OT Security Essentials for Technology & Operations Leaders is a hands-on, practical course designed to help leaders protect the systems that keep communities, municipalities, campuses and private business operations running.
Organizations today depend on Operational Technology (OT): building automation, HVAC controls, cameras, access systems, smart facilities, utility systems and connected industrial equipment—all increasingly connected to IT networks.
As attackers shift toward public sector infrastructure, facilities systems and operational environments, understanding how to govern and secure OT is now essential. This two-day immersive program empowers technology and operations leaders to identify risks, apply governance frameworks like IEC 62443 and NIST CSF, and strengthen resilience across physical and digital systems—no prior OT cybersecurity experience required.
“OT cybersecurity training is essential because cyber incidents in industrial environments do not just compromise data, they can disrupt essential services, damage physical infrastructure and put public safety at risk. This training equips professionals with hands-on, systems-aware OT cybersecurity skills to strengthen the resilience of the critical infrastructure that underpins national security and everyday life,” says Alexandria Donathan, executive director of the Marshall University Institute for Cyber Security (MUICS).
This course is designed for leaders responsible for operational systems, facilities and critical services, including municipal leaders, city or county administrators and public works executives; municipal chief information officers and technology directors; manufacturing and industrial operations leaders; facilities directors and building systems teams; IT directors and network administrators supporting OT environments; security, safety and risk and compliance officers; utility and critical infrastructure managers and directors; and public sector cybersecurity and
governance professionals
Participants will learn how to understand the OT lifecycle and how it applies to facilities and operational environments; apply IEC 62443 and NIST CSF frameworks to OT systems; establish OT-specific governance and
cybersecurity policies; improve communication between IT, operations, facilities and leadership; conduct risk and incident response planning for operational systems; identify legal and regulatory implications for operational and facility data; and build awareness training tailored to operational staff and facility teams.
This course will take place from April 15-16, 2026, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Participants can join online or in person at the Marshall University Cyber Hive at the MUISC in Arthur Weisberg Family Engineering Laboratories room 903.
