Nozomi Networks and Sophos are integrating their security platforms to give organisations a unified view of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments, as cyber threats increasingly move between corporate networks and industrial systems.
The partnership connects Nozomi Networks Vantage, its cloud-native and AI-enabled OT security platform, with Sophos Fusion, the company’s AI-native cybersecurity defence system. The integration will feed Nozomi’s operational technology intelligence into Sophos Fusion, allowing security teams to correlate OT activity with security data from IT environments.
The companies announced the partnership on August 17, describing it as one of the first major third-party integrations following the launch of Sophos Fusion.
Bringing OT Intelligence Into IT Investigations
Industrial environments have traditionally operated separately from enterprise IT networks, creating visibility gaps for security teams. That separation has become more difficult to maintain as manufacturers, utilities and other critical infrastructure operators connect industrial assets to corporate systems and adopt remote management technologies.
The risk extends beyond OT systems themselves. The companies said many OT incidents can originate from a compromise in an organisation’s IT environment before reaching industrial networks.
Under the integration, Nozomi Vantage will provide OT telemetry, asset intelligence and threat data to Sophos Fusion. The information can then be correlated with security signals from endpoints, networks, cloud infrastructure and identity systems.
Instead of requiring analysts to move between separate security consoles, the combined approach is designed to put OT information within the same investigation workflow as other security data.
This could give security operations centre (SOC) teams additional context when assessing suspicious activity, particularly where an incident involves both enterprise and industrial infrastructure.
Automation Targets SOC Workloads
The integration also introduces automated enrichment and response capabilities through security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) workflows.
The companies said the combined system can correlate security information across OT, endpoint, network, cloud and identity sources. The objective is to reduce manual investigation work and limit the need for analysts to switch between multiple security tools.
For organisations operating industrial infrastructure, the ability to connect asset intelligence with enterprise security information can also help identify whether an apparent IT incident has implications for physical systems.
Matt Cowell, vice president of strategic alliances at Nozomi Networks, said bringing OT intelligence into IT security investigations can give teams a broader view of an expanding attack surface.
Growing Pressure on Critical Infrastructure
The partnership comes against a backdrop of increasing cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure and industrial environments. Nation-state actors and cybercriminal groups have increasingly targeted operational technology because disruptions can affect physical processes and essential services.
The convergence of IT and OT has expanded the potential attack surface. Industrial assets that were once isolated are increasingly connected to enterprise networks, cloud services and remote-access systems, creating additional pathways for attackers.
Chris Bell, senior vice president of global channel and alliances at Sophos, said the integration is intended to allow security teams to assess IT and OT vulnerabilities within a unified environment.
For Sophos, the partnership also represents an early test of its stated strategy for Fusion as an open security ecosystem. Rather than limiting the platform to its own technologies, the company is bringing external security capabilities into the system.
For Nozomi Networks, integrating its OT visibility and threat intelligence into an enterprise-focused security platform provides another route for organisations to incorporate industrial security into broader SOC operations.
The companies said the integration is aimed at improving detection, investigation and response as the boundary between enterprise IT and industrial OT networks continues to narrow.
