Cyolo, a leading provider of secure remote access for OT and cyber-physical systems (CPS), recently released its latest research report, Can Cybersecurity Drive Growth? The Strategic Role of Secure Remote Access in Manufacturing.
Based on a global survey of manufacturing industry CISOs, CIOs, OT security leads, operations managers, and plant engineers, the report demonstrates how the sector is adapting.
The report reveals that a growing number of manufacturers are reframing cybersecurity as a core driver of business innovation, resilience, operational continuity, and productivity across globally connected environments – well beyond its traditional role as a risk mitigation tool. Key findings include:
- As manufacturers accelerate their Industry 4.0 transformations, secure remote access (SRA) has become a foundational pillar for achieving measurable operational improvements, business gains, and sustained competitive advantage. The report found that 67 percent cited improved third-party collaboration as the top benefit of secure remote access, and 58 percent reported increased efficiency and cost savings (50 percent) – suggesting that secure access is no longer just about protection but also about creating tangible value across the enterprise.
- AI adoption is on the rise. Over 96 percent of respondents have plans to incorporate AI into remote access security. Expected benefits include improved real-time threat detection and response (61 percent), better compliance (47 percent), and proactive risk identification (38 percent).
- Vendor access is ubiquitous and prioritized over internal access. 88 percent of manufacturers authorize remote third-party access to OT environments to take care of a wide variety of functions, while only 54 percent allow internal employee access and 60 percent permit more than 100 external parties (vendors, contractors, suppliers, OEMs, etc.) to access these environments remotely. This astonishing scale of third-party access entails considerable risk exposure if proper security tools and policies are not in place.
- Security best practices long used in IT settings are gaining traction in the OT realm, with 69 percent having implemented multi-factor authentication (MFA), and 34 percent have initiated Zero Trust strategies, indicating a growing commitment to modern security architecture tailored for operational landscapes.
“This report examines how global manufacturers are finally beginning to see cybersecurity as a business enabler rather than an inhibitor,” said Almog Apirion, CEO and co-founder of Cyolo.