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What are the key findings of the 2024 Cisco Industrial Networking Report?
The global report’s central message is that connected industrial networks make cybersecurity and network management strategic concerns, while organizational separation between IT and OT remains a practical obstacle. Respondents also reported increased infrastructure spending and expected artificial intelligence to influence industrial networking substantially over the following five years.
Global survey results at a glance
| Survey finding | Reported result | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity compliance | 89% of global respondents said it was very or extremely important | Cisco, 2024 survey response; not a verified rate across all industrial firms |
| Unified cybersecurity solution | 92% of executive leaders saw value in one | Respondents’ assessment of potential value, not proof of deployment or effectiveness |
| IT/OT organization | 41% said IT and OT teams worked independently | Indicates a reported collaboration challenge |
| Expected technological impact | 48% identified AI as the most significant advancement likely to affect industrial networking in the next five years | A 2024 expectation, not evidence of realized outcomes |
| AI and network management | 49% expected AI to improve management across IT and OT | Forecast opinion rather than a measured improvement |
| Industrial infrastructure spending | 63% said their organization increased spending in the preceding year | Retrospective respondent report, not a market-wide spending total |
What does the report say about OT cybersecurity?
OT cybersecurity is treated as a top priority in the survey. Eighty-nine percent of global respondents told Cisco that cybersecurity compliance was very or extremely important. Cisco frames this concern against industrial environments that increasingly connect operational equipment, networks and enterprise systems while often retaining legacy assets.
The 92% result among executive leaders reflects perceived value in a unified cybersecurity solution. It should not be read as evidence that 92% of organizations use one platform, nor does the survey establish that a unified product is superior in every plant. The finding instead signals strong executive interest in reducing fragmented protection across IT and OT.
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Industrial networks may have to protect newer connected equipment alongside older systems that were not designed for today’s threat environment. That combination makes visibility, segmentation, access control, monitoring and carefully managed updates important design questions. Cisco’s survey identifies the priority respondents place on compliance and security; it does not test the security of particular installations or equipment.
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What does Cisco report about IT and OT collaboration?
Forty-one percent of global respondents said their IT and OT teams worked independently. In an industrial setting, that separation can complicate decisions about asset ownership, maintenance windows, incident response, identity management and network changes. OT teams typically prioritize safety, availability and process continuity, while IT teams may emphasize standardization, centralized controls and rapid security response.
The statistic is a respondent-reported organizational condition, not a diagnosis of why the separation exists or a measurement of operational performance. Organizations using the report as a planning input should establish shared responsibilities, escalation paths and change procedures without assuming that every IT/OT structure has the same risk.
How does the report describe AI’s impact?
AI was the leading anticipated technological influence in the global results: 48% of respondents said it was the advancement most likely to affect industrial networking over the next five years. Separately, 49% expected AI to improve network management across IT and OT.
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These percentages capture expectations recorded in 2024. They do not demonstrate that AI had already improved industrial networks, predict the size of any benefit or establish that deployments would be safe without governance. Practical questions include the quality and location of training data, model access to operational systems, human approval of automated actions, handling of sensitive plant information and recovery when an AI-assisted change is wrong.
What does the spending result mean?
Sixty-three percent of global respondents said their organization had increased industrial-infrastructure spending during the preceding year. This is a retrospective survey result: it does not provide a currency amount, identify which equipment or services received funding, or measure total industrial-network spending worldwide.
The result does, however, indicate that many surveyed companies reported treating industrial infrastructure as an active investment area. Budget decisions still depend on site conditions, regulatory requirements, lifecycle status, resilience targets and the business case for each project.
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Global report versus Cisco’s manufacturing edition
Cisco published a separate manufacturing edition. It surveyed more than 700 manufacturing professionals across 17 countries, so its percentages must not be merged with the global sample of more than 1,000 professionals across 20 industrial sectors.
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|---|---|---|
| Sample description | More than 1,000 professionals; 17 countries; 20 industrial sectors | More than 700 manufacturing professionals; 17 countries |
| Cybersecurity compliance very or extremely important | 89% | 89% |
| Increased industrial-infrastructure spending in prior year | 63% | 64% |
| AI expected to have the biggest impact over the next five years | 48% | 48% |
The matching percentages do not make the respondent groups interchangeable. Use the manufacturing figures only when discussing that edition and label them as manufacturing-specific Cisco, 2024 survey results.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should readers use the report when planning an industrial network?
The report is survey research, not a product comparison or a test of switches, routers, security platforms or AI tools. Its findings can help frame priorities, while implementation requires site-specific engineering.
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Questions for an OT-network review
- Which assets, controllers, sensors and engineering stations require continuous visibility?
- Where should IT and OT responsibilities meet for identity, segmentation, monitoring and incident response?
- Which legacy systems cannot tolerate a conventional patch or configuration cycle?
- What compliance obligations apply to each site and operating sector?
- Where could AI assist analysis or administration, and which actions must remain human-approved?
If you are evaluating an industrial Ethernet switch
Compare the operating environment and ruggedness requirements, port count and media, uplink and connectivity options, security and management functions, lifecycle support and compatibility with existing OT systems. Cisco’s report names no particular model and does not endorse or test a product listing.
What Cisco’s executive statement adds
In Cisco’s July 30, 2024 release, Cisco SVP and General Manager of Networking – SD-WAN, Multicloud and Industrial IoT Vikas Butaney said: “Operational technology, and specifically the network supporting industrial operations, has become a key differentiator for organizations globally.” This is a Cisco executive’s vendor perspective, not an independent assessment of industrial organizations.
Quick Recap
Limitations to keep in mind
- The results come from a Cisco-sponsored survey conducted with Sapio Research.
- The sample covers companies with annual revenue above $100 million, so smaller organizations are not represented by the stated global population.
- Percentages report what respondents said; they do not establish causation, universal prevalence or realized AI outcomes.
- The report does not rank products, verify compliance, inspect plants or test network equipment.
- Global and manufacturing samples are separate and should be cited separately.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
