A Rockwell Automation report based on survey responses from industrial and manufacturing decision-makers says more than one-third of organisations view cybersecurity risk as one of the biggest external obstacles to growth. The findings, released on 22 September 2026, highlight increasing exposure as companies connect IT and operational technology (OT), adopt artificial intelligence and share operational data more widely.
The research found that 46% of respondents had experienced a cyber incident in the previous year, although 90% said they were confident in their ability to prevent, contain or recover from one. IT/OT integration points were ranked the second-most vulnerable area, while 37% said securing IT/OT architecture would produce positive business outcomes over the next five years.
The report also found that 62% had invested in cybersecurity platforms and 45% planned to apply AI and machine learning to cybersecurity initiatives in the following 12 months.
Rockwell said the results showed that technology spending alone does not guarantee operational resilience, which it defined as maintaining safe, secure and reliable operations, limiting disruption and recovering quickly from incidents. The study was conducted by Sapio Research for Rockwell Automation and used responses from either 1,500 or 1,560 participants across 17 countries; the article gives both figures in different sections. It covered organisations ranging from $100 million to more than $30 billion in revenue.