How ABB’s Approach to IT/OT Ensures Cyber Resilience

Industrial operations are becoming increasingly digitised, meaning the once-separate worlds of IT and OT have become deeply intertwined.

With this comes efficiency gains – however, so do escalating cyber risks.

Few leaders understand this intersection better than Tyron Vardy, Global Digital Portfolio Leader for ABB’s Process Industries Division. 

With more than 30 years in process industries and a career spanning operational safety, integrity and digital transformation, Tyron is helping shape ABB’s approach to secure industrial innovation. 

“What drew me to ABB was the opportunity to bridge that practical operational experience with leading digital innovation,” he shares. “My role involves looking at our digital portfolio through a product lens: what impact are these solutions having on people, processes and technology? 

“I’m not a cybersecurity expert in the traditional sense – my perspective comes from understanding how businesses operate, where vulnerabilities emerge in real-world conditions and how to make security investments that protect what matters most: continuous operations, workforce safety and supply chain integrity.”

In this Q&A with Technology Magazine, he discusses embedding cybersecurity from the design stage, the role of AI in real-time defence and how manufacturers can build cyber resilience across their ecosystems.

How is ABB addressing the growing convergence of IT and OT environments to strengthen cyber resilience across industrial operations?

The convergence of IT and OT creates new vulnerabilities as previously isolated control systems now require integration with enterprise networks. 

ABB addresses this by embedding security architecture from the start rather than retrofitting it later. This includes proper network segmentation, validated patching protocols and granular access controls that enable safe data connectivity while protecting operational technology.

Every ABB product now incorporates cybersecurity considerations as a fundamental design principle instead of bolting security as an afterthought, which creates expensive workarounds and leaves gaps. 

Organisations need robust foundations before pursuing digital transformation. Think of it like building a house: you can't focus on the items that will adorn the shelves without getting the foundations of the house right first. 

When security is embedded from the start, organisations can confidently pursue autonomous operations, predictive maintenance and real-time optimisation without creating exploitable attack vectors in their newly connected systems.

What role does AI-driven monitoring and automation play in ABB’s strategy for detecting and responding to cyber threats in real time?

AI plays a dual role in both enabling smarter operations and strengthening security defenses. On the security front, AI-driven monitoring can identify anomalous patterns in network traffic and system behavior that might indicate a breach attempt, spotting threats that traditional rule-based systems would miss.

However, it's crucial to distinguish between embedded AI and Gen AI. Embedded AI in our products optimises processes with predictable, explainable outcomes. This same principle applies to security: AI systems that monitor for threats must be transparent in how they reach conclusions, allowing security teams to understand and validate alerts rather than trusting a black box.

The challenge is that as we hand over more control to autonomous systems, the security layer underneath becomes even more critical. 

You can't give the keys to autonomous operations without a robust security foundation. Real-time threat detection powered by AI provides that safety net, enabling organisations to pursue automation confidently while maintaining visibility into potential security incidents as they emerge, before they escalate into production-stopping breaches.

With the rise of connected assets and digital twins in process industries, how is ABB ensuring secure data exchange and system interoperability?

Connected assets and digital twins require continuous data flows between physical operations and digital models, creating multiple potential entry points for attackers. ABB addresses this through security by design, building protections into the architecture rather than adding them later.

This starts with proper network segmentation, ensuring that compromised systems can't provide attackers lateral movement across the entire operation. 

Secure data exchange protocols, multi-factor authentication on remote access points and validated update mechanisms all work together to enable the connectivity that digital twins require while maintaining security boundaries.

The key is recognising that digital transformation and security are interdependent. Organisations investing millions in AI, digital twins or automation while neglecting cybersecurity are building on sand. 

Legacy control systems designed decades ago when physical isolation provided adequate protection now need integration with enterprise IT systems. Each integration point must be secured properly. 

When done correctly, organisations can leverage the optimisation benefits of connected assets while maintaining the defensive posture that protects continuous operations, worker safety and supply chain integrity.

How can manufacturers embed a proactive cybersecurity culture from supply chain partners to plant-level operators? 

Creating a proactive security culture starts with recognising that the most common breach entry points are human actions, such as clicking phishing links, using weak authentication or improperly handling maintenance laptops and USB drives. 

Every employee represents both a potential vulnerability and a critical defense asset.

At the plant level, this means OT-specific security training that reflects real-world scenarios operators actually face, not generic IT security awareness. 

When training feels relevant to someone's daily work environment, retention and vigilance improve dramatically. Employees need to understand their personal responsibility within the broader security framework – the grassroots level is critically important.

Across the supply chain, manufacturers must recognise that a single compromised link creates pressure on every other participant. If you're a tier-one supplier, your cyber posture affects everyone downstream. This means establishing minimum security expectations for partners, conducting regular assessments and understanding where your operations sit in the broader supply chain ecosystem. Organisations should also designate clear ownership. Cybersecurity can't fall ambiguously between IT departments and operations teams. Without dedicated accountability, security concerns compete poorly against immediate operational pressures.

Looking ahead, what emerging cybersecurity risks do you see as most critical for industrial organisations to prepare for in the next five years?

The acceleration toward autonomous operations and AI-enabled decision-making over the next five years will dramatically expand attack surfaces.

As organisations pursue digital transformation driven by autonomy and the need to remove people from dangerous situations, every new connection point becomes a potential vulnerability. 

The challenge isn't whether to pursue this convergence – competitive pressure makes it inevitable – but whether security keeps pace.

Complacency presents perhaps the most insidious risk. Many facilities implemented basic security measures a decade ago and haven't substantially updated those defenses. 

Static defenses from 2015 can't address 2025 threats. Attack techniques that didn't exist five years ago are now commodity tools available to relatively unsophisticated actors.

Another critical concern is the safety dimension. When attackers gain access to operational technology controlling high-temperature processes, heavy machinery or chemical systems, the potential for catastrophic incidents becomes very real. Regulations will inevitably tighten as cyber threats intersect more directly with worker safety. 

Organisations waiting for regulators to force their hand will find themselves scrambling to meet standards under time pressure rather than implementing thoughtful defenses on their own terms.