6 IT/OT Convergence Trends IT Leaders Should Watch in 2026
TechTarget, Thursday, September 10th, 2026
Six trends shaping IT/OT convergence in 2026, from CIOs owning OT and OT data use to security and team collaboration.
IT and operational technology, long separated by air gaps, keep converging as IoT, analytics and AI demand OT data and connectivity.
TechTarget outlines trends for 2026: more CIOs across more industries taking OT into their remit, a need for strategic alignment between IT and OT roadmaps, rising demand for OT data despite serious data quality problems, and heightened OT security concerns as air gaps disappear and legacy systems can't be patched.
Organizations are also blending IT's cybersecurity skills with OT's reliability expertise, with input from Protiviti, DXC, Info-Tech, IDC and the University of St. Thomas.