Transforming the OT SOC with agentic AI

The global operational technology (OT) landscape is rapidly changing, bringing with it unprecedented efficiency and a growing exposure to sophisticated cyber threats through expanding threat surface. For critical infrastructure, manufacturing, and other industrial sectors, securing OT environments is not a matter of choice. A Security Operations Centers (SOC)-based approach presenting a way forward for institutionalising security, incident response and compliance with standards such as IEC 62443, NIST CSF and mandates such as NIS2. 

Traditional Security Operations Centers (SOCs) always struggle to address the unique demands of OT. Legacy systems, proprietary protocols, and the catastrophic potential of physical impact from cyber incidents are all factors that present a significant ask in terms of strategy, actionable knowledge and incident response.

This is where Agentic AI comes in. It brings a paradigm shift in how we can deal with the unique demands placed by OT security. By deploying AI agents trained on OT data that are capable of autonomous decision-making, learning, and proactive action, the OT SOC can be transformed from a reactive outpost siting at the edge of cyber defense into a highly efficient, intelligent, and resilient command center.

Today’s post examines the various dimensions of an agentic AI based semi-autonomous SOC and does a bit of contextual explaining on Shieldworkz own agentic AI-based SOC offering.

Read about the “Top 7 OT security use cases every industrial enterprise must implement” here.

So, what exactly is Agentic AI in an OT SOC?

For minute, imagine AI systems that don't just follow pre-programmed rules but can reason, plan, validate, act, and adapt (just like a security analyst) within the complex OT environment. Agentic AI are intelligent software entities (agents) that monitor, perceive and understand their environment, act upon it, and learn from the data to train and achieve specific goals. In an OT SOC, these agents can monitor industrial control systems (ICS), SCADA networks, check for compliance on an ongoing basis and shadow other critical infrastructure components, making real-time decisions and orchestrating responses at machine speed.

Shieldworkz has already integrated Agentic AI into it’s SOC offering. Here are some of the use cases that we are already working with.

Unprecedented compliance with NIS2, IEC 62443, NIST CSF and more

The prevailing regulatory landscape, exemplified in part by the stringent NIS2 Directive and through other standards, places significant demands on OT operators. Compliance is no longer a tick-box exercise but a continuous, demonstrable (with evidence) commitment to robust cybersecurity. The need to be compliant with such mandates on an ongoing basis is a requirement for every OT operator.

• Automated evidence collection and trail building: Agentic AI continuously monitors system configurations, network traffic, and access logs, automatically flagging deviations from compliance standards and generating audit trails. This provides an always-ready, granular evidence base for regulatory scrutiny. If any gaps are found, the agent will also supply remedial measures.

• Proactive policy enforcement: Instead of just reporting non-compliance, agents can actively enforce security policies, such as ensuring proper patching levels, restricting unauthorized network segmentation changes, or verifying MFA adoption across OT assets. These agents can also suggest measures to ensure policy compliance.

• Cyber risk management integration: our agents can integrate with GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) platforms, internal GRC tools and other applications. This generates real-time security posture data to continuously assess and report on adherence to risk management frameworks, a core NIS2 requirement.

• Archival information: The agent can also ensure generation of reports in any format needed within minutes (It can even send them to regulators via email) wherever required. An employee can validate the information before it is sent as well. 

Drastically reducing Incident Response time

In OT, during an incident, every second counts. A delayed response can mean production halts, environmental damage, or even loss of life. Shieldworkz Agentic AI cuts through the noise, enabling a rapid, targeted and decisive response.

• Automated triage and containment: Upon detecting an anomaly or threat, our SOC agent instantly triages the event, correlates it with threat intelligence, past learnings (for contextualisation) and initiate pre-approved containment actions that may include isolating a compromised segment, blocking malicious IPs, or initiating a controlled shutdown of a non-critical component.

• Orchestrated playbooks: Rather than human analysts manually executing steps, our SOC agent can orchestrate an entire incident response playbook, coordinating actions across multiple security tools (firewalls, EDR for OT, SIEM) at machine speed. Such execution can also be validated by an employee or by a supervisory agent. This frees up employees to plan ahead.

• Real-time contextualization: Our SOC agent can gather comprehensive context around an incident – affected assets, potential impact, historical behaviour – presenting a full insight rich picture to human analysts for faster decision-making when human intervention is required.

Preserving and enhancing knowledge retention

As many of us know, the specialized knowledge required for OT security is often scarce and resides with a few experienced individuals. Workforce attrition or retirement poses a significant risk to an organization’s security posture. The exit of an employee could cause a knowledge gap that may be closed only after years in some cases or worse may never be closed.

• Codified expertise: Our SOC agentic AI systems learn from analyst actions, playbooks, and historical incident data. This means the expertise of seasoned OT security professionals is continuously ingested and codified into the AI's decision-making logic and no data is lost.

• Institutional memory: Our SOC AI becomes a living repository of institutional knowledge regarding specific OT protocols, vulnerabilities of proprietary equipment, and effective response strategies for unique industrial incidents. It can even be used to train new employees or employees who are transitioning into a new role.

• Consistent application of best practices: This codified knowledge ensures that security best practices are applied consistently, regardless of which analyst is on duty, reducing variability and human error. The SOC agent already has a prioritized repository of actions available for execution.

Enhanced threat detection capabilities aligned to unique risk and threat realities

The sheer volume and complexity of data in OT environments can overwhelm human analysts. Our Agentic AI excels at identifying subtle, sophisticated threats that might otherwise go unnoticed including threats that remain latent for the longest period of time.

• Behavioral anomaly detection: Our SOC Agent can establish baselines of normal operational behavior for every asset and process within the OT network. Any deviation – a change in Modbus command frequency, an unusual login to an HMI, or an unexpected firmware update – is immediately flagged and investigated. The agent takes it to another level by drawing up a baseline of baselines to enhance anomaly detection and to lower false positives.

• Multi-Vector Correlation: Our SOC Agent can correlate indicators of compromise (IOCs) across IT and OT domains, identifying lateral movement, supply chain attacks, and blended threats that target both environments.

• Zero-Day and APT Hunting: By continuously analyzing vast datasets for novel patterns and subtle indicators, our agent can improve the detection of zero-day exploits and advanced persistent threats (APTs) specifically targeting industrial infrastructure.

Smarter alert management and reduced fatigue

Alert fatigue is a critical challenge in any SOC, but particularly in OT where thousands of sensors and devices can generate a constant stream of data. Our Agentic AI brings order to the chaos.

• Intelligent prioritization: Agents can dynamically prioritize alerts based on the criticality of the affected OT asset, the potential impact of the threat, and real-time operational context. This ensures analysts focus on what truly matters.

• Automated false positive reduction: Through machine learning, agents can differentiate between genuine threats and benign operational events (such as scheduled maintenance, process adjustments), significantly reducing the volume of false positives that waste analyst time.

• Context-rich actionable alerts: Each alert delivered to a human analyst comes pre-enriched with relevant context, incident history, and proposed actions, empowering faster, more informed decisions.

Optimizing the industrial cybersecurity workforce

The shortage of skilled OT security professionals is a concern that many OT operators have to deal with. Our SOC agent doesn't replace humans; it augments them, enabling existing teams to achieve more.

• Upskilling and empowerment: By offloading repetitive and low-level tasks, analysts can focus on higher-value activities like threat hunting, strategic planning, and complex incident resolution, leading to professional growth and job satisfaction.

• Training and onboarding: Junior analysts can learn from the AI's actions and recommendations, accelerating their understanding of OT security principles and incident response procedures.

• Scalability: As the OT environment grows, Agentic AI scales with it, ensuring that security operations can keep pace without requiring a proportional increase in human headcount.

Delivering a clear Return on Investment (ROI)

Not only is the initial investment in our Agentic AI based SOC reasonable, but the long-term ROI is also compelling and multifaceted.

• Reduced downtime and production loss: Faster detection and response directly translate to fewer and shorter operational disruptions, protecting revenue and productivity.

• Avoidance of regulatory fines and reputational damage: Robust compliance and proactive security posture significantly reduce the risk of costly fines and severe reputational harm associated with breaches.

• Optimized resource allocation: By automating routine tasks and improving efficiency, organizations can do more with their existing security budget and personnel, potentially delaying or reducing the need for expensive new hires.

• Lower insurance premiums: A demonstrably stronger security posture can lead to more favorable cybersecurity insurance rates.

• Enhanced operational resiliency: Investing in our Agentic AI based SOC builds a more resilient and trustworthy operational environment, a competitive differentiator in today's digital economy.

The convergence of IT and OT, coupled with an escalating threat landscape, necessitates a fundamental rethink of industrial cybersecurity. Agentic AI offers a powerful, intelligent, and autonomous approach to securing critical infrastructure. For organizations striving for operational excellence, robust compliance, and unparalleled resilience, embracing Agentic AI in the OT SOC is no longer an option.

Learn more about our agent-based SOC.

A bit more about our SOC Model Development Service.