OT Cybersecurity Specialist in South Africa

Independent, multi-vendor OT security expertise for South African industry

Staro Process Control has supported the mining and heavy industrial sectors since 1996, with group capabilities spanning supply chain, engineering and design, manufacturing and construction. Our Industrial Information & Communication Technology (IICT) capability includes cyber security alongside industrial Ethernet networks, remote connectivity and IT virtualisation — which means when we advise on OT cybersecurity, it’s as part of a broader understanding of how your control systems, networks and physical processes work together, not as a single product sale.

What Does an OT Cybersecurity Specialist Do?

An OT cybersecurity specialist is not the same as an IT security reseller. Operational Technology — the industrial control systems (ICS), SCADA platforms, DCS and PLCs that run a plant — has different priorities to a corporate IT network: availability and safety come first, systems often can’t simply be patched or rebooted on demand, and legacy equipment has to be accommodated rather than replaced overnight. A specialist works across this full picture: assessing your current OT security posture, designing network segmentation and secure architecture appropriate to your plant, selecting the right tools for your environment, and supporting the system for its operating life — rather than starting from one vendor’s product line.

Our Approach: Assess, Design, Implement

Assessment
We start by mapping your current OT security posture — asset visibility, network architecture, legacy risk and compliance gaps — against recognised frameworks such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF 2.0) and IEC 62443. If your organisation needs to prepare for the EU’s NIS2 directive, this assessment stage lines up directly with that work — see our NIS2 compliance guidance for more detail on what that involves.

Design
From there, we design network segmentation and architecture suited to your specific plant — isolating critical systems, planning secure remote access, and specifying secure-by-design hardware where new equipment is being installed.

Implementation
For implementation, we draw on a multi-vendor toolset rather than a single product line. Where Fortinet’s Security Fabric and FortiGate firewalls are the right fit — which is often the case for converged IT-OT environments — we deliver that as an authorised Fortinet partner; see our dedicated Fortinet OT Security Specialists page for the detail on that product line, including our Vaal Triangle-based Fortinet support. Where a different tool or approach suits your plant better, our recommendation is built around your environment, not a single vendor’s catalogue.

Why Choose Staro as Your OT Cybersecurity Specialist

Staro Process Control is accredited to ISO 9001:2015 and holds a 5-star NOSA safety rating, and is a Rockwell Automation Platinum System Integrator — meaning our OT security work sits alongside deep, hands-on experience with the control systems, PLCs, HMIs and drives your security strategy needs to protect, not as a separate add-on service. We support clients across South Africa from our Sasolburg head office and Secunda branch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OT cybersecurity?
OT cybersecurity protects the industrial control systems, SCADA platforms and connected devices that run physical plant processes — distinct from IT security, which protects data and corporate networks. It prioritises safety and uptime alongside protection against threats.

Do you only work with one security vendor?
No. We design our recommendation around your plant’s environment first. Fortinet is one of the tools we deploy as an authorised partner where it’s the right fit, alongside secure-by-design Rockwell Automation hardware and other network security measures.

Can you help with NIS2 or IEC 62443 compliance?
Yes — our assessment approach is built around recognised frameworks including the NIST CSF 2.0 and IEC 62443, and we can guide South African operations that need to prepare for the EU’s NIS2 directive.

How do I get an OT security assessment done for my plant?
Contact our team directly to arrange an initial assessment. We’ll ask a few questions about your current architecture and control systems before scoping the right level of assessment for your site.

Your OT Cybersecurity Specialist: Staro Process Control

Whether you need an initial OT security assessment, network segmentation design, a specific vendor’s implementation, or ongoing management of an existing system, Staro Process Control is ready to partner with you as your OT cybersecurity specialist — backed by decades of hands-on industrial automation experience across South Africa.

Download documents

Download documents