The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre, in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and other international partners, has published new joint guidance aimed at helping organizations secure their operational technology environments.
The document, titled “Creating and Maintaining a Definitive View of Your Operational Technology Architecture,” builds on the recent Foundations for OT Cybersecurity: Asset Inventory Guidance and provides actionable steps to strengthen defenses against cyberthreats, CISA said.
CISA is a DHS agency. Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Homeland Security Summit offers an inside look at the latest programs, technologies and strategies shaping America’s defense against evolving threats. Register to be part of the homeland security conversation.
Table of Contents
Building a Definitive OT Record
The guidance emphasizes that a central, authoritative record of an organization’s OT architecture is essential for effective risk management. The record should incorporate data from multiple sources, including asset inventories, vendor documentation and software bills of materials, to ensure accuracy and visibility across systems. Maintaining the record allows operators to identify vulnerabilities, understand interdependencies and prioritize protections for the most critical and exposed assets.
Architectural Controls and Standards Alignment
According to the guidance, organizations should implement strong architectural controls such as segmentation, zoning and access restrictions to protect critical OT systems. The measures should align with international standards like International Electrotechnical Commission 62443 for industrial control system security and International Organization for Standardization/IEC 27001 for information security management.
The document also highlights the need to manage third-party and supply chain risks by integrating supplier-provided data and patching requirements into the OT record.
CISA and its partners note that OT security is not a one-time exercise. To remain effective, the definitive OT record must be continuously updated through configuration management, monitoring and change management processes.
The guidance recommends fostering collaboration between IT and OT teams to align governance, security policies and incident response procedures.
Enabling Risk Reduction and Resilience
By maintaining an accurate and comprehensive view of OT environments, organizations are meant to be able to conduct more thorough risk assessments, address cost asymmetries between threats and defenses, and implement security controls more effectively.
According to the guidance, establishing a definitive OT record is a critical step toward reducing risk and strengthening resilience. It urges operators to adopt a proactive approach to safeguarding systems that are essential to national infrastructure.
Related Articles
The U.S. Army intends to make domestic production a requirement under a planned competition for the development of its next self-propelled howitzer, Breaking Defense reported Thursday. What Are the Howitzer Acquisition Requirements? The requirement for domestic production, which applies to the howitzer itself as well as a resupply vehicle, is one of the provisions articulated in a document dated Oct. 20 that provides fresh details about the upcoming Army contracting opportunity. Be the first to learn about new business opportunities with DOD at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29! According to the document, a copy
The U.S. Army has issued a service-wide directive establishing procedures for electromagnetic spectrum access to support Army unmanned aircraft system operations. The All Army Activities 099/2025 outlines policy implementation in alignment with Department of Defense and Army regulations governing radio frequency authorization and electromagnetic environmental effects. What Does ALARACT 099/2025 Cover? The ALARACT message guides planning, coordinating and managing spectrum access required for the operation of Army UAS. It emphasizes the need for compliance with all applicable DOD and Army policies related to spectrum management and electromagnetic compatibility to ensure safe and effective use of UAS in operational, training and
Gen. Eric Smith, U.S. Marine Corps commandant, has released the service’s 2025 Force Design Update geared to advance major USMC modernization efforts to stay ahead of evolving threats and maintain its combat edge. Logistics Modernization Thrust Accelerating logistics modernization is one of the update’s focus areas, including the development of a data-driven advanced logistics analytics platform that fuses operations, intelligence and sustainment information. This should deliver faster, more precise logistics in degraded environments. Discover the latest business opportunities in logistics research and development at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29! The update also discusses a