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

Industrial companies are increasing cybersecurity investment as connected operations, AI adoption and IT/OT convergence expand operational risk

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today released "Operational Resilience in the Age of Connectivity," an industry insights report based on input from 1,500 manufacturing and industrial operations decision makers across 17 countries. 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.

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 dependencies that can increase exposure to cyber-related risk. 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.

Key findings from the report include:

• Organizations remain confident despite rising incident exposure: While 46% of organizations experienced a cyber incident in the past year, 90% say they are confident in their ability to prevent, contain or recover from one.
• 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 reported by respondents.
• 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.
• IT/OT convergence creates both risk and opportunity: IT and OT integration points rank as the second-most vulnerable to cyber incidents. At the same time, 37% say securing IT/OT architecture will drive positive business outcomes over the next five years.

"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. "True resilience is built when cybersecurity becomes an integral part of business strategy. Organizations that proactively manage risk and prepare for disruption are better positioned to protect operations, sustain production and gain a competitive advantage."

The full report, Operational Resilience in the Age of Connectivity, is available HERE and explores how industrial organizations are strengthening cybersecurity, managing IT/OT convergence and building more resilient operations in an increasingly connected environment.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is operational resilience?
Operational resilience is an organization's ability to sustain safe, secure, and reliable industrial operations by proactively managing risk, limiting disruption and providing rapid recovery from incidents.

Why is IT/OT convergence increasing cybersecurity risk?
IT/OT convergence increases cybersecurity risk because it expands the attack surface, introduces new points of connectivity and allows threats that originate in IT environments to potentially impact industrial operations. As operational data, systems, users and third-party connections become more interconnected, a single cyber incident can have broader consequences across production, safety, quality and business continuity.

How are industrial organizations using AI for cybersecurity?
According to the research, 45% of industrial organizations plan to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity over the next 12 months to help improve detection, monitoring and risk management capabilities.

Methodology
This report analyzes feedback from 1,560 respondents across 17 of the top manufacturing countries representing roles from management through C-suite and was conducted by Sapio Research in association with Rockwell Automation. The survey sampled from a range of industries including Consumer Packaged Goods, Food & Beverage, Automotive, Semiconductor, Energy, Life Sciences, and more. With a balanced distribution of company sizes with revenues spanning $100 million to over $30 billion, it offers a wide breadth of manufacturing business perspectives.

About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2025. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise® to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.

SOURCE Rockwell Automation, Inc.