Key Takeaways
- • Honeywell's 2026 OT Cybersecurity Benchmark Report surveyed 603+ global industrial cybersecurity leaders and reveals a critical disconnect: 88% of organizations claim mature cybersecurity programs, yet only 21% maintain complete inventories of operational technology assets.
- • Organizations experience an average of 16.2 hours of downtime from major cybersecurity incidents, translating to losses up to $500,000 per hour—underscoring the financial materiality of OT security gaps for asset-intensive industries.
- • Visibility gap directly correlates with incident response capability: only 33% of organizations have fully integrated OT into centralized security operations centers, and just 20% continuously monitor connected IoT devices, despite 99% expecting AI to impact OT security within two to three years.
- • The maturity-readiness disconnect presents risk for industrial operators: organizations with stronger visibility were four times better positioned to identify threats and respond to incidents, yet only 23% currently deploy autonomous or agentic operations for threat detection.
- • Honeywell positions this benchmark data as justification for expanding its end-to-end OT cybersecurity solutions, including passive/active monitoring, threat detection, and recovery capabilities designed to close asset visibility and incident response gaps.
Summary
Honeywell Technologies released its inaugural 2026 Operational Technology Cybersecurity Benchmark Report on September 22, 2026, exposing a substantial gap between perceived cybersecurity maturity and actual operational readiness across critical infrastructure. The survey of 603+ global industrial cybersecurity decision-makers reveals that while 88% of respondents describe their OT cybersecurity programs as mature, only 21% reported having a complete inventory of their operational technology assets—a fundamental requirement for effective threat identification and incident response.
The financial impact of this visibility deficit is quantifiable and material. Organizations surveyed experienced an average of 16.2 hours of downtime from their most significant cybersecurity incidents, resulting in losses totaling up to $500,000 per hour. This metric is particularly relevant for institutional investors and asset owners in energy, manufacturing, chemical processing, and utilities sectors, where unplanned operational downtime cascades through production schedules and revenue streams. The data underscores cybersecurity as a capital preservation issue, not merely a compliance checkbox.
The report documents specific vulnerability concentrations within industrial environments. Only 33% of organizations have fully integrated operational technology into a centralized security operations center, while just 20% continuously monitor connected IoT devices such as cameras and sensors—a critical oversight as OT networks expand across distributed facilities and remote operations. Jim Masso, President and CEO of Honeywell Technologies Process Automation, stated that "organizations can no longer afford to have this visibility gap," signaling both industry recognition of the problem and Honeywell's competitive positioning in addressing it.
Looking forward, the survey indicates substantial awareness of emerging threats but limited deployment readiness. Ninety-nine percent of respondents expect artificial intelligence to affect OT security within two to three years, yet only 23% reported currently using autonomous or agentic operations for threat detection. This gap between anticipated threat evolution and actual defensive capability suggests substantial near-term investment opportunities in OT cybersecurity infrastructure and services. Organizations with stronger OT visibility demonstrated four times better positioning for threat identification and incident response, establishing measurable correlation between visibility investments and operational resilience outcomes.
The financial impact of this visibility deficit is quantifiable and material. Organizations surveyed experienced an average of 16.2 hours of downtime from their most significant cybersecurity incidents, resulting in losses totaling up to $500,000 per hour. This metric is particularly relevant for institutional investors and asset owners in energy, manufacturing, chemical processing, and utilities sectors, where unplanned operational downtime cascades through production schedules and revenue streams. The data underscores cybersecurity as a capital preservation issue, not merely a compliance checkbox.
The report documents specific vulnerability concentrations within industrial environments. Only 33% of organizations have fully integrated operational technology into a centralized security operations center, while just 20% continuously monitor connected IoT devices such as cameras and sensors—a critical oversight as OT networks expand across distributed facilities and remote operations. Jim Masso, President and CEO of Honeywell Technologies Process Automation, stated that "organizations can no longer afford to have this visibility gap," signaling both industry recognition of the problem and Honeywell's competitive positioning in addressing it.
Looking forward, the survey indicates substantial awareness of emerging threats but limited deployment readiness. Ninety-nine percent of respondents expect artificial intelligence to affect OT security within two to three years, yet only 23% reported currently using autonomous or agentic operations for threat detection. This gap between anticipated threat evolution and actual defensive capability suggests substantial near-term investment opportunities in OT cybersecurity infrastructure and services. Organizations with stronger OT visibility demonstrated four times better positioning for threat identification and incident response, establishing measurable correlation between visibility investments and operational resilience outcomes.
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