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IT/OT convergence training and certification: A practical guide
IT/OT convergence training involves rethinking existing processes and acquiring new skills to bridge the knowledge gap in areas like business process engineering and project management.
IT/OT convergence has moved from a "wishful" business strategy to a requisite technology that drives the speed of business and is the technology of the future, but what happened to change that?
Companies digitalized -- and so did software and equipment vendors. Let's take manufacturing as an example. There is almost no way to run a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system independently of a computer-aided design (CAD) system today. Instead, engineering CAD and manufacturing CAM are integrally linked to avoid incongruities between product design and manufacturing.
Manufacturers have also adopted the Industry 4.0 and 5.0 standards, originally defined by Germany in 2015. These guidelines have spurred manufacturers to intelligently integrate networks of machines and manufacturing processes for cost efficiency, greater visibility and readiness for a highly competitive global market.
Similar digital transformations have occurred in healthcare, finance, retail, life sciences, agriculture, logistics and other industries where the lines between IT and operations have blurred. These areas have blended, requiring rigorous physical and cybersecurity measures that didn't exist before.
Why IT/OT convergence training matters
As IT and OT converge, the workforce requires upskilling for these converged environments.
The IT staff works with data, applications, security and networks. In contrast, end users work with operational business processes and equipment. If both sides are to work together on interdisciplinary IT/OT teams, IT and end users each need training and experience about the other side's world.
Who needs IT/OT convergence training?
For IT, skills training is needed in the following areas:
- Communication and soft skills. Both are areas where IT has historically demonstrated weakness, and there is now a strong need for business users and IT to collaborate and communicate with IT/OT project teams.
- Business process engineering. This requires IT to understand how the business works and what it needs from IT operationally.
- Training and mentoring. This is another potential area of weakness because it can be difficult for technically oriented IT managers and staff members to train and mentor others.
- IT/OT project management. This is important because the project team isn't just IT; it comprises IT and end users.
- Technology and operations integration. It's no longer enough for IT just to install a system and consider the project finished. With IT/OT convergence, IT also must ensure that IT is thoroughly integrated with the OT and that the entire end-to-end IT/OT process is working.
For end business users on the operations side, training is needed in the following areas:
- IT terms and concepts. IT will be embedded in operational processes, and business users will be expected to communicate with IT.
- System security. Security is a central IT concern that might not be at the forefront of end users' minds.
- Business use case identification and proof of ROI. Users in the operation know what the business needs and the results to expect.
- Project management. Most business users work in repetitive cycles and aren't used to working on one-off projects.
Top IT/OT convergence certifications
The following is a cross-section of training courses and certifications worth considering.
SANS Institute's ICS410: ICS/SCADA Security Essentials is a six-day online course that provides foundational skills for industrial control system cybersecurity. IT security professionals might know many of these fundamentals, but users who are tasked with supporting and defending ICSes against cyberthreats at the local level might be unfamiliar with privacy policy, privacy preferences and the day-to-day IT tasks that are needed to monitor, check and secure IT and IoT assets and networks that are running in operational environments.
Who it's for:
- IT security staff tasked with supporting operational and edge IT technologies, equipment and networks.
- User-area supervisors and staff who coordinate with IT and who hold security responsibilities for on-site operations.
The Industrial Network Training Certification focuses on 24/7 operational networks that operate with legacy equipment and are often under harsh environmental conditions. This certification bridges the gap between traditional IT networks and the rigors of running networks in remote operational settings. Training in industrial network troubleshooting and issue resolution; security for programmable logic controllers, SCADA systems and field devices; and both Ethernet and wireless connectivity is provided.
Who it's for:
- IT network professionals who are cross-training for industrial network environments.
- User para-IT workers who must locally support industrial networks with the help of IT.
The Automation Project Management Specialist Certificate educates new and existing project managers about the unique challenges of running interdisciplinary IT/OT automation projects. It addresses the complexities of running project teams spanning multiple IT and user areas, as well as integrating human-machine interfaces to create complete end-to-end business processes. Topics include project team coordination, identifying cross-company business requirements and navigating project delays without losing project control.
Who it's for:
- IT and operations managers overseeing automation project work.
- Automation engineers stepping into project roles.
- Team leads coordinating across technical groups.
- Specialists in operations taking on broader project responsibilities.
Train the Trainer is a course that equips IT and operations personnel who will be asked to serve as subject-matter experts to train operations and IT employees on new IT/OT technologies and business processes. The course teaches basic skills for giving presentations, delivering information and connecting with and mentoring learners. Practice is provided by giving presentations, structuring lessons, determining if students have absorbed and can execute the skills trained and working with diverse learning styles.
Who it's for:
- Subject-matter experts in IT and operations with no prior training experience who will be tasked with training and reinforcing IT/OT skills and business processes to fellow employees.
Udemy's Soft Skills: The 11 Essential Career Soft Skills is an online course that teaches 11 essential soft skills employees need to collaborate and communicate effectively in a team environment. Billed as a "lunchtime course," it's 34 hours of self-paced, on-demand instruction, delivered in short video sessions that fit into small time frames. Communication and listening skills, as well as group leadership skills, are taught. Upon conclusion of the course, participants receive a certificate.
Who it's for:
- Anyone on the IT/OT project team, particularly technically oriented personnel and subject matter experts, who can benefit from soft skills training in the areas of communication, teamwork and collaboration.
How to build an IT/OT convergence training strategy
Follow these five tips when building a training strategy:
- Identify your business use case and your IT/OT integration platform first before you work on training. You can't identify training needs or who gets trained until you know the business use case, IT/OT platforms and business processes you will be working on.
- Once business use case and technology goals are known, perform a user-IT project team skills assessment. Who will be called upon to implement IT/OT technologies and business processes, or to lead an interdisciplinary IT/OT project team? Are these individuals trained and equipped for these roles? Who will do the IT/OT training? Are the individuals strong in training and soft skills? Where are workforce training and upskilling needed?
- Select the training certifications and courses that are needed. IT/OT project team members must be trained and upskilled for the roles they will assume on the IT/OT project. Be sure to budget for and include these training activities in the overall IT/OT project plan, and ensure you have management buy-in.
- Time and integrate your training. Training activities should be integrated into the IT/OT project plan so that whoever is trained or upskilled can put their new skills to use as quickly as possible. The adage about training is true: Use it or lose it. If too much time elapses before new skills are used, you'll lose the value of your training investment.
- Don't forget the soft skills. The ability to communicate, collaborate and cooperate in the design of new IT/OT processes depends on employees who can communicate well and work with each other. IT/OT teams should comprise individuals from operations and IT who possess these skills.
Conclusion
Training and upskilling are vital components of any IT/OT project because companies expect their employees to adapt to new business processes and technologies in ways they haven't seen before. If investments in workforce training for IT/OT are forestalled or not made, there will be user resistance and pushback, and projects will fail. This is the story that CIOs, IT/OT project managers and user managers should impress upon their executive management and boards. For IT/OT projects, going light on training is not an option.
Mary E. Shacklett is president of Transworld Data, a technology analytics, market research and consulting firm.
