Fortinet says OT security needs public-private partnerships

Fortinet argues that critical national infrastructure operators need stronger governance, hybrid security and public-private coordination to keep pace with faster, more automated cyber threats. The article says new rules in the EU and UK raise the bar, but compliance alone will not protect operational technology from attacks with real-world impact.

Why it matters: - Critical national infrastructure operators face cyber threats that are becoming more automated, more accessible and more likely to affect physical operations. - Fortinet says protection now has to cover both digital systems and operational technology, where attacks can affect safety, service continuity and national resilience. - Regulators in the EU and UK are pushing tougher resilience, governance and incident-reporting requirements, raising pressure on operators to modernize defenses.

What happened: - Fortinet published an article on Business Reporter about how the threat landscape for critical national infrastructure is changing and what operators should do next. - The article points to the World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, which says more than three-quarters of organisations have seen an increase in cyber fraud. - Fortinet says the shift in risk means cybersecurity for critical national infrastructure must move beyond traditional defenses.

The details: - The article cites the EU's NIS2 Directive, the Digital Operational Resilience Act and the AI and Cybersecurity plan as examples of stricter regulatory expectations. - The UK’s forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is also part of the new compliance environment. - Fortinet says compliance alone is not enough and organisations also need stronger governance frameworks. - Fortinet says continued investment in workforce skills is needed so emerging technologies, including AI, are deployed responsibly and effectively. - A hybrid security model is emerging as the preferred approach for critical national infrastructure. - That model combines on-premises protection for sensitive operational systems with resilient cloud services. - Fortinet says organisations should also prepare for quantum computing by adopting post-quantum cryptography. - The article highlights the growing convergence of IT and operational technology, which expands the impact of cyberattacks beyond data loss. - Fortinet says public-private partnerships are critical for sharing threat intelligence and improving response. - Fortinet says collaboration with trusted cybersecurity providers can help governments and infrastructure operators strengthen resilience against emerging risks. - Fortinet says it applies a security-by-design approach and combines AI-powered security, OT expertise, regulatory knowledge and critical-infrastructure experience. - The article includes a link for readers to read more about the OT security challenges.

Between the lines: - The article frames cybersecurity as a resilience problem, not just a compliance exercise. - The emphasis on OT suggests the highest-risk attacks are now those that can disrupt essential services, not only steal data. - The public-private partnership message signals that governments alone are not expected to keep pace with fast-changing threats.

What's next: - Critical infrastructure operators are likely to face more pressure to document resilience plans, incident response readiness and technology governance. - Post-quantum cryptography and hybrid architectures are expected to move higher on security roadmaps. - Fortinet says broader collaboration between governments, operators and cybersecurity vendors will be necessary as OT environments become more networked.