Honeywell report reveals gaps in OT cybersecurity readiness

Honeywell Technologies has released its 2026 Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Benchmark Report, revealing a significant gap between perceived security maturity and actual operational readiness in critical infrastructure. While 88% of surveyed industrial cybersecurity leaders described their OT programs as mature, only 21% reported having a complete inventory of their OT assets.

The report highlights severe economic impacts, noting that significant cybersecurity incidents have caused an average of 16.2 hours of downtime, with losses reaching up to £375,000 per hour. Furthermore, only 33% of organizations have fully integrated OT into a centralized Security Operations Centre, and just 20% continuously monitor connected Internet of Things devices.

Sector-specific findings show that 91% of energy and utilities respondents experienced a significant OT cybersecurity incident in the past 12 months. In contrast, 54% of oil and gas companies reported similar incidents. While energy and utilities companies expressed high confidence in restoring systems within 24 hours, oil and gas companies reported the lowest expected recovery rate at 52%.