Digitalization Tech Talks

Episode 63: From Research to Reality - Closing OT Security Blind Spots and Strengthening Defenses

In Episode 63, we conclude a two‑part series on cybersecurity by shifting from research insights to real‑world operational experience. Building on the findings from the recently released Intelligence‑Driven Active Defense Report 2026, this episode focuses on what those findings mean on the plant floor. We are joined by Marco Ayala, a long‑time cybersecurity practitioner with extensive experience across the process industries. Marco also serves as President of InfraGard’s Houston Chapter and National Sector Chief for Energy, offering a unique perspective at the intersection of industry and critical infrastructure protection.   The group explores what OT teams are dealing with day to day, where common cybersecurity blind spots exist, and how IT/OT convergence is creating new challenges. They also examine the current of OT defenses, why gaps persist, and what practical first steps organizations can take to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. The episode wraps up with actionable takeaways aimed at helping listeners better understand today’s threat landscape and take meaningful steps toward improving the resilience of their operations.   Show Notes: * Website: Welcome to InfraGard [https://infragard.fbi.gov/] (https://infragard.fbi.gov/ [https://infragard.fbi.gov/]) * Website: ISA/IEC 62443 Series of Standards [https://www.isa.org/standards-and-publications/isa-standards/isa-iec-62443-series-of-standards] (https://bit.ly/3NUPyfc [https://bit.ly/3NUPyfc]) * Website: ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Certificate Program [https://www.isa.org/certification/certificate-programs/isa-iec-62443-cybersecurity-certificate-program)] (https://bit.ly/4t3ySkx [https://bit.ly/4t3ySkx]) * Website: ABS Industrial and OT Cybersecurity Solutions [https://www.abs-group.com/Solutions/Cybersecurity/] (https://bit.ly/4bPohTn [https://bit.ly/4bPohTn]) * Website: Siemens IT/OT Cybersecurity [https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/siemens-advanta-it-ot-cybersecurity/] (https://bit.ly/4svqY3z [https://bit.ly/4svqY3z]) * Video: Increased visibility and security level within the OT [https://youtu.be/6g9KYE0KtRQ?si=rQiPmkLjMYhE-aok] (https://bit.ly/3O05AV4 [https://bit.ly/3O05AV4]) * Whitepaper: Intelligence-Driven Active Defense Report [https://www.siemens.com/en-us/events/s4/] 2026 (https://www.siemens.com/en-us/events/s4/ [https://www.siemens.com/en-us/events/s4/]) Contact Us: * Marco Ayala [marco.ayala@infragardhouston.org] (marco.ayala@infragardhouston.org [marco.ayala@infragardhouston.org] and https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-marc-ayala-a3b26934/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-marc-ayala-a3b26934/]) * Jonas Norinder [Jonas%20Norinder] (jonas.norinder@siemens.com [jonas.norinder@siemens.com] and linkedin.com/in/jonasnorinder [http://linkedin.com/in/jonasnorinder]) * Don Mack [Don%20Mack] (mack.donald@siemens.com [mack.donald@siemens.com] and linkedin.com/in/don-mack [http://linkedin.com/in/don-mack])

Episode 62: The hidden phase of industrial cyberattacks and how to spot it early

In the 62nd episode of Digitalization Tech Talks, hosts Jonas Norinder and Don Mack kick off a two‑part series on the evolving state of industrial cybersecurity. They uncover what’s really happening inside OT networks long before a cyber incident hits the plant floor including why over 80% of adversary behavior occurs months before impact, why air‑gaps no longer provide real protection, and how legacy vulnerabilities continue to be actively exploited. As guest Adam Robbie puts it   “OT security is no longer a hidden problem — it’s a visibility problem.”   This episode is essential listening for anyone navigating IT/OT convergence, looking for ways to improve industrial defenses, or preparing for emerging cyber risks. The insights come directly from a new white paper supported by a commercial and research partnership between Palo Alto Networks and Siemens, together with Idaho National Labs as the third-party research partner.   Show Notes: Research Paper (S4 Conference): Intelligence-Driven Active Defense Report 2026 [http://www.siemens.com/s4] (https://sie.ag/416Tgm [https://sie.ag/416Tgm]) Website (Palo Alto): OT Security Insights 2025 [https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources/whitepapers/ot-security-insights] (https://sie.ag/2ZcgDY [https://sie.ag/2ZcgDY]) Website (US Department of Energy): Cybersecurity for the Operational Technology Environment [https://cyote.inl.gov/] (https://sie.ag/5p9z6a [https://sie.ag/5p9z6a]) Website (Siemens): Industrial cybersecurity solutions | Siemens [https://www.siemens.com/en-us/company/digital-transformation/cybersecurity/industrial-cybersecurity/] (https://sie.ag/4HJ8L4 [https://sie.ag/4HJ8L4])   Contact us: Adam Robbie email [arobbie@paloaltonetworks.com] (arobbie@paloaltonetworks.com [arobbie@paloaltonetworks.com]), LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrobbie/] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrobbie/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrobbie/]) Tilo Pinkert email [tilo.pinkert@siemens.com] (tilo.pinkert@siemens.com [tilo.pinkert@siemens.com]), LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tilopinkert/] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tilopinkert/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tilopinkert/]) Priyanjan Sharma email [%20mailto:priyanjan.sharma@siemens.com] (priyanjan.sharma@siemens.com [priyanjan.sharma@siemens.com]), LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyanjansharma/] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyanjansharma/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyanjansharma/])   Don Mack email [Don%20Mack%20email] (mack.donald@siemens.com [mack.donald@siemens.com]) Jonas Norinder email [jonas.norinder@siemens.com] (jonas.norinder@siemens.com [jonas.norinder@siemens.com])

Episode 61, part 2: The Future of Water Intelligence - From Insight to Action

In this second part of episode 61 of Digitalization Tech Talks, hosts Jonas Norinder and Don Mack continue the conversation with Meena Sankaran, Founder and CEO of KETOS, to explore how digitalization is reshaping water management in the process industries. Meena shares the most common operational challenges she sees across plants and explains what it takes to build water insights that operations and environmental teams can trust with the power of robotics and AI. Drawing from real‑world examples, Meena highlights where plants see early wins, how they quantify improvements, and the practical steps organizations can take to begin their digital water journey with both innovation and creative business models. Her perspective offers a clear look at how data, automation, and actionable intelligence are defining the future of industrial water. Show Notes: * Website: Automated Water Quality Monitoring | KETOS [https://ketos.co/] (https://ketos.co/ [https://ketos.co/]) * Article: KETOS Partners with Siemens [https://industrytoday.com/ketos-partners-with-siemens/] (https://bit.ly/4rFfycX [https://bit.ly/4rFfycX]) * Website: Sustainable water all the way – solutions for the water industry [https://www.siemens.com/us/en/industries/water.html] (https://bit.ly/3LFUkMJ [https://bit.ly/3LFUkMJ]) * Videos: KETOS – Water Monitoring Solution [https://bit.ly/4k6J48N] (https://bit.ly/4k6J48N [https://bit.ly/4k6J48N]) * Request a demonstration: Request your demo [https://ketos.co/request-a-demo] (https://ketos.co/request-a-demo [https://ketos.co/request-a-demo]) Ad Link * Siemens Extended Payment Terms: Buy now. Pay later. [https://siemens.com/paylater] (https://siemens.com/paylater [https://siemens.com/paylater]) Contact Us: * Meena Sankaran [meena@ketos.co] (meena@ketos.co [meena@ketos.co] and linkedin.com/in/meenas [http://linkedin.com/in/meenas]) * Don Mack [Don%20Mack] (mack.donald@siemens.com [mack.donald@siemens.com] and linkedin.com/in/don-mack [http://linkedin.com/in/don-mack]) * Jonas Norinder [Jonas%20Norinder] (jonas.norinder@siemens.com [jonas.norinder@siemens.com] and linkedin.com/in/jonasnorinder [http://linkedin.com/in/jonasnorinder])

Episode 61, part 1: The Future of Water Intelligence - From Insight to Action

In this episode of Digitalization Tech Talks, hosts Jonas Norinder and Don Mack are joined by Meena Sankaran, Founder and CEO of KETOS, to explore how digitalization is reshaping water management in the process industries. Meena shares the most common operational challenges she sees across plants and explains what it takes to build water insights that operations and environmental teams can trust with the power of robotics and AI.   Drawing from real‑world examples, Meena highlights where plants see early wins, how they quantify improvements, and the practical steps organizations can take to begin their digital water journey with both innovation and creative business models. Her perspective offers a clear look at how data, automation, and actionable intelligence are defining the future of industrial water.   Show Notes: * Website: Automated Water Quality Monitoring | KETOS [https://ketos.co/] (https://ketos.co/) * Article: KETOS Partners with Siemens [https://industrytoday.com/ketos-partners-with-siemens/] (https://bit.ly/4rFfycX [https://bit.ly/4rFfycX]) * Website: Sustainable water all the way – solutions for the water industry [https://www.siemens.com/us/en/industries/water.html] (https://bit.ly/3LFUkMJ [https://bit.ly/3LFUkMJ]) * Videos: KETOS – Water Monitoring Solution [https://bit.ly/4k6J48N] (https://bit.ly/4k6J48N [https://bit.ly/4k6J48N]) * Request a demonstration: Request your demo [https://ketos.co/request-a-demo] (https://ketos.co/request-a-demo [https://ketos.co/request-a-demo])  Ad Link * Siemens Extended Payment Terms: Buy now. Pay later. [https://siemens.com/paylater] (https://siemens.com/paylater [https://siemens.com/paylater])   Contact Us: * Meena Sankaran [meena@ketos.co] (meena@ketos.co [meena@ketos.co] and linkedin.com/in/meenas [http://linkedin.com/in/meenas]) * Don Mack [Don%20Mack] (mack.donald@siemens.com [mack.donald@siemens.com] and linkedin.com/in/don-mack [http://linkedin.com/in/don-mack]) * Jonas Norinder [Jonas%20Norinder] (jonas.norinder@siemens.com [jonas.norinder@siemens.com] and linkedin.com/in/jonasnorinder [http://linkedin.com/in/jonasnorinder])

Episode 60, part 2: The Leadership Playbook for Successful AI Adoption

How can leaders drive meaningful AI adoption in their organizations? In the second part of this two-part episode of Digitalization Tech Talks, Jonas Norinder and Don Mack sit down with Andrea Iorio, a digital transformation expert, to explore the human side of embracing AI. From overcoming fear and distrust to empowering teams with clarity and confidence, Andrea shares key strategies to transform skepticism into engagement. As Andrea puts it:   “The future belongs to augmented humans who know how to collaborate with AI, not compete with it.”     Don’t miss this insightful conversation packed with actionable takeaways on navigating the challenges of AI adoption.    Show Notes:  * Website (Between you and AI): BETWEEN YOU AND AI [https://betweenyouand.ai/] (https://sie.ag/2DikPr [https://sie.ag/2DikPr])   * Website (Deep Learning.AI [http://Learning.AI]): Deeplearning.ai [http://Deeplearning.ai] (https://sie.ag/dQA4h [https://sie.ag/dQA4h])   * Website (Siemens): Transforming Industrial AI into business value [https://www.siemens.com/global/en/products/automation/topic-areas/industrial-ai.html?acz=1&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22226501418&gclid=CjwKCAiA3L_JBhAlEiwAlcWO56qYwdof3dvlhkSrtXlpygoTDiWBE2DZfYs45vBLBHRTVyJPApMaYxoC86oQAvD_BwE] (https://sie.ag/7FKDSz [https://sie.ag/7FKDSz])   * Blog (Nvidia): Siemens makes factory floors smarter with industrial AI [https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/siemens-industrial-ai/] (https://sie.ag/7K7F6u [https://sie.ag/7K7F6u])   * Video (Siemens): Experience the real power of Industrial AI with Siemens [https://youtu.be/O3Sj0Ab9q3s?si=r6HXHVK9TuIQhu-c] (https://sie.ag/5SjCUD [https://sie.ag/5SjCUD])   Contact us:  * Andrea Iorio email [rme@andreaiorio.com?subject=I%20heard%20you%20on%20Siemens%27%20Digitalization%20Tech%20Talks%20podcast] (me@andreaiorio.com [me@andreaiorio.com]) and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaiorio/] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaiorio/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaiorio/]) [https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fandreaiorio%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cjonas.norinder%40siemens.com%7Ce2e06cc269bc447d93bf08de34182493%7C38ae3bcd95794fd4addab42e1495d55a%7C1%7C0%7C639005475479096494%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=g9D4fry75nuYh%2FWPlB5JGRhHxxUrOAR5Mnv8lYupKTU%3D&reserved=0]   * Don Mack email [mack.donald@siemens.com] (mack.donald@siemens.com [mack.donald@siemens.com])  * Jonas Norinder email [jonas.norinder@siemens.com] (jonas.norinder@siemens.com [jonas.norinder@siemens.com])