IT/OT convergence is a hot topic right now, and it’s gaining traction fast. IoT Analytics states that the market for combined IT and OT solutions is expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030, reflecting both the scale and urgency of this trend.
As a concept, the value of IT/OT convergence is immeasurable. It allows users to harness real-time operational data, integrate predictive analytics and optimize workflows across their entire enterprise. Once-isolated operations can be turned into responsive, data-driven engines for growth and competitiveness.
Two worlds, one goal
IT and OT have historically existed in separate spheres; each with its own distinct role.
OT governs the production environment, from control systems to machinery, where reliability, deterministic performance and equipment lifecycles are the priority. Typically, these were standalone systems managed at the shop floor level with little need for one to communicate with another.
In contrast, IT systems were always separate, managing business systems, data processing and enterprise applications with a focus on flexibility and connectivity.
The two domains evolved separately, and for good reason. OT relied heavily on specialized hardware and protocols that were slow to change, while IT systems emphasized agility and scalability.
Security approaches also diverged, with OT focused on safety and uptime and IT on confidentiality, data security and access control. Today, thanks to the emergence of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), smart technologies and data-driven decision-making, the barriers between the two worlds are beginning to break down.
Breaking down IT/OT convergence
IT/OT convergence goes beyond simply connecting a few machines to a server. It involves the systematic merging of IT and OT technologies, processes and teams. Drivers include the proliferation of IIoT devices, abundant data availability, virtualization, cost efficiencies and operational flexibility.
However, despite technological advancements, challenges persist. Cybersecurity remains paramount, but ensuring reliability, safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining compliance in both domains can be complex. Careful planning is also required for hardware dependency, mismatched lifecycle management and protocol diversity. IT systems typically follow short update and refresh cycles, while OT environments are designed to run unchanged for decades. Aligning these fundamentally different lifecycles requires clear governance, coordinated upgrade strategies and long-term platform support. At the same time, protocol diversity across automation layers complicates integration, as proprietary, legacy and modern standards must coexist without compromising performance or security.
One area where these challenges become particularly visible is cybersecurity. OT systems were designed for self-contained networks and isolated, which acted as a defense in itself. Once IT and OT systems begin exchanging data, this protection disappears. Firewalls and segmentation may reduce exposure, but they don’t resolve the core issue: that many OT devices were never built for modern security standards.
Hardware dependency also adds complexity. OT environments combine modern devices with legacy equipment, creating friction for IT systems that require standardization and short refresh cycles. The challenge is amplified by programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that are often locked in proprietary hardware, which limits interoperability and data access. Vendors must maintain control over these platforms, and this constrains flexible deployment.
These issues show why IT/OT convergence might entail overhauling security models and decoupling industrial software from rigid hardware constraints, which is essential if systems are to evolve with IT-level agility.
Virtualization in action
Virtualization and containerization are common concepts in IT, and are being increasingly applied in industrial contexts, driven by the need for greater flexibility, scalability and resilience in modern automation environments.
Virtualization moves control applications from the underlying hardware, to instead be run on shared computing resources. Containerization, on the other hand, packages applications and their dependencies into isolated units often using technologies like Docker, a platform to build and run containers. These units can be deployed consistently across edge systems, on-premises servers, or the cloud, making deployment faster, more predictable and easier to standardize across sites.
A practical example of this is the virtual PLC. As the name suggests, this is a virtualized programmable logic controller that frees the PLC from physical devices and opens many benefits, such as rapid scaling, easier testing and reduced hardware dependency. Engineering teams can simulate, validate and update control logic independently of the physical machine, reducing commissioning time and minimizing operational risk. Maintenance and upgrades are also simplified, even in complex automation landscapes.
Bridging IT and OT with smart software
COPA-DATA’s zenon software platform provides tools that are designed to make IT/OT convergence both practical and scalable.
The platform’s IIoT Services support virtualization through Docker, which allows logic to run in modular, portable containers rather than being tied to a specific hardware device. With continuous remote monitoring, zenon can detect issues early to help reduce downtime, improve safety and boost efficiency.
zenon enhances IT/OT connectivity and analytics with broad protocol support that includes IEC 61850, OPC UA, Modbus and MQTT. The result is a unified operational view that supports forecasting, energy optimization and compliance.
With these features, zenon is an adaptable architecture that reduces hardware dependency and improves resilience to supply chain disruptions.
Practical paths to seamless integration
There are still challenges to consider when implementing virtualization for IT/OT convergence on the factory floor, as highlighted by McKinsey. Beyond technical hurdles, such as ensuring compatibility across legacy and modern systems, fragmented data between automation layers, aligning networks and protocols and meeting real-time operational demands, organizations must also address structural and cultural gaps.
According to Deloitte, overcoming cultural challenges should be a priority. IT and OT teams often operate under different mandates, workflows and escalation paths. That’s why convergence requires deliberate work on team structures, role clarity and shared collaboration models. Skill gaps can also emerge: IT teams may lack deep understanding of industrial processes, while OT personnel may be unfamiliar with virtualized environments. These scenarios require cross-training and joint governance.
Security introduces another layer of complexity because IT and OT prioritize fundamentally different aspects of security. OT emphasizes
safety and uptime, whereas IT focuses on assessing threats using the CIA triad – confidentiality, integrity and availability. Virtualization adds its own risks, from expanded attack surfaces to misconfigured containers, inconsistent patch cycles and tighter requirements for access control and continuous monitoring. Effective convergence must also align with relevant governance and compliance frameworks, such as IEC 62443, NIST CSF or sector-specific regulations.
Given these challenges, a phased introduction is essential. Organizations should begin with targeted pilot projects to validate concepts in a controlled manner, provide structured training to bridge IT/OT skill divides and define clear architectural plans, including edge versus cloud responsibilities, lifecycle management and security ownership. This approach ensures virtualization enhances operational capability, without introducing unnecessary risk.
Breaking down the barriers
Virtualization, hybrid cloud systems and AI-driven analytics are connecting data, machines and people in real time; but IT and OT teams must also step up. They must collaborate and understand each other’s priorities and constraints for productive collaboration, including the shared responsibility for cybersecurity across both domains, where safety, availability and data protection must be balanced consistently.
The walls that once separated IT and OT are coming down, revealing a world of opportunity. IT/OT convergence is enabling greater agility, innovation and resilience – provided that security is embedded from the outset and treated as a foundational enabler rather than a limiting factor – and organizations that act now will lead the next wave of industrial transformation.
