Listening to the Voice of the Purchaser: Cisco’s 2024 State of Industrial Networking Report

Nothing has been brisker in my career than listening to prospects. Listening to them describe their current challenges, envision new aggressive advantages, and measure their ROI are nonetheless a few examples. These insights are invaluable not solely to strategic companions and market leaders like Cisco however moreover to enterprise pals who’re learning in regards to the highest value use circumstances rising from the quick modernization of enterprise networks.

Evidently, listening to from 1,000+ enterprise professionals at once is a unusual various, and that’s the explanation I’m excited to share our 2024 State of Industrial Networking Report with you.

The industrial panorama is current course of giant transformations as a result of the itemizing of use circumstances, enterprise outcomes, and aggressive advantages pushed by operational neighborhood investments continues to develop. Consequently, operational experience (OT) networks are converging with their enterprise IT counterparts, creating a fancy and dynamic environment. To know the challenges and alternate options that lie ahead, Cisco, in affiliation with Sapio Evaluation, carried out an entire survey gathering insights from over 1,000 enterprise professionals all through 17 worldwide places and in 20 sectors, along with manufacturing, utilities and transportation.

The 2024 State of Industrial Networking Report sheds delicate on the evolving industrial networking panorama, revealing key traits which will type the long term. Let’s take a look at a number of of the report’s most vital findings:

OT Security Takes Center Stage

The report highlights a rising concern for OT cybersecurity all through all industries. Industrial networks, traditionally air-gapped from the floor world, in the mean time are an increasing number of associated, making them weak to cyberattacks. A backlog of legacy applications and property, an rising assault ground, and an overstretched workforce are exacerbating the problem. A superb portion of respondents (89%) cited cybersecurity compliance as very or terribly very important. This shows the worldwide need for sturdy security choices significantly designed for the distinctive needs of enterprise environments.

Collaboration is Key: Bridging the IT/OT Divide

With 41% of companies’ reporting IT and OT teams working independently, the report underscores the essential perform of improved collaboration between these two teams. Operational effectivity and agility hinge on considerably higher integration between these two traditionally neutral departments. The benefits embrace simplified operations, enhancements in cybersecurity safety and remediation, and faster, better-informed decisions. The options from the survey was clear. A single vendor decision designed and built-in for every sorts of networks is a severe catalyst for driving IT/OT collaboration.

Preparing for AI in Industrial Networking

48% of the respondents cited Artificial intelligence (AI) as a result of the rising experience which will have most likely crucial have an effect on on industrial networking over the next 5 years. AI is poised to play a transformative perform in industrial networking, with the flexibleness to automate duties, improve neighborhood effectivity, and predict potential factors sooner than they disrupt operations. Contributors further acknowledged that AI in industrial networking could possibly be a spending priority within the equivalent time interval, which further signifies the urgency to prepare operational networks for the most effective value AI use circumstances.

Previous the Headlines: What Does it Suggest for You?

The findings of the report paint a clear picture of the evolving industrial panorama. Listed below are some key takeaways for organizations as they plan the transformation of their industrial operations:

• Make investments at a aggressive stage: 63% of respondents have ramped up spending on industrial infrastructure over the earlier 12 months. It’s essential that organizations spend cash on their operational neighborhood as a aggressive differentiator.
• Arrange sturdy cybersecurity practices: the need for sturdy cybersecurity to protect essential infrastructure has certainly not been greater. Addressing the rising world menace panorama requires embedding OT security into the neighborhood material and highly effective distant entry capabilities. For the very latest on OT security, please see “The Forrester Wave™: Operational Know-how Security Choices, Q2 2024”.
• Improve IT/OT Collaboration: Elevated communication and collaboration between IT and OT is vital for max operational effectivity, improved cybersecurity, simplified operations and lowered costs. It moreover enhances automation and helps deal with rising professional labor shortages.
• Put collectively for AI: AI is coming to automate duties, improve operational efficiencies, and generate predictive insights. Guaranteeing your operational neighborhood is AI-ready is a extreme priority for a lot of organizations proper now.
• Uncover a companion who’s conscious of every IT and OT: Industrial organizations need a companion to deal with the broad differ of challenges being confronted in every IT and OT proper now. Extra, strategic companions should current deep enterprise insights and neighborhood blueprints to verify a way that delivers operational simplicity, security and scale.

Setting up a Secure and Surroundings pleasant Industrial Future

As organizations globally look to assemble a protected, atmosphere pleasant, and future-proof industrial networking foundation, we’re hoping this report supplies you context and notion out of your pals to help your planning and strategies. Cisco is the market chief in every enterprise and industrial networking, and we look ahead to working with you that may assist you navigate proper now’s difficult operational panorama.

Acquire the Full Report:

For a deeper dive into the findings of Cisco’s 2024 State of Industrial Networking Report, acquire the full report proper right here.

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