Why Digital Transformation Left OT’s Traditional “Broken” Networking in the Dust
NetFoundry CEO Galeal Zino was recently interviewed by Larry O’Brien, VP of Research at ARC Advisory Group, where they discussed the realities of OT’s “broken” networking paradigm.
The old strategy for Operational Technology (OT) security was simple: build a fortress. You air-gapped the systems, set up a flat network, and focused on keeping everyone out. But in the era of Industry 5.0, that model is officially broken.
With the rise of predictive maintenance, digital twins, and edge-to-cloud connectivity, today’s OT networks are inherently porous. Traditional networking models (relying on IP addresses, VLANs, and firewalls) were not built for the modern era of digital transformation, AI, and Industry 5.0. Bolting security solutions onto these outdated networks stifles business agility, decreases velocity, and creates complexity—which ultimately leads to insecurity.
Galeal summed up this reality perfectly:
“When we look at digital transformation, Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, AI… they’re all great. However, in many ways what they left behind in the dust was the cyber security model, and the networking model. Our mission at NetFoundry is essentially to catch up and rebuild the secure networking model to fit this kind of digital transformation age.”
The Complexity Trap
Attempting to force legacy networking to support modern digital transformation creates friction that kills business velocity. Even worse, it creates vulnerabilities. As Galeal noted, “Actually, the complexity itself becomes insecurity. Nothing that’s complex is ever very secure.”
The Shift to Identity-First Security
Instead of relying on network perimeters, NetFoundry advocates for true Zero Trust based on cryptographically verifiable identities. This “assume breach” mentality allows organizations to solve three massive challenges without risking uptime or human safety:
- Secure Inbound Access: Safely authenticating vendors and remote employees.
- Secure Outbound Data: Routing crucial OT data to the cloud (like AWS) for analytics without opening dangerous inbound firewall ports.
- Internal Segmentation: Isolating threats before they can spread and cause millions in unplanned downtime.
The transition doesn’t require a “big bang” overhaul. By leveraging an open-source ecosystem (e.g., NetFoundry’s OpenZiti) and pre-installed integrations with major vendors like Siemens, organizations can start with a single, high-value use case—and finally leave traditional networking in the dust.
