Industry research highlights a growing gap between operational speed and third-party access governance in manufacturing
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, July 20, 2026 -- As manufacturers continue to strengthen their cybersecurity following a wave of ransomware attacks targeting industrial organizations, attention is shifting beyond secure remote connectivity to a new challenge: governing third-party access across operational technology (OT) environments.
Machine builders, system integrators, equipment suppliers, and maintenance providers all require remote access to keep production running. But as vendor ecosystems expand and regulations place greater emphasis on accountability, many organizations are discovering that enabling remote access is only part of the challenge.
"Over the past few years, manufacturers have invested heavily in securing remote access," said Knud Kegel, CTPO at Secomea. "The next step is making sure that access is governed consistently: knowing who has access, why they have it, how long they need it, and being able to demonstrate exactly what happened during every remote session."
The shift comes as cyberattacks increasingly exploit trusted identities and legitimate remote access rather than relying solely on perimeter vulnerabilities. As a result, manufacturers are under growing pressure to improve visibility, identity controls, and vendor access governance without slowing maintenance or impacting production.
Secomea's latest State of Industrial Remote Access 2026 research suggests many organizations are still closing that gap.
In North America, 57% of organizations manage six or more external vendors with remote access into OT environments, reflecting the growing dependence on third-party support. Yet only 46% report full auditability of vendor sessions, while just 23% review vendor credentials monthly or more frequently, leaving many organizations with limited visibility into who has access and whether that access remains appropriate.
The findings also show that organizations with shared IT and OT ownership of remote access experience lower incident rates than those where responsibility sits solely within either function, reinforcing the importance of governance alongside technology.
According to Secomea, effective third-party access governance extends beyond secure connectivity. It combines identity verification, least-privilege access, just-in-time vendor access, centralized approval workflows, comprehensive audit trails, and rapid revocation of access once work is complete.
"Manufacturers don't need fewer vendors, they need better governance of vendor access," Kegel added. "Third-party connectivity is essential for modern manufacturing. The organizations that will be most resilient are those that can enable that connectivity while maintaining visibility, accountability, and control."
The research also points to where the industry is heading. More than three quarters of North American organizations say they either already use or would prefer a standardized platform for managing vendor access, indicating a shift away from fragmented VPNs and vendor-specific remote access tools toward centralized governance models.
Secomea recommends manufacturers assess whether their remote access strategy includes:
- Identity-based access for every vendor and contractor
- Just-in-time access instead of persistent remote connections
- Centralized approval workflows across IT and OT
- Complete audit trails for every remote session
- Regular credential reviews and automated access revocation
- The ability to quickly suspend or contain remote access during a cyber incident
The company's complete findings are available in the State of Industrial Remote Access 2026 report, which analyzes how manufacturers and critical infrastructure organizations manage remote vendor access, governance, visibility, Zero Trust adoption, and operational resilience across North America and Europe.
About Secomea
Secomea is a Secure Remote Access solution purpose-built for industrial networks and OT equipment. More than 8000 manufacturers and machine builders worldwide use Secomea to securely connect people, systems, and machines while maintaining operational continuity and control. By helping organizations govern vendor access, implement zero-trust principles, and improve visibility into OT remote access activities, Secomea supports secure collaboration across the manufacturing ecosystem.
Secomea was recently identified as a Representative Vendor in the CPS Secure Remote Access category in Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for CPS Security, 2026.
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