Bridging IT & OT

In this episode of the Somerford Associates podcast series, host John is joined by Ewald Munz, Splunk's EMEA OT lead for manufacturing, for a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities surrounding operational technology in industrial environments. With OT and IT increasingly converging, Ewald outlines why visibility, automation and resilience have become critical pillars for modern manufacturing success.

Throughout the conversation, Ewald explains how Splunk empowers organisations to manage and protect their OT environments using data-driven insights. From securing industrial systems against rising cyber threats to reducing energy costs through intelligent monitoring, the discussion highlights how manufacturers can build operational resilience using the power of data. Ewald also addresses the growing impact of AI, machine learning and automation in supporting predictive maintenance and energy efficiency, all while navigating geopolitical instability and regulatory pressures.

Real-world examples are explored, including case studies from Bosch, BMW and Porsche. These illustrate how Splunk supports use cases such as IT and OT security integration, false positive reduction through risk-based alerting, and predictive maintenance to prevent downtime. Ewald also discusses how Splunk ingests data from both modern and legacy systems, giving manufacturers flexible options for achieving end-to-end visibility.