Operational Technology (OT) consists of hardware and software systems that monitor and control physical equipment and processes. While the technology is familiar to operators and engineers in these sectors, there is limited understanding outside of people working in or with these specialized environments.

In contrast, Information Technology (IT), managed by CIOs and IT departments, is the application of computers to process, transmit and store data, typically in a business or enterprise environment. Historically, OT and IT have not overlapped and were managed as separate organizational silos.