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What a Water Cyber Event Teaches You About Building an OT Security Program
Trust Me, It’s Air-Gapped · Episode 8
In this episode
What a Water Cyber Event Teaches You About Building an OT Security Program
SEP. 2026 - EPISODE 8
28 minute watch
This video is a part of Trust Me, It’s Air-Gapped, GrayMatter’s podcast that cuts through OT cybersecurity buzzwords with real, plant-floor insights from Scott Christensen and Tom Walker.
- Scott Christensen Cyber Practice Director, GrayMatter
- Dr. Eric Dowdy IT Director and Data Systems Manager, City of Fort Collins Water
Host Scott Christensen, cyber practice director for GrayMatter, talks with Dr. Eric Dowdy, IT director and data systems manager for City of Fort Collins Water, about building an OT cybersecurity program in the aftermath of a real water sector cyber event. Dowdy, who joined the utility after the incident, shares what it took to lead recovery, win board-level support for cybersecurity funding, and break down the historic silos between IT and OT teams. The episode covers steps for any critical infrastructure organization: getting plugged into threat intelligence networks, using the NIST framework to benchmark risk as federal cyber regulations catch up to water and wastewater utilities, and building a multiyear cybersecurity roadmap instead of chasing every vulnerability at once.
What listeners will learn:
- How a water utility recovers operationally and culturally after a cyberattack
- Why board buy-in and funding are critical to sustaining an OT cybersecurity program
- Which threat intelligence sources matter most for water and wastewater utilities
- How the NIST framework helps utilities prepare for coming federal cybersecurity regulations
- How to build IT/OT collaboration instead of an adversarial “office of no” dynamic
Episode transcript
Transcript coming soon.
