In industrial cyber security, one of the most pervasive and costly mistakes is the belief that buying a security tool equates to solving a problem. This mindset—referred to as the ‘technology-first approach’—is not merely misguided; it’s dangerous. It results in wasted investments, misaligned priorities, and ultimately, an OT security posture that is no more resilient than it was before the money was spent.
At SIS, we have witnessed this happen repeatedly: industrial organisations rushing to acquire security technologies without first establishing the fundamentals. It’s an understandable impulse. The threat landscape is becoming more hostile. Boards demand visible action. Vendors promise quick wins. But the truth is, you can’t purchase your way to world-class industrial cyber security. Not without the groundwork done upfront.
Why the technology-first mindset is so common
The technology-first trap is easy to fall into. It often begins with a sense of urgency: there has been a scare, an audit finding, or a regulatory nudge. Leadership wants to be seen as responding. Cyber security vendors offer compelling pitches and polished platforms. They speak the language of efficiency, integration, and automation. It’s no wonder senior decision-makers think, “This sounds like exactly what we need.” They also typically concentrate on tangible aspects, such as physical tools that can be touched and felt. In contrast, strategy and planning consulting activities focus more on intangible elements that lack a physical presence and cannot be touched or felt.
However, the technology-first trap overlooks the very essence of Operational Technology (OT). These environments differ fundamentally from IT. They often consist of legacy systems that are deeply integrated into physical processes and are extremely sensitive to change. A PLC cannot be patched like a laptop. Downtime is simply not an option. Moreover, implementing security controls without first understanding the operational environment and safety implications is out of the question.
The hidden costs of jumping to tools
When technology leads and strategy follows, the results are almost always underwhelming. Here’s what we typically see:
- Misaligned Investments: Tools are purchased that do not align with the organisations OT risk profile, do not integrate with current systems, or cannot function properly in legacy environments.
- Underutilised Tools: Even sophisticated platforms are rendered ineffective when the individuals operating them have not been adequately trained or when they are applied inconsistently without appropriate resources.
- False Sense of Security: Leaders assume that because money has been spent and tools are in place, the organisation is secure. Meanwhile, fundamental cyber security risks remain unaddressed as the core issue is typically process related and not technology specific.
- Lack of Measurable Impact: There is no structured method to evaluate whether the technology has improved the security posture because the organisation never defined its objectives in the first place.
- Control Overload: Organisations sometimes end up with too many controls applied too broadly—applying the same level of protection to every system without understanding what each system actually requires or needs.
Security is not a shopping list
One of the most damaging side effects of a technology-first approach is that it encourages checklist thinking. Security becomes a shopping list: we’ve got endpoint detection, check. Firewalls, check. SOC dashboard, check. But these tools don’t hold much meaning in isolation, and they certainly don’t guarantee security.
World-class industrial cyber security isn’t built on products; it’s built on principles. This philosophy underlies the SIS Industrial Cyber Security Principle Method™: a strategic, layered methodology that positions technology as one component in a much broader context system.
Better way forward: strategy before solutions
Before you invest in any industrial cyber security technology, ask yourself these questions:
- What are the business objectives this security investment needs to protect and support?
- What is the true risk profile of our OT systems and sub systems?
- Where are we most exposed, and why?
- What do our governance, compliance, and full asset lifecycle requirements look like?
If you don’t have clear answers to those questions, you’re not ready to invest in tools. You’re ready to invest in understanding.
The SIS Industrial Cyber Security Principle Method™ as the Antidote
At SIS, we developed our methodology specifically to address the problems with a technology first approach. Our approach follows a staged, logical flow:
- Assessment – A deep dive into your OT environment, threat landscape, and current security posture.
- Design – Strategic alignment of security controls with your business and risk priorities.
- Governance & Management – Building the frameworks for accountability, measurement, and ongoing oversight.
- Implementation – Deploying controls in the right sequence, with the right focus, and with minimal disruption.
- OT SOC & Training – Continuous management, detection, and education to keep your defences evolving.
Technology still plays an essential role. But we only recommend it once it’s clear what problem it is solving, what constraints it must work within, and how its success will be measured.
Your security is only as good as your people and process
It’s easy to be dazzled by technology. Dashboards. Automation. AI-driven analytics. But tools don’t solve problems—people do. Processes do. Culture does.
We’ve worked with clients who had all the right tech on paper—but still couldn’t quantify their risk position, still couldn’t demonstrate compliance, and still felt insecure in the face of growing threats. That’s because they hadn’t done the work up front to embed cyber security into how the organisation thinks, acts, and makes decisions.
Your industrial cyber security strategy should never start with a product demo.
It should start with a question: what are we trying to protect, and what would happen if we failed?
From there, you can work backward to design a tailored strategy, align it with your operations, and select the right tools to support it.
That’s how you turn technology from a silver bullet fantasy into a real-world security asset. And that’s how you stop wasting time and budget on solutions that never had a chance to succeed in the first place.
If you’re tired of chasing tools and still feeling exposed, it’s time for a different conversation. Take the SIS Industrial Cyber Security Scorecard today and see how your current strategy stacks up against the six principles of world-class OT security.