Zero Trust Purdue Model: How To Modernize OTX Security
Zscaler, Wednesday, March 18th, 2026
For decades, the Purdue Model has been the foundation of operational technology (OT) architecture. It provides a clear structure for how factory systems are organized from sensors and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to enterprise applications.
In the past IT and OT in factories were airgapped. But in recent years the air gap has largely disappeared. Even if OT systems do not directly connect to the cloud, there are plenty of systems on the factory floor that are connected to enterprise IT or cloud for physical security, production analytics, industrial printing, and other functions that support a factory. Connectivity has become essential to modern manufacturing.