Identity weaknesses are a prime target in today’s distributed, hybrid environments. Thus, Zero Trust is non-negotiable
Today’s power plants, factories, and utility grids look very different from they did a decade ago. Modern industrial IoT and smart grid projects have connected vast fleets of sensors, meters, and devices, from solar inverters and wind turbines to smart meters and robotic factory systems. This has considerably expanded the attack surface.
Consider smart meters or remote sensors: individually, each may seem innocuous, but in total, they number in the millions for a large manufacturer. If each device uses a default password or an outdated encryption scheme, attackers can exploit them like open windows into your network.
What often lies at the root of such breaches is broken trust: a stolen credential, an exploited remote connection, or an unauthorized device that slipped past traditional defenses. Therefore, organizations must assume breach by default and never trust something until verified. Here’s what you need to know about Zero Trust in 2026.
Why Zero Trust is Urgent Now
If you are responsible for securing a power grid, pipeline network, or factory floor, you already operate in a distributed, hybrid environment. Your infrastructure spans corporate data centers, public clouds, on-premises control rooms, and edge devices in the field. Field workers and contractors need remote access, and IoT devices often communicate directly over the internet. This mix of legacy equipment and cutting-edge innovation makes traditional security models inadequate.
For example, many industrial control systems were built when cyber threats were less advanced, so they allow simple logins, lack encryption, or share accounts across teams. Similarly, while air-gaps and dedicated networks once sufficed, as soon as OT systems connect to the internet or to enterprise IT, those old assumptions break down. Often, the very features that keep legacy systems running also make them difficult to secure with perimeter-based controls.
Compliance drives the urgency for Zero Trust. Cybersecurity mandates in many regions now align with Zero Trust principles. Regulators know that OT attacks can have far-reaching consequences for safety and reliability, so they are moving quickly to require multi-factor authentication, encryption, and granular access controls for critical networks.
Zero Trust assumes breach and builds security in depth. Instead of trusting any device simply because it’s on the network, every action must be authenticated, making unauthorized access that much harder. You continuously verify user credentials, check device health, and grant only the minimum access needed to do the job.
Several leading technology organizations have embraced Zero Trust to protect massive, distributed infrastructures. However, performance and uptime concerns have delayed Zero Trust adoption for some. For the latter organizations, working with a cybersecurity solutions provider can considerably accelerate efforts.
Identity as the Anchor of Zero Trust
Zero Trust means treating every person and every device as an identity that must prove itself. Employees, contractors, cloud services, and even devices like sensors, controllers, and gateways must all pass security vetting. By unifying identity management, for example, extending a single directory or identity platform across IT and OT, organizations gain a centralized view of who and what is trying to connect.
Imagine your factory or substation. Each engineer and operator has a profile in the identity system, protected by strong authentication (maybe a physical security key or certificate). Every field device, from smart meters to PLCs, is issued its own credentials or certificates. Even an HVAC controller or a maintenance truck’s laptop gets enrolled. So now, whenever anyone or anything tries to communicate with a critical system, the Zero Trust platform checks:
- Is this identity known?
- Is it presenting the right credentials?
- Is it complying with our policies?
If anything looks off, access is instantly denied. This unified identity approach drastically reduces the chances of stolen credentials being abused or a shadowy device sneaking in. If a device’s certificate is compromised, you can revoke it centrally. If an engineer leaves the company, you disable that identity everywhere at once. It simplifies operations, too, as administrators can set policies in one place instead of juggling isolated systems.
AI-Enhanced Threat Defense
Today’s threat landscape moves too fast for people to handle manually. Here, AI and machine learning can be your ally in managing complexity at scale. It can continuously analyze all telemetry data from login attempts and network traffic to device behaviors to spot anomalies faster across IoT and OT. AI can similarly help with continuous verification and predictive defense, shifting security from a static checklist of rules to a living, adaptive defense. Over time, the system can learn what “normal” looks like for each user and device. That way, when an attacker tries a novel exploit or even uses sophisticated AI to mimic a trusted user, your AI-powered Zero Trust defense can detect the deviation and act immediately.
Securing the Hybrid Enterprise
Zero Trust is a journey, not a flip of a switch. The good news for IT and security leaders is that there is a clear path forward. Below is a roadmap to guide the effort, with measurable milestones along the way:
1. Inventory and Categorize
Take stock of every user, device, and system in IT and in OT. What software and firmware are running on your PLCs and IoT devices? Which vendors have remote access to which systems?
2. Consolidate Identity Management
Work to unify fragmented identity stores. That may mean extending your corporate directory (on-premises or in the cloud) to cover OT staff, deploying a certificate authority for machines, or adopting a modern identity provider that can span hybrid environments. Simultaneously, implement strong authentication: require MFA or certificate-based login for all privileged accounts and all remote connections.
3. Enforce Least Privilege and Segmentation
Use your identity insights to tighten access controls. Define policies so engineers or applications can only reach the systems they actually need. Create micro-segments or trust zones for critical OT segments. For example, keep the SCADA network isolated from the corporate IT network; access between them should flow through controlled jump servers with strict authentication. If a workstation or service is compromised, segmentation ensures the threat cannot freely roam to other parts of the plant.
4. Layer in Continuous AI-Powered Monitoring
With identities managed and networks segmented, add real-time monitoring to your Zero Trust environment. All telemetry data should feed a security analytics platform that uses AI to correlate events. The idea is a single pane of glass where threat analysts can see all signals and flag anything unusual immediately.
Additionally, implement automation wherever possible to enforce Zero Trust policies consistently. For example, if the monitoring system flags a device as suspicious, have it automatically quarantine or disconnect it for inspection. Other tasks you can automate include certificate rotation, patch deployment during maintenance windows, and just-in-time access provisioning.
5. Measure and Improve
Track your progress with clear metrics, such as reduction in time to detect, remediated incidents, percentage of devices enrolled in the identity platform, number of privileged accounts using MFA, or compliance scores from industry frameworks. Use these metrics to communicate success and justify continued investment in the program.
Follow these steps in phases. For example, pilot Zero Trust for field devices, learn from them, and then expand to smart meters and legacy systems.
Ready to start?
Get Started With Zero Trust
The convergence of IT, OT, and IoT in manufacturing offers great opportunities. However, it also introduces new risks. In 2026 and beyond, industry leaders must have Zero Trust firmly embedded in their security architecture. This doesn’t mean ripping out everything old overnight; rather, it means starting today to build an environment where trust is earned at every step.
Get in touch to learn how NRI can accelerate Zero Trust adoption for your organization.
