A third of manufacturers see cyber threats as an obstacle to growth
23 September 2026 
More than a third of industrial organisations see cybersecurity as one of the biggest external obstacles to their growth, according to a survey of more than 1,500 manufacturing and industrial decision-makers in 17 countries, conducted by Rockwell Automation.
The research reveals a disconnect between confidence in cybersecurity protection and operational risk. Although 62% of organisations have already invested in cybersecurity, these investments do not translate automatically into operational resilience.
As organisations continue to connect their IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology) systems, increase their use of AI, and expand operational data across their enterprises, they are creating new dependencies that can increase exposure to cyber-related risks, Rockwell warns.
The report, called Operational Resilience in the Age of Connectivity, reveals that:
- While 46% of organisations surveyed experienced a cyber-incident in the past year, 90% say they are confident in their ability to prevent, contain or recover from such incidents.
- Respondents regard cybersecurity as being the second-highest ROI-generating investment that they have made.
- Organisations see AI as being part of their cybersecurity response, with 45% planning to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity initiatives over the coming 12 months to help improve their detection, monitoring and risk management.
- IT/OT convergence creates both risk and opportunity: integration of IT and OT increases vulnerability to cyber-incidents, although 37% of those quizzed say that securing IT/OT architectures will drive positive business outcomes over the next five years.
“Industrial organisations understand that cybersecurity directly affects uptime, continuity, productivity and growth, but technology investments alone do not create operational resilience or confidence in an organisation’s security posture,” says Rick Kaun, Rockwell’s global director of cybersecurity services. “True resilience is built when cybersecurity becomes an integral part of business strategy. Organisations that proactively manage risk and prepare for disruption are better positioned to protect operations, sustain production and gain a competitive advantage.”
The convergence of IT and OT is raising cybersecurity risks because it expands the attack surface, introduces new points of connectivity and allows threats that originate in IT environments to potentially affect 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, says Rockwell.
This report is based on feedback from 1,560 respondents in 17 manufacturing countries. It covers a balanced distribution of company sizes and revenues from $100m to more than $30bn.
Rockwell Automation has also announced that it has joined Anthropic’s Project Glasswing – a global initiative designed to help secure the world’s most critical software, and to strengthen cyber-resilience in critical infrastructures.
Anthropic launched the project in April 2026 to provide approved organisations with access to its Claude Mythos Preview for defensive cybersecurity work. The initiative now has around 150 partners in more than 15 countries.
Through controlled access to Claude Mythos 5, Rockwell security teams will explore ways to accelerate the discovery, validation, prioritisation and remediation of vulnerabilities across software and connected systems.
“By participating in Project Glasswing, we are applying advanced AI capabilities in a controlled, defensive way to help identify and address vulnerabilities faster and support the resilience of the industrial ecosystem,” says Tony Baker, vice-president and chief product security officer for digital trust at Rockwell Automation.
