Episode 36 — Manage Stakeholders in OT: Trust, Communication, and Change Acceptance

This episode teaches stakeholder management as a core OT security skill, because security outcomes depend on trust and adoption, not just technical correctness. You’ll learn how to identify stakeholder groups across operations, engineering, maintenance, safety, quality, IT, vendors, and leadership, then map what each group values so communication is aligned to real incentives like uptime, safety, and predictable maintenance. We explain why OT teams often resist security changes that feel like surprise work or hidden risk, and how to reduce that resistance by involving stakeholders early, clarifying constraints, and showing how controls improve reliability rather than adding bureaucracy. The episode includes examples of communication patterns that work, such as pre-briefing changes, using shared language for risk, and publishing change impacts and rollback plans so operators are not forced to improvise. Troubleshooting focuses on what to do when trust is low, such as after an outage blamed on “security,” and how to rebuild credibility with evidence, small wins, and consistent follow-through on operational commitments. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.