OT Security Expertise From the Inside Out
Trusted OT Advisors was founded by Chris McLaughlin — an OT security practitioner with over 25 years of hands-on experience in industrial control systems, critical infrastructure, and cybersecurity program development.
Chris McLaughlin
Principal Consultant, Trusted OT Advisors
Chris McLaughlin is the founder and principal consultant of Trusted OT Advisors, bringing over 25 years of experience in operational technology security, industrial control systems, and critical infrastructure protection. His career spans hands-on ICS/SCADA work, enterprise security leadership, and executive-level advisory roles across energy, manufacturing, and government sectors.
Chris has built and led OT security programs from the ground up — navigating the real-world constraints of legacy systems, operational priorities, and organizational politics that most security frameworks ignore. His Seven Steps to a Sustainable OT Program is drawn directly from that experience.
As the principal consultant at Trusted OT Advisors, every engagement is led personally by Chris. Clients get direct access to senior expertise — not a junior analyst backed by a distant partner.
Every engagement is led personally by Chris — no hand-offs, no junior staff.
Why Trusted OT Advisors Exists
Most OT security advice comes from IT security professionals who have retrofitted their knowledge to operational technology environments. The result is guidance that sounds right in a boardroom but fails on the plant floor.
Trusted OT Advisors was founded to fill that gap — providing advisory services built on direct OT experience, not adapted IT frameworks. Chris McLaughlin has spent over two decades inside organizations, understanding operational constraints, and building security programs that actually work in ICS and OT environments.
The Seven Steps to a Sustainable OT Program isn't a theoretical framework. It's a distillation of what actually works — drawn from real experience, real failures, and real successes in OT security program development.
ICS/SCADA Security
Deep knowledge of industrial control system security architectures, and security challenges across energy, manufacturing, water, and critical infrastructure sectors.
OT Program Development
End-to-end OT security program design — from initial assessment through governance, policy, and continuous improvement.
Executive Advisory
CISO-level strategic counsel, board briefings, and security roadmap development for organizations at every stage of OT security maturity.
Incident Response
OT-specific incident response planning, tabletop facilitation, and advisory support.
Security Frameworks and Controls
Practical guidance on NERC CIP, IEC 62443, NIST CSF, and other OT-relevant regulatory and standards frameworks.
Industries Served
Work Directly With Chris
Every Trusted OT Advisors engagement is led personally by Chris McLaughlin. No hand-offs, no junior staff — just direct access to 25+ years of OT security expertise.