Panel: Building a SOC That Can Defend Both IT and OT
About This Session
As IT and OT environments converge, the security operations center can no longer treat them as separate worlds. yet the two domains speak different languages, prioritize different outcomes, and often report through different teams.
This panel brings together security leaders from government and the energy sector to discuss what it actually takes to build a SOC that defends both, where IT's focus on data confidentiality meets OT's non-negotiable demands for uptime and safety. Panelists will share hard-won lessons on unifying visibility across IT and OT assets, tuning detection for industrial protocols and behaviors, and coordinating incident response when a single event can span the corporate network and the plant floor.
The discussion will also tackle the organizational realities — staffing, skills, governance, and trust between security and engineering teams — that ultimately decide whether a converged SOC succeeds. Attendees will leave with practical models for closing the IT/OT gap in their own operations.
This panel brings together security leaders from government and the energy sector to discuss what it actually takes to build a SOC that defends both, where IT's focus on data confidentiality meets OT's non-negotiable demands for uptime and safety. Panelists will share hard-won lessons on unifying visibility across IT and OT assets, tuning detection for industrial protocols and behaviors, and coordinating incident response when a single event can span the corporate network and the plant floor.
The discussion will also tackle the organizational realities — staffing, skills, governance, and trust between security and engineering teams — that ultimately decide whether a converged SOC succeeds. Attendees will leave with practical models for closing the IT/OT gap in their own operations.
Speakers
Brad Nash
OTCRM SOC Supervisor - ExxonMobil
Brad Nash is the OTCRM Security Operations Center Supervisor – Americas, leading 24/7 monitoring and incident response for industrial operations and overseeing ICS External Network Connections (ENC) standards. With more than a decade across energy and financial services, he specializes in detection engineering, SOC automation, and IT–OT collaboration that protects safety-critical environments. He holds a B.S. in Network Communications & Management and an A.S. in Network & System Administration.
Justin Pauler
OT/ICS Cybersecurity Leader - Booz Allen Hamilton
Mr. Justin Pauler, a Chief Engineer with Booz Allen Hamilton, oversees delivery for the Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity practice within the Global Commercial account.
With over twenty years of professional experience across the oil and gas, utilities, chemical, defense, water/wastewater, healthcare, and manufacturing critical infrastructure sectors, Mr. Pauler serves as an OT, ICS, and SCADA SME and program manager for clients in the Fortune 100, Global 2000, US Department of Defense, and various civil agencies.
Mr. Pauler specializes in security design engineering, architecting secure control system networks, maturity and risk assessments, and developing OT-focused policies, procedures, and frameworks. Justin holds a variety of certifications including GIAC Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), CompTIA CASP+, CySA+, Security+, and Network+
With over twenty years of professional experience across the oil and gas, utilities, chemical, defense, water/wastewater, healthcare, and manufacturing critical infrastructure sectors, Mr. Pauler serves as an OT, ICS, and SCADA SME and program manager for clients in the Fortune 100, Global 2000, US Department of Defense, and various civil agencies.
Mr. Pauler specializes in security design engineering, architecting secure control system networks, maturity and risk assessments, and developing OT-focused policies, procedures, and frameworks. Justin holds a variety of certifications including GIAC Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), CompTIA CASP+, CySA+, Security+, and Network+
Mary Gannon
Director of OT Resilience - Copia Automation
Mary Gannon is a global OT/ICS cybersecurity leader, specializing in industrial incident response, critical infrastructure protection, and cyber risk management. She started her career 13 years ago in Emergency Management and Community Risk Reduction, concentrating on physical and cyber-physical threats. She has worked in a variety of roles including the Global OT Security Leader for two critical manufacturers, as well as consulting roles focusing on OT security, incident response, and incident management.
Since its formation, Mary has served as the Incident Commander, Facilitator, and Subject Matter Expert of ICS4ICS. Mary is a CompTIA CSTAC leader and exam development SME for the upcoming SecOT+ exam. She holds her GRID, GICSP, + GPEN certifications.
Since its formation, Mary has served as the Incident Commander, Facilitator, and Subject Matter Expert of ICS4ICS. Mary is a CompTIA CSTAC leader and exam development SME for the upcoming SecOT+ exam. She holds her GRID, GICSP, + GPEN certifications.