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Cisco’s 2024 State of Industrial Networking Report found that respondents placed high importance on OT cybersecurity, while many reported a divide between IT and OT teams. The survey also captured expectations that AI would shape industrial network management and reported increased infrastructure spending. These are Cisco-reported survey findings—not independently verified rates for all industrial organizations or results from equipment testing.

What the global 2024 report covers

Cisco released its State of Industrial Networking Report 2024 on July 30, 2024. Cisco says it worked with Sapio Research to survey more than 1,000 professionals in 17 countries and 20 industrial sectors. Respondents worked at companies with annual revenue above $100 million. The report focuses on OT cybersecurity, IT/OT collaboration, industrial infrastructure investment, and anticipated effects of AI on industrial networks. Cisco’s news release summarizes its headline findings.

The figures represent what the surveyed professionals or their organizations reported in 2024. They do not establish causal relationships or population-wide prevalence among industrial organizations.

What does the report say about OT cybersecurity?

Cisco reported that 89% of global respondents said cybersecurity compliance was very or extremely important. In the same report, 92% of executive leaders saw value in a unified cybersecurity solution. These findings indicate that respondents regarded cybersecurity and compliance as significant concerns for industrial networking; they are not independent measurements of security performance or compliance across the industry.

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Cisco IE-2000-16TC-G-E 16-Port Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
  • 16 Fast Ethernet Ports: The Cisco IE-2000-16TC-G-E features 16 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports, providing ample connectivity for various industrial devices, such as sensors, cameras, and controllers, ensuring seamless communication in your network.
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Cisco’s report places that concern in the context of increasingly connected operational networks and legacy assets. It does not test equipment or establish that adopting a particular security design or product will produce a specific outcome.

What does it say about IT/OT collaboration?

Cisco reported that 41% of firms said their IT and OT teams worked independently. The result points to organizational separation as a collaboration challenge in the surveyed companies. It does not, by itself, show why teams were separate or measure how effectively they coordinated on specific projects.

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What did respondents expect from AI?

In Cisco’s 2024 global survey, 48% of respondents viewed AI as the most significant technological advancement likely to affect industrial networking in the next five years. Separately, 49% expected AI to improve network management across IT and OT. These are expectations recorded in 2024, not evidence that those effects have since occurred or that AI caused measurable improvements.

What did respondents report about infrastructure spending?

Cisco said 63% of global respondents reported that their organization had increased spending on industrial infrastructure in the preceding year. This is a retrospective survey response, not a market-wide spending total, a measure of spending growth, or a forecast.

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Cisco IE-2000-8TC-G-B Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
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How does the manufacturing edition differ?

Cisco published a separate manufacturing-focused edition, based on more than 700 manufacturing professionals across 17 countries. Its percentages describe that industry-specific respondent group, not the full global sample. The groups should not be treated as interchangeable.

Finding Global report Manufacturing edition
Cybersecurity compliance was very or extremely important 89% of global respondents (Cisco, 2024) 89% of manufacturing respondents (Cisco, 2024)
Increased industrial infrastructure spending in the prior year 63% of global respondents (Cisco, 2024) 64% of manufacturing respondents (Cisco, 2024)
AI expected to have the biggest impact over the next five years 48% viewed AI as the most significant technological advancement likely to affect industrial networking (Cisco, 2024) 48% expected AI to have the biggest impact (Cisco, 2024)

The manufacturing figures are from Cisco’s manufacturing report landing page and its 2024 manufacturing report PDF. Similar percentages across editions do not make their respondent populations the same.

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What the report does—and does not—tell equipment buyers

The report is a survey about priorities and expectations, not a product comparison or ranking. It names no specific switch or router model and provides no equipment test results. Cisco executive Vikas Butaney described industrial networking as strategically important, saying: “Operational technology, and specifically the network supporting industrial operations, has become a key differentiator for organizations globally,” in Cisco’s July 30, 2024 release. That is a vendor executive’s perspective, not an independent assessment.

For a practical equipment evaluation, buyers can consider operating environment and ruggedness, required ports and connectivity, security and management functions, and compatibility with existing OT systems. Those are decision criteria, not rankings or recommendations made by the report. Cisco discusses industrial switches, routers, and security in its industrial operations networking white paper; it does not establish that any product was tested for this report.

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Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 2
Cisco IE-1000-8P2S-LM 8x PoE+ 10/100+ & 2x 1G SFP Industrial Ethernet Managed Switch [Cisco Refresh] (Renewed)
Cisco IE-1000-8P2S-LM 8x PoE+ 10/100+ & 2x 1G SFP Industrial Ethernet Managed Switch [Cisco Refresh] (Renewed)
2 GE SF; IE-1000 GUI BASED L2 POE SWITCH; INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET SWITCH; Computer Accessory; Computer
$835.99
Bestseller No. 3
Cisco IE-2000-8TC-G-B Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
Cisco IE-2000-8TC-G-B Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
Device Type: Ethernet Switch designed for industrial networking applications; Form Factor: Rail-mountable and desktop installation options for flexible deployment
$246.57
SaleBestseller No. 4
Cisco IE-2000-16PTC-G-E Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
Cisco IE-2000-16PTC-G-E Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
20 PORTS; 24-48V; ETHERNET; INDUSTRIAL; PC Board PLC/Add-On Board
$999.90
SaleBestseller No. 5
Cisco IE-4010-4S24P Catalyst 4010 Series Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
Cisco IE-4010-4S24P Catalyst 4010 Series Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
Item Package Dimension: 12.0L x 12.0W x 12.0H inches; Item Package Weight - 12.0372395052 Pounds
$1,799.99
Best Value
Sale
Cisco IE-4010-4S24P Catalyst 4010 Series Industrial Ethernet Switch (Renewed)
  • Item Package Dimension: 12.0L x 12.0W x 12.0H inches
  • Item Package Weight - 12.0372395052 Pounds
  • Item Package Quantity - 1
  • Product Type - ELECTRONIC SWITCH

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