Operational technology (OT) — OT security glossary

Operational technology (OT) is the hardware and software that monitors and controls physical processes, equipment and infrastructure, such as PLCs, SCADA and distributed control systems.

Operational technology covers everything that makes a physical process run: sensors and actuators, controllers such as PLCs, supervisory systems such as SCADA, and the networks connecting them. Where IT processes information, OT changes the physical world — it opens valves, starts motors and keeps temperatures within limits.

That difference drives OT security: availability and safety come first, systems run for decades, and changes are made only in planned maintenance windows. A SOC for OT is built around these constraints.