Most OT security programs have continuous monitoring deployed at their largest, best-connected facilities. That's the strategic layer. It works at sites with infrastructure to support it.
But most OT sites don't have that infrastructure. The remote substations. The air-gapped treatment plants. The offshore platforms and vendor-managed systems. The sites you acquired last quarter. They stay dark because the deployment model doesn't fit.
This whitepaper introduces a framework for thinking about OT monitoring as two complementary capabilities, not one. Organizations with the strongest OT security postures don't choose between them. They use both.
What's Inside
What strategic monitoring does well (and where it belongs). A fair, honest look at what continuous monitoring platforms are designed for and where they deliver real value. This isn't a competitor takedown. If you've invested in monitoring at your core sites, that investment is sound.
Where the deployment model breaks down. The specific environments and scenarios where permanent infrastructure-dependent monitoring can't operate. Remote sites, air-gapped facilities, temporary operations, newly acquired environments, and incident response situations where you need visibility in hours, not months.
What defines tactical OT monitoring? The characteristics of a deployment model built for constraints instead of ideal conditions. Portable, rapid, infrastructure-independent, and comprehensive enough to capture both network and host-level data.
Why mature programs need both. How tactical and strategic monitoring complement each other. Strategic covers the center of your operational footprint. Tactical covers the edge, the gaps, and the situations that demand speed.
Five questions to pressure-test your own coverage. A self-assessment that takes two minutes and will give you an honest read on whether your current monitoring model has blind spots worth addressing. This section alone is worth the download if you're evaluating your OT security posture.
Who This Is For
You'll get the most from this whitepaper if you're responsible for OT security across multiple sites and at least one of these is true:
- You have monitoring deployed at some facilities but know a significant portion of your OT footprint is uncovered.
- You've evaluated continuous monitoring platforms and found the deployment model doesn't fit your remote, air-gapped, or resource-constrained sites.
- You're building or expanding an OT security program and want a framework for deciding where different monitoring approaches belong.
- You need to articulate the coverage gap to leadership in a way that's structured and actionable, not just "we need more budget."