In high-stakes manufacturing environments, operational technology is inseparable from mission success. Production systems must remain secure, available, and tightly governed, even as cyber threats grow more sophisticated and manufacturing environments become more connected.
For a global defense manufacturer operating advanced production facilities, the convergence of IT and OT introduced new risks. Legacy assumptions around air-gapped systems no longer held, and the organization recognized the need for a modern approach to OT visibility, security, and operational control.
Leadership launched an initiative to establish a single system of record and system of action for OT, starting with a focused pilot designed to validate the approach before scaling enterprise-wide.
Challenge
The manufacturer faced several structural challenges common to large industrial organizations, compounded by the criticality of its production operations:
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Limited visibility into OT assets supporting manufacturing lines
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Thousands of unconnected and semi-connected devices across factory environments
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Manual, fragmented methods for tracking OT assets and vulnerabilities
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No reliable way to associate individual devices with production processes
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High financial and operational risk tied to unplanned downtime
Without a unified view of OT assets, vulnerabilities, and production context, the organization struggled to answer basic but essential questions:
- What assets exist?
- Where are they deployed?
- Which production lines do they support?
- Which vulnerabilities represent true operational risk?
Solution
The organization partnered with CoreX to deploy ServiceNow Operational Technology Management using a deliberate, crawl-walk-run pilot approach. Rather than rushing to automation, the engagement focused first on building trust in the data, governance, and operating model.
Key solution components included:
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ServiceNow Operational Technology Management (OTM) as the system of record
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Industrial cybersecurity tooling integrated via Service Graph Connectors
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ISA-95 and Purdue Model-based asset hierarchy
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OT Vulnerability Response for risk-based prioritization
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Role-based, site-level access controls
Implementation Highlights
OT Visibility and Asset Foundation: Automated ingestion of OT asset data from industrial security platforms established a governed CMDB foundation. Both network-connected and non-connected assets were captured, ensuring a complete inventory.
Industrial Context Modeling: Assets were mapped into a formal ISA-95 hierarchy, linking devices to sites, areas, production lines, and work cells. This shifted OT management from device lists to operational context.
Vulnerability Management with Business Context: OT vulnerabilities were ingested and correlated directly to production assets, allowing security teams to prioritize remediation based on operational impact, not just technical severity.
Role-Based Access Control: Site-based visibility ensured plant teams accessed only relevant assets, while centralized security teams maintained enterprise oversight.
Results
The pilot established a validated OT operating foundation with immediate operational value. The organization achieved:
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Complete OT asset visibility within pilot scope
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Centralized, governed OT CMDB aligned to industrial standards
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Unified IT and OT incident tracking with distinct workflows
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Context-aware vulnerability prioritization tied to production impact
- Improved collaboration between IT, OT, and cybersecurity teams
Most importantly, leadership gained confidence that OT risk could now be measured, governed, and acted upon through a single enterprise platform.
Summary
By establishing a unified OT operating model within ServiceNow, this global manufacturer moved from fragmented visibility to structured control. The pilot proved that OT assets, vulnerabilities, and production context can coexist within a governed system of action, without disrupting operations.
This engagement reflects CoreX’s ability to design and implement OT transformations that prioritize governance, security, and scalability from day one.
As the organization expands this foundation beyond the pilot, it is positioned to reduce downtime risk, strengthen cyber resilience, and scale OT management with confidence
