Authority to Operate (ATO) in OT Security: Why It Matters and How to Streamline the Process

Read full article here: https://corsha.com/blog/what-is-an-authority-to-operate-ato-and-why-it-matters-for-ot/?source=nhimg

As operational technology (OT) environments become increasingly connected to IT networks, the cybersecurity stakes are higher than ever. For sectors managing critical infrastructure from manufacturing and defense to energy, healthcare, and industrial IoT, the Authority to Operate (ATO) is more than a compliance box to check; it’s a formal, government-issued validation that systems meet stringent security and operational standards.

What is an ATO?

An ATO is an official authorization often tied to NIST’s Risk Management Framework (RMF) that certifies a system’s security posture as safe to operate within a given environment. In OT contexts, it ensures industrial control systems, building automation, energy grids, medical devices, and IoT systems can operate securely without jeopardizing safety, data integrity, or national security.

The OT ATO Challenge

Unlike IT systems, OT equipment often:

• Was never designed with modern cybersecurity in mind.

• Lacks support for Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) required in many ATO submissions.

• Runs legacy operating systems with long upgrade cycles and minimal patching options.

• Uses proprietary protocols and configurations, making standardization and security control enforcement difficult.

• Cannot be abruptly shut down for remediation, requiring careful and coordinated interventions.

These challenges make achieving an ATO that bridges OT and IT environments a long and resource-intensive process, often taking a year or more. Many OT enclaves remain isolated from IT networks in both defense and commercial settings to minimize risk.

Inside an ATO Submission

ATO packages involve extensive documentation, from Information Technology Categorization and Selection Checklists (ITCSC) to Security Impact Analyses (SIA) for major system changes. These artifacts prove compliance with the applicable NIST controls, but their creation is time-consuming and resource-heavy, representing a major bottleneck in the approval timeline.

Corsha’s Lessons from Securing an IL4 ATO

Drawing on real-world experience with the Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC), Corsha identified key accelerators:

1. Align on scope early with ISSMs and SCAs to avoid rework.

2. Pre-scan internally using the same tools assessors will run, reducing remediation cycles.

3. Use and adapt templates to standardize submissions while allowing system-specific modifications.

4. Leverage automation and generative tools to speed artifact creation without sacrificing quality.

Making OT “STIG-able”

Corsha’s platform enables secure, STIG-compliant access points between OT and IT, providing:

• Dynamic, single-use MFA credentials for machine-to-machine communications.

• Zero Trust enforcement across diverse OT assets.

• End-to-end encryption to protect data flows between environments.

• Full identity and access visibility across the industrial network.

Why It Matters Now

With OT increasingly targeted by threat actors and non-human identities outnumbering humans 45:1, achieving and maintaining an ATO is about operational continuity, regulatory compliance, and security assurance. By modernizing ATO processes and introducing strong machine identity controls, organizations can shorten approval timelines while significantly reducing cyber risk.