Do we know that OPC, the interface between ICS and IT, is very common on OT sites?
How widely is OPC used as the interface between ICS and IT on OT sites and what are the security measures? In OT security, interfaces like OPC are very widely used to bridge data between Purdue L2 (Control Network) and Purdue L3 (Operations Network) . This practice is common but comes with significant security considerations. How Widely is OPC Used? OPC Classic and OPC UA (Unified Architecture) are among the most common industrial protocols used for data exchange. OPC interfaces serve as middleware that aggregates and forwards process data (like sensor readings, alarms, or setpoints) from control systems (DCS/PLC/SCADA) at L2 to higher-level systems such as MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) or historian databases at L3. This kind of data flow is critical for operations management , analytics, and business decision-making. Why It's Common: Most industrial systems are built on the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture , which defines strict segmentatio...