Trellix and Nozomi Networks: Charting the Future of IT/OT Security

By Mo Cashman · January 21, 2026

Security for IT and operational technology (OT) has long been siloed. As these environments become inextricably linked, this separation is no longer sustainable. Securing our physical infrastructure demands a new, unified approach, which is why the direct integration between Trellix Network Detection and Response (NDR) 4.1 and Nozomi Networks provides a blueprint for the future.

Typically when we hear about cybersecurity threats, our minds jump to data breaches and compromised IT networks. But the convergence of our digital and physical worlds has opened a new front in this battle, one that involves the OT systems controlling the power grids, manufacturing plants, and critical infrastructure we depend on every day.

In a recent Trellix survey of 500 global CISOs, 96% of respondents agree the convergence of OT and IT security strategy is essential for protecting critical infrastructure from emerging threats, while 82% believe failing to converge will increase organizational risk and compliance exposure.

Here are five key aspects of IT/OT security strategy convergence you need to understand.

1. Providing complete asset visibility across IT/OT infrastructure

A core challenge in securing converged environments is the lack of a comprehensive inventory of every device on the network. Security teams cannot protect assets they are not aware of. The integration between Trellix NDR 4.1 and Nozomi Networks, a leader in OT and ICS visibility, directly solves this problem by combining two distinct, powerful views into a single, unified picture.

The companies’ strengths are complementary: Nozomi Networks provides deep visibility into specialized OT protocols and devices, while Trellix ingests the Nozomi alerts, assets, insights, and network behaviors and correlates them with enterprise traffic to deliver unified visibility across IT and OT environments. Cross-domain attack path analysis connects OT events with IT identity and cloud or endpoint agents and prioritizes those alerts, combining Nozomi's OT context with Trellix NDR 4.1 advanced behavioral analytics.

By correlating these two data sources, the solution delivers complete asset visibility in a single console. This consolidation provides a major strategic benefit: the simplification of the architecture. It reduces tool sprawl, streamlines SOC workflows, and lowers training overhead.

This unified view is no longer a luxury; it's a critical requirement for meeting new and emerging compliance regulations, including the NIST-2 Cybersecurity Framework, the European Cyber Resilience Act, and the European NIS2 Directive.

2. Heading off IT-to-OT crossover threats

Crossover threats from IT to OT also represent a critical security challenge. These risks often originate in the IT environment before impacting operational technology.

• The Entry Point (Phishing and Compromise). A common attack vector often begins with a phishing attempt in the IT environment. Trellix NDR 4.1 distinguishes between a potential threat (receiving a phishing email) and a confirmed compromise, which is indicated by network traffic showing that someone clicked on a phishing email. This transforms a simple alert into a high-severity indicator of an active breach.
• Lateral Movement Across the Boundary. Once an asset, such as a corporate laptop, is compromised, threats can move laterally undetected to critical industrial control systems. This movement often involves OT protocol misuse that functions as part of a larger enterprise lateral movement campaign.
• Intertwined Environments. While IT and OT systems were traditionally separate, they are now more intertwined and more connected, which increases the risk of threats migrating between domains.
• Cross-domain Correlation. To combat this, effective security requires connecting OT events with IT identity and endpoint agents to visualize the full attack path. Without unified visibility, a compromised IoT or OT device communicating with a malicious external host might go unnoticed.

3. OT risks involve physical safety, not just data

While most cybersecurity discussions focus on data breaches and financial loss, the risks in OT environments are fundamentally different and far more severe, as detailed in our recent Trellix Operational Technology Threat Report.

According to the report, threat actors are prioritizing the compromise of boundary devices and industrial software platforms that offer an easier and more scalable entry point through common IT-like vulnerabilities. These include the ability to manipulate production data, disable safety controls, or force widespread disruption across the control plane.

Incursions such as these pose both business and safety risks:

• Business Hazards. In the industrial world, system availability is the paramount concern. Downtime isn’t just an inconvenience; it translates directly into massive, tangible dollar costs from halted production, impacting business continuity and customer commitments.
• Safety Compromises. More importantly, OT system failures can have devastating physical consequences, creating business risks that extend to regulatory fines, brand damage, and—most critically—human safety. A compromised industrial system can create serious health hazards with the potential for loss of life.
  
  The distinction between an IT and an OT incident highlights the gravity of the situation: When an e-commerce site goes offline and you can't shop for an hour, no one's going to die. But if somebody takes down a centrifuge control system, that could have massive impacts on personal safety.
  
  This isn't theoretical. Some threat actors are known to specifically target safety information systems not just for business disruption, but for destructive impact, making the defense of these systems an absolute imperative.

4. Stronger security that doesn't disrupt operations

Recognizing that availability is frequently the single most critical factor in any OT environment, the primary concern for operators is clear: do not disrupt operations. These systems are often fragile and precisely calibrated, making the introduction of new security tools a high-stakes proposition.

The Trellix and Nozomi Networks integration is designed specifically to be nondisruptive, de-risking the entire modernization process , while delivering heightened resiliency

Organizations can enhance their security posture by adding a passive NDR console on top of their existing systems, such as Nozomi Networks for OT monitoring and Trellix ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) for endpoint management.

This console collects logs and events from these sources to provide enhanced visibility, advanced analytics, and cross-domain threat correlation. Because it operates passively, it does not interfere with the underlying architecture, preserving the critical availability of industrial systems while significantly improving their security and increasing resiliency.

5. Your 3-stage roadmap for addressing IT/OT crossover threats

Securing the IT/OT landscape should be viewed not as a single, overwhelming project, but as a phased journey. This approach provides a clear, step-by-step path for organizations to mature their industrial security posture based on their current capabilities and future goals.

• Stage 1 (Today). Organizations can immediately leverage existing Trellix solutions they may already have in OT environments. This includes unique Trellix forensics capabilities—a key differentiator that provides deep investigative capabilities and domain-specific threat intelligence that OT-native network tools simply cannot match.
• Stage 2 (Integration). Next, they can add the Nozomi Networks integration to this foundation. This step provides comprehensive visibility into the OT security posture, better enabling security teams to perform tasks such as detecting and preventing lateral movement and correlating alerts across OT controls.
• Stage 3 (Aspiration). Finally, organizations can build upon this integrated platform to create a full NDR capability. This stage delivers a proactive security posture, enabling the SOC to move from simply reacting to alerts to actively hunting for hidden threats and slashing incident response times through AI-driven analysis.

This three-stage roadmap demonstrates the "art of the possible," allowing any organization to start where they are and build toward a sophisticated, unified industrial security program.

A unified future for IT and OT security

The convergence of IT and OT requires a unified security strategy. While we recognize the different requirements, the era of treating them as completely separate is over. The Trellix and Nozomi Networks partnership is more than an integration; it's a blueprint for the future of a converged IT/OT security. It provides a pragmatic and powerful framework for organizations to move from a reactive, siloed posture to a proactive, unified defense that fosters resilience.

By combining complete asset visibility, advanced threat detection, and unparalleled forensic capabilities into a single, cohesive framework, it empowers organizations to secure their entire environment. As our digital and physical worlds become inseparable, organizations will need to ensure they have the visibility to protect what matters most.

To learn more about how you can benefit from the Trellix and Nozomi Networks integration, please contact your customer account manager or request a demo.