do not automatically translate into operational resilience. In fact, more than one-third of industrial organizations see cybersecurity risk as one of the biggest external obstacles to growth, underscoring the need to strengthen resilience as operations become more connected.

How it works

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  • As organizations continue to connect information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems, scale AI initiatives, and expand the use of operational data across the enterprise, they create new...
  • • Cybersecurity delivers strong perceived ROI: 62% of organizations have already invested in cybersecurity platforms, and cybersecurity ranks as the second-highest ROI-generating technology investment...
  • • Organizations are looking to AI as part of their cybersecurity response: 45% plan to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity initiatives over the next 12 months.

What to take from it

• IT/OT convergence creates both risk and opportunity: IT and OT integration points rank as the second-most vulnerable to cyber incidents. KEYWORDS: connectivity cybersecurity manufacturing metrology quality risk management Share This Story Looking for a reprint of this article? At the same time, 37% say securing IT/OT architecture will drive positive business outcomes over the next five years.

Example or evidence

  • With global reps and international distributors, New Vista Corporation is the leading producer of powered thread-checking and thread-reconditioning equipment for industrial production.
  • In the last 20 years, New Vista has seen exponential growth and development as the requirement for thread-verification and thread-reconditioning of manufactured parts has greatly increased.

Details worth keeping

"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, cybersecurity services at Rockwell Automation. For more information, visit www.rockwellautomation.com. From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

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  • Internationalsecurityjournal: Drata has announced the release of a new report on the State of TPRM in 2026 that highlighted that 69% of organisations grew their third-party-risk-management (TPRM) teams and 75% increased automation...
  • Ascii: 「2026年 OTサイバーセキュリティに関する現状レポート」は、OTセキュリティの成熟度が高まっている一方で、依然として可視性、侵入、規制、ランサムウェアが大きな課題となっていることを示しています。

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