OT Security Consultancy
Harpoon Consulting provides OT security consultancy to manufacturers and industrial operators who need practical, senior-led support. We work across the full OT cyber security lifecycle, from initial diagnosis through to programme delivery and ongoing embedded support, helping organisations build security that works on the factory floor, not just on paper.
What OT security consultancy actually involves
Genuine OT cybersecurity consultancy is not about handing you a templated report and leaving you to work out what to do next. It means bringing experienced practitioners who understand industrial environments, who can work alongside your operations and engineering teams, and who can translate complex security challenges into decisions your leadership can act on.
OT environments are not IT networks. They run on decades of legacy equipment, proprietary protocols, and operational constraints. Securing them requires expertise in aligning security with operational continuity, building the governance and processes that make improvements sustainable, and engaging the people who actually run the systems every day.
That is what Harpoon does.
Our OT security consultancy services
We organise our consultancy services around four clear stages: Diagnose, Design, Build, and Operate. This framework reflects the way industrial organisations already structure their work, making it intuitive and practical. It also means you do not have to start at the beginning. You can engage at the stage that matches where you are right now.
DIAGNOSE
Before investing in tools or processes, you need a clear picture of your environment, the risks you face, and where your real exposures lie. Our Diagnose services give you that visibility.
Services include:
- Security Programme Health Check
- OT Asset Discovery Service
- OT Risk Assessment
- Compliance Assessment (IEC 62443, NIS2, NIST CSF)
DESIGN
Once you understand the risks, the next step is turning that knowledge into a plan. Our Design services translate findings into a practical roadmap that balances security requirements with operational and business priorities.
Services include:
BUILD
This is where strategy becomes reality. Our Build services cover the implementation of security controls, technologies, and processes into your OT environment, managed carefully to minimise disruption to operations.
Services include:
OPERATE
Security is not a one-time project. Our Operate services provide the ongoing support, monitoring, and senior oversight to keep your OT security posture strong and continuously improving.
Services include:
How we work
Harpoon’s consultants have led some of the world’s largest OT security programmes, including multi-site OT security transformations across major pharmaceutical manufacturing operations. We bring that experience directly to your engagement.
We are genuinely independent. We partner with leading OT security technology providers, but our recommendations are always shaped by what is right for your organisation, not by vendor quotas or product targets.
Our approach is also practical. We don’t produce security strategies that live in a drawer. We build on people, process, and technology together, because governance, training, and cultural adoption are what make security improvements stick long after the project closes.
Who we work with
Our clients are typically manufacturers, industrial operators, and critical infrastructure organisations that need to build or mature their OT security capability. We work with organisations of all sizes, from single-site manufacturers taking their first steps in OT security to multi-site enterprise operations running complex, long-term programmes.
Flexible engagement options
We offer a range of engagement models so you can choose the approach that fits your situation and budget.
Standards and frameworks we work to
Our consultancy services are grounded in the frameworks that matter most to manufacturers and industrial operators facing regulatory scrutiny and compliance requirements.
These include IEC 62443, the international standard for OT and industrial control system security; NIS2, the EU directive on network and information security that came into effect in 2024; and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, widely adopted as a benchmark for managing and reducing cybersecurity risk.
Whether you are facing a specific compliance deadline or building a long-term security programme, we can structure our work around the frameworks most relevant to your situation.
Frequently asked questions
What does an OT security consultant actually do?
An OT security consultant helps industrial organisations understand their security risks, build a plan to address them, and implement improvements without disrupting operations. The work can range from an initial risk assessment or asset discovery exercise through to full programme management and embedded ongoing support. The scope depends on where you are in your OT security journey.
How is OT security consultancy different from IT security consultancy?
OT environments, which include PLCs, SCADA systems, industrial control systems, and other operational technology, have fundamentally different constraints to IT networks. Availability and safety take priority over confidentiality. Many systems cannot be patched or updated without taking production offline. Standard IT security tools can cause outages if deployed without OT-specific expertise. An OT security consultant understands these constraints and works within them, rather than applying IT security thinking to an environment it does not suit.
How long does an OT security consultancy engagement typically last?
It depends on the scope. A focused assessment or asset discovery exercise typically takes four to eight weeks. A roadmap and strategy development engagement is usually six to ten weeks. A full programme delivery can run from six months to eighteen months or more, depending on the size and complexity of your environment. We will always be clear about timelines when scoping an engagement.
Do you work with smaller manufacturers, or only large enterprises?
Both. Our framework is designed to be flexible enough to suit a single-site manufacturer running a lean team as well as a large enterprise managing OT security across dozens of sites. If you are not sure whether your situation is the right fit, the simplest way to find out is to book a free consultation.
How do you price OT cybersecurity consultancy engagements?
We offer both fixed-price and time-and-materials contracts, depending on the nature of the engagement. Fixed-price projects suit situations where the scope is clearly defined upfront. Time-and-materials arrangements are more appropriate for shorter or more urgent engagements where there is not time to fully scope the work before starting. We will always recommend the model that gives you the most clarity and control over your budget.
Interested in our OT Security Consultancy servcies?
Book a FREE consultation with one of our team to discuss your situation further.
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“Harpoon cut through the noise and gave us a clear OT security plan. In six weeks we had asset visibility, prioritised risks, and a roadmap our ops team actually bought into.”
CISO, UK Manufacturing Group
