operational-technology
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Dragos Turned a Three-Person Side Project Into Security for the Machines Nobody Can Reboot
Dragos began with three practitioners, a packet-capture tool, and a founder who did not want to become a software vendor. A decade later, its field notes defend grids, factories and water systems - and explain why industrial security cannot be treated like office IT.
Honeywell Technologies
After spinning off aerospace and advanced materials, Honeywell is smaller, sharper and focused on one difficult job: teaching the physical world to run with less waste, fewer surprises and more autonomy.
DeNexus
DeNexus is a Boston-based cyber risk company that quantifies the financial impact of cyber threats to industrial and operational technology (OT) environments. Its DeRISK platform uses AI, machine learning and simulation to predict where breaches are likely in OT/ICS networks, express that risk in dollar terms, and prioritize mitigation by ROI. The company serves CISOs, boards, risk managers and cyber insurers across data centers, energy, manufacturing and transportation, and has expanded into agentic-AI underwriting automation for the industrial cyber insurance market.
Copia Automation
Copia Automation brings modern software practices - Git-based version control, automated backup, code review, and AI-assisted analysis - to the world of industrial automation. Its platform treats PLC and OT code as a critical asset, giving manufacturers visibility, change tracking, and disaster recovery across multi-vendor factory floors. Founded in New York in 2020 by former Uber engineer Adam Gluck, Copia helps plants protect against downtime, ransomware, and lost institutional knowledge while accelerating how industrial machinery is built and maintained.
Dispel
Dispel is an Austin, Texas-based operational technology (OT) cybersecurity company that builds a Zero Trust Engine for industrial control systems. Its platform combines secure remote access, real-time industrial data streaming, unified OT connectivity (OTFusion), and 24/7 threat monitoring, all built around Moving Target Defense - a technique that constantly shifts network paths so attackers never get a stable target. Dispel lets manufacturers, utilities, energy operators, and government agencies give vendors and engineers fast, audited access to plant equipment without the friction of legacy VPNs and jump boxes.
Shift5
Shift5 is an operational intelligence and onboard observability company that taps the raw data already flowing across the internal networks of planes, trains, tanks, and ships. Founded by former U.S. Army cyber officers, it plugs into serial-bus and RF traffic on military and commercial fleets to deliver real-time cyber threat detection, predictive maintenance, and compliance insight at the edge. Backed by $185M+ in venture funding, Shift5 serves the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, SOCOM, and several of the largest U.S. passenger rail systems.