OT/ICS & Cyber-Physical Security
Structured governance for operational technology — complementing monitoring tools with the assurance framework OT has historically lacked.
The IT/OT Convergence Challenge
Operational technology environments are increasingly connected, increasingly targeted, and increasingly regulated — yet the governance tooling available to OT teams remains inadequate. Network monitoring and asset discovery tools provide operational visibility, but they do not address the governance, compliance, and assurance gap.
C-PAP fills this gap by providing a governance layer purpose-built for OT environments. It does not replace SIEM, IDS, or asset management tools — it complements them with the structured assurance model that OT needs to satisfy regulators, inform boards, and demonstrate genuine security confidence.
D14 OT/ICS Security Overlay
24 dedicated controls addressing:
- Zone and conduit architecture governance
- Security level targeting and verification
- Safety instrumented system (SIS) governance
- Process control network segmentation
- Industrial protocol security
- OT asset lifecycle management
- Engineering workstation management
- OT-specific incident response
Key Capabilities
IEC 62443 Alignment
Full mapping across all relevant parts of IEC 62443 — from general concepts and policies through system-level requirements to component specifications. Zone/conduit modelling and security level targeting built in.
Safety-Security Integration
Explicit modelling of the relationship between safety and security controls. Assurance activities consider both dimensions, ensuring that security improvements do not compromise safety.
OT Evidence Model
Evidence types adapted for OT environments: engineering drawings, P&IDs, network architecture diagrams, configuration baselines, site surveys, and commissioning documentation — managed with the same rigour as IT evidence.
Air-Gapped Deployment
C-PAP can be deployed on-premises in air-gapped environments, ensuring that OT assessment data never leaves the operational boundary. Purpose-built for the most demanding operational security requirements.
Use-Case Scenarios
OT/ICS security governance requirements vary significantly by sector, regulatory context, and operational maturity. The following scenarios illustrate how C-PAP adapts to different operational realities.
Converged IT/OT Assurance for Energy Infrastructure
An energy operator with generation, transmission, and distribution assets running converged IT/OT environments. SCADA and DCS systems are connected to the corporate network for remote monitoring and data analytics. The organisation faces overlapping obligations under NIS Regulations, NCSC CAF, and IEC 62443, with each previously managed through separate compliance programmes. C-PAP deploys in an air-gapped configuration on the OT network, activating the D14 OT/ICS Security and D16 Critical Infrastructure Resilience overlay domains alongside the mandatory D01–D13 baseline. Assessment covers both IT and OT from a single control model, producing unified compliance reporting across all frameworks.
OT Governance for Brownfield Industrial Environments
A manufacturing or process organisation with legacy OT systems — controllers, PLCs, and HMIs that cannot be patched, segmented, or monitored using conventional IT approaches. The primary challenge is not deploying new technology but establishing governance over what already exists: understanding the asset inventory, documenting zone and conduit architecture, establishing security level targets, and creating an evidence baseline against which improvement can be measured. C-PAP provides the governance structure to capture this baseline, assess current maturity against IEC 62443 requirements, and build a proportionate remediation plan that respects operational constraints.
Safety-Critical OT in Regulated Sectors
An organisation operating safety instrumented systems — in nuclear, oil and gas, chemical processing, or aviation — where security controls must be evaluated in the context of their safety impact. A firewall rule that blocks unexpected traffic may also block a safety system communication path. A patching regime designed for IT systems may destabilise a safety-critical controller. C-PAP's D17 Safety-Critical Environments overlay provides explicit governance for the safety-security intersection, ensuring that security improvements are assessed against safety dependencies before implementation.
Delivery Methodology
OT/ICS engagements follow the standard six-phase methodology, adapted for the operational constraints and evidence cultures specific to OT environments.
1. Discovery & Scoping
Mapping the OT environment: asset types, network architecture, zone/conduit boundaries, safety system dependencies, regulatory obligations, and existing governance arrangements. Defining which overlay domains apply and establishing the deployment model.
2. Platform Configuration
Configuring C-PAP for the OT operating context: activating D14 OT/ICS Security and applicable overlay domains (D16, D17), mapping applicable frameworks, and establishing the OT-specific evidence model — including engineering drawings, P&IDs, and configuration baselines.
3. Baseline Assessment
Conducting the initial OT security maturity assessment across all applicable controls. Documenting zone and conduit architecture, establishing security level targets, assessing safety-security dependencies, and identifying gaps against regulatory requirements.
4. Remediation & Improvement
Prioritised remediation aligned to risk, safety constraints, and operational windows. OT remediation must respect maintenance cycles, outage schedules, and safety case implications — C-PAP tracks treatment actions within these real-world constraints.
5. Continuous Assurance
Ongoing evidence lifecycle management for OT-specific artefacts. Scheduled reassessments aligned to operational cycles rather than arbitrary calendar dates. Converged IT/OT reporting that gives boards visibility across the full estate.
6. Knowledge Transfer
Building internal OT security governance capability. Ensuring that engineering, operations, and security teams understand the governance model, can maintain the evidence base, and can operate the assurance programme independently.
Client Outcomes
OT/ICS security governance through C-PAP delivers outcomes across assurance confidence, regulatory compliance, and operational risk management.
Assurance Outcomes
Unified IT/OT compliance reporting from a single assessment baseline — eliminating the parallel governance programmes that most organisations currently operate. Converged risk visibility that gives boards genuine confidence in the security posture across the full estate, not just the IT environment.
Explicit governance of the safety-security intersection, with documented dependencies and assurance that security controls are assessed in the context of their safety impact. Evidence management adapted for OT realities — engineering drawings, configuration baselines, and commissioning records managed with the same rigour and lifecycle discipline as IT evidence.
Operational Outcomes
Governance that works within OT operational constraints: remediation plans aligned to maintenance windows, assessment cycles aligned to operational rhythms, and evidence models that reflect what OT teams actually produce rather than forcing IT documentation patterns onto OT environments.
Proportionate governance for brownfield environments where legacy systems cannot be patched or replaced on IT timescales. C-PAP provides a structured model for documenting compensating controls, tracking accepted risk, and demonstrating progressive improvement — giving regulators confidence that the organisation is managing risk actively, even where immediate remediation is not feasible.
Relevant Frameworks
Relevant Sectors
Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Water, Oil & Gas, Pharma & Life Sciences, Nuclear, Marine, Civil Aviation — and any organisation operating critical OT infrastructure.
Bring Governance to Your OT Environment
Request a sector-specific briefing to see how C-PAP addresses OT security governance in your operational context.