Zero Trust Security: Cyber Resilience for OT Systems with Microsegmentation

Abstract
Across critical industries, cyber threats are escalating in scale and sophistication, leveraging advanced intrusion and lateral movement techniques to disrupt core operations. As these attacks target critical industries, such as energy, manufacturing and healthcare, the impact extends beyond IT downtime to degraded OT. In this context, traditional perimeter-based defenses and OT security methodologies are no longer sufficient, making microsegmentation a foundational control for modern cyber-resilience., limiting lateral movement, continually enhancing policies.

Microsegmentation addresses this challenge by preventing lateral movement, thereby containing adversaries after initial compromise and limiting the blast radius across IT, OT, and clinical systems. This presentation will detail architectural approaches for implementing microsegmentation in complex, hybrid environments that span traditional IT networks, OT systems, and connected devices, with a particular focus on constraints and safety considerations unique to the OT domain. Attendees will gain insight into how microsegmentation strategies can be designed to protect critical operations without impeding the availability and reliability of essential services.

The session will highlight recent innovations that significantly improve the ease of deploying and operating microsegmentation at scale. These advancements include deep integrations with endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms and next-generation firewalls, which streamline policy creation, automate enforcement, and align detection and segmentation workflows. Special emphasis will be placed on innovations tailored to OT environments, where legacy technologies, proprietary protocols, and limited native security capabilities have historically impeded segmentation initiatives.

By unifying microsegmentation with existing security controls, organizations can accelerate implementation timelines, reduce operational complexity, and realize value more rapidly. The presentation will showcase real-world patterns and reference architectures that demonstrate how these innovations translate into faster time to protection, improved threat containment, and measurable reductions in lateral movement risk. Participants will leave with practical guidance on how to leverage these capabilities to achieve improved security posture and tangible business outcomes, including enhanced operational resilience.