Why CPS Secure Remote Access Is Shifting from Connectivity to Operations
Remote access has become a permanent operational reality for cyber-physical systems (CPS), what was once an occasional maintenance tool is now a foundational capability for operating, maintaining, and supporting industrial and critical infrastructure environments. At the same time, remote access is rapidly becoming one of the most exploited attack vectors into CPS environments.
This tension — between operational necessity and rising risk — is driving a fundamental shift in how organizations approach remote access.
We feel Gartner highlights that attackers are increasingly targeting weak or legacy remote access mechanisms such as VPNs, jump servers, and general-purpose IT privileged access tools to gain entry into CPS environments. These tools were not designed for production or safety-critical systems and often provide overly broad network-level access once a user is authenticated.
In its recent report, Market Guide for CPS Secure Remote Access, Gartner makes a clear strategic assumption: by 2029, the percentage of attacks on CPS using remote access vectors will grow from negligible numbers to over 20%.
This marks a dramatic change from the past, when such attacks were considered rare.
This risk is amplified by what Gartner describes as “shadow access” — undocumented or unmanaged remote connections created by OEMs, contractors, or employees. These connections often bypass corporate firewalls and governance processes entirely, leaving security teams with little visibility into who has access, to what systems, and under which conditions.
Why traditional IT tools fail CPS environments
It is explicit that traditional IT-centric remote access tools lack the contextual awareness required for CPS environments. While VPNs and IT PAM solutions focus on securing connectivity, CPS environments require protection of operations.
Inappropriate or malicious access to CPS assets can result in physical damage, safety incidents, environmental harm, or operational failure. As a result, we feel, Gartner emphasizes that CPS secure remote access solutions must enforce granular, least-privileged access not just at the network level, but at the device, application, and even command level.
Deploying multiple remote access tools across CPS environments increases complexity and risk. Diverse configurations, inconsistent encryption protocols, and fragmented logging make centralized governance and auditing difficult — precisely when regulatory scrutiny is increasing.
The shift from secure connectivity to secure operations
One of the Gartner central observations is that the CPS remote access market is moving decisively from “secure connectivity” toward “secure operations.” This shift is driven by the operational reality of managing complex, distributed environments and the recognition that legacy tools cannot safely support mission-critical systems.
We feel Gartner identifies several capabilities as essential for CPS secure remote access solutions, including identity-centric Zero Trust principles, just-in-time access, elimination of standing privileges, and comprehensive session monitoring and recording. Agentless architectures are also highlighted as critical, given the fragility and longevity of many CPS assets.
Importantly, Gartner emphasizes protocol-aware access. Leading solutions can inspect native industrial protocols and distinguish between safe diagnostic actions and potentially dangerous write commands — blocking unauthorized actions before they impact physical systems.
Regulation and resilience as market accelerators
Regulatory pressure is a key external force shaping this market, according to Gartner. Standards and frameworks such as IEC 62443, NIS2, NERC CIP, and NIST SP 800-82 increasingly mandate strong identity verification, granular access controls, and tamper-proof audit trails. Gartner notes that legacy VPN-based approaches struggle to meet these requirements efficiently or consistently.
Beyond compliance, resilience as a growing concern. CPS environments must operate reliably in disrupted, low-bandwidth, or intermittently connected conditions, while maintaining security and auditability. This is pushing organizations toward architectures designed specifically for CPS operational realities rather than adapted from IT environments.
A strategic priority for CPS leaders
The message is clear: secure remote access is no longer a tactical IT decision. It is a strategic capability that underpins safety, uptime, compliance, and long-term resilience in CPS environments.
Organizations that continue to rely on legacy remote access approaches risk turning an operational necessity into their most dangerous exposure. Those that adopt purpose-built CPS secure remote access solutions aligned with Zero Trust and operational safety principles will be better positioned to meet today’s threats — and tomorrow’s regulatory and resilience challenges.
Gartner Market Guide for CPS Secure Remote Access, Katell Thielemann, Wam Voster, Sumit Rajput, 3 February 2026
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Barbara Hoffman
Product Marketing Manager, PrivX ZT Suite at SSH Communications Security
