Before you can secure your OT network, you have to understand it.

In this episode of the Zeroed-In Podcast, our host Olivier Bloch sits down with Dan Frechette, OT security expert and former member of the CyberX Labs team (now Microsoft Defender for IoT).

Together, they unpack the fundamentals of OT visibility, asset discovery, and passive network monitoring. They also cover how modern tools like Microsoft Defender for IoT help organizations identify risks before attackers exploit them.

Topics Include:

• Why you can’t secure what you don’t know exists

• The critical differences between IT and OT networks

• Real-world OT cyberattacks like TRITON

• How to passively discover every device in your plant network

• Why security may actually bridge IT and OT, not divide them

If you work in manufacturing, utilities, or industrial cybersecurity... this is your crash course in understanding what’s really running on your network, and how to defend it.

Subscribe for more conversations on Industrial IoT, OT Security, and AI in Manufacturing.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 Intro: Understanding OT Infrastructure

01:42 Dan Frechette’s Background in OT Security

03:30 Why You Can’t Secure What You Don’t Know

06:15 The Old “Air Gap” Myth and Why It’s Failing

09:10 IT vs OT: The Two Worlds Explained

13:25 Real OT Attack Stories (TRITON, Oldsmar, etc.)

18:20 How to Map Your OT Network Passively

22:10 Monitoring and Detecting Anomalies

27:15 Defender for IoT: Setup and First Results

31:40 Bridging the IT/OT Divide with Security

36:00 Final Takeaways

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero: Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Olivier Bloch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/

📌 Follow Dan Frechette on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-frechette/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@thing-zero

- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #MicrosoftSecurity #DefenderForIoT #manufacturing

In this episode of The Zeroed-In Podcast by Thing-Zero, we sit down with Kudzai Manditereza from HiveMQ and founder of Industry40tv, to get practical about data in manufacturing. We dig into MQTT’s real job in the stack, how to bridge OT and IT without breaking culture, and why a Unified Namespace is the backbone for reliable analytics and AI at scale.

We talk with Kudzai about:

• MQTT vs OPC UA vs field-bus protocols, and where each fits

• The OT and IT priorities problem, and how to decouple with MQTT

• UNS as an event-driven backbone for orchestration, not a silver bullet

• Edge-first thinking: push rules to the edge, send only what matters

• Governance that scales: RBAC, validation, and killing the “wild west” broker

• Standardizing KPIs like OEE across plants without slowing teams downMake sure to subscribe for more real-world OT, data, and AI conversations.

⏱ Chapters:00:00 Intro

01:00 MQTT’s lane vs OPC UA and field buses

06:45 OT-IT culture and security priorities

12:40 MQTT in the DMZ as a data diode

17:10 Governance, RBAC, and broker hygiene

20:40 Edge intelligence and pushing rules down

26:30 Standardizing OEE and data models across sites

33:10 UNS today and where it’s going next

39:20 Wrap up🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero: Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.📌 Follow Kudzai Manditereza on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kudzaimanditereza/📌 Follow Olivier Bloch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierbloch/📌 Follow Ryan Kershaw on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankershaw/Follow Thing-Zero on:- YouTube: YouTube.com/@thing-zero - Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero - 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com#IndustrialAutomation #SmartFactory #IntelligentManufacturing #AI #OT

AI in the real world isn’t a keynote... it’s a factory floor, a power bill, and a risk register.

In this episode, Marvin Tansley (Thing-Zero) sits down with Alec Coughlin (AI with Alec) to map the jump from hype to hard results: securing brownfield OT, preparing a data/knowledge-centric estate, and using agents to augment operators—not replace them.

We cover the shift from app-centric silos to platforms, prescriptive analytics that drive next-best actions, and the leadership moves that make it stick: psychological safety, exec bootcamps, incentives that reward smart risk, and “hands-in-dirt” adoption.

If you’re a CTO/CIO, plant leader, or ops owner wondering how to compete when AI becomes table stakes, this is the playbook you've been looking for.

⏱ Chapters:

0:00 Intros & setup

0:24 Alec’s origin: RPA spark → “AI with Alec”

1:14 Marvin’s path: industrial engineering to AI

2:00 Practical vs hype; LLMs get “evolutionary” + Palantir/data platforms

5:31 Augmentation vs automation (factory story)

9:07 Brownfield OT realities & security-by-design

12:50 From app-centric to data/knowledge-centric (why it’s existential)

16:45 Analytics ladder: descriptive → predictive → prescriptive

19:08 Ransomware lesson ($20M/day) & designing safety in

40:56 Culture, incentives, “make the beer taste better”

42:32 Closing Thoughts

→ The Zeroed in Podcast is also now available on your favorite podcast platforms: https://linktr.ee/zeroedinpod

📌 Follow Alec Coughlin on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecchh/

📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

Follow us on:

YouTube: YouTube.com/@thing-zero

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thing-zero/

𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954/

Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com/

#AIwithAlec #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ML

Robots don’t kill jobs, and they might even be able to save them when you use them right.

In this episode, Jake Hall: the Manufacturing Millennial, joins Olivier Bloch and Ryan Kershaw of Thing-Zero to dig into the real levers behind U.S. manufacturing: reshoring, automation, brownfield vs. greenfield, AI (yes, generative too), security/trust, and the single biggest constraint of all… people and skills.

We cover:

• Why many SMEs still run like it’s 2005—and what flips the adoption switch

• RaaS, easier software, and proof-you-can-scale examples• Robots creating local jobs (not replacing them)

• Practical security/trust moves when connecting OT → cloud

• Education pipelines: FIRST Robotics, digital natives, and what Gen Z actually wants at work

If this helped, hit Subscribe and share with a manufacturing friend who needs a nudge to modernize.

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intros & setup (Olivier, Ryan, Jake)

01:38 Sports icebreaker → manufacturing mindset

02:30 Reshoring & tariffs: can the U.S. staff up?

05:44 “Good enough” risk: closure story & the moving-train analogy

09:50 Post-2020 winners: automation, flexibility, RaaS & easier software

12:45 Brownfield first steps: lighthouse plants & fail-fast culture

16:32 Brownfield vs. Greenfield: culture decides; skills are the bottleneck

20:04 Robots save jobs: U.S. case study + AI parallels

26:07 Security & trust: connecting OT → cloud the right way

32:42 Education pipeline & what Gen Z wants (FIRST Robotics)

37:22 Closing thoughts

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Jake Hall on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobrhall/

📌 Follow Olivier Bloch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierbloch/

📌 Follow Ryan Kershaw on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankershaw/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing

What happens when you combine shift-level insights, OT data, and predictive analytics? You stop burning buns, and start scaling profits.

In this episode of the Zeroed In Podcast, Marvin Tansley (Thing-Zero) sits down with Aaron Pfeifer (Atlas OT) to unpack how manufacturers can:

• Pull signal from noisy operations data

• Spot patterns in downtime, waste, and inefficiency

• Use successful shifts as live playbooks for struggling ones

• Bridge the gap between OT realities and IT-driven AI models

Whether you’re leading a plant, an OT security program, or a digital transformation initiative, this conversation gives you a frontline look at how to turn data into behaviors that improve reliability, safety, and profitability.

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Start / Framing ROI: Maintenance math, partial valve testing (SIL mindset)

02:45 Real-time + historical data: Compare assets, vendors, and cycles for gains

05:30 Prep the data estate for AI: “You already own the apartment” (cloud)

08:50 Secure democratization: Read-only, one-way flows; exec dashboards that matter

12:10 Crawl → Walk → Run: Models, thresholds, and cost-of-action decisions

16:20 Edge models safely: Optimize offline; push anomalies up, not commands down

19:30 Brownfield realities: Knowledge loss, out-of-date prints, safety interlocks

24:30 The cost of NOT modernizing: Unplanned downtime vs. proactive budgets

28:50 Heterogeneous control stacks: Standardizing without standardizing

33:10 Agile POCs on your cloud: Measure waste first; fast wins prove value

37:10 Close: Better business → better world (and better jobs)

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/

📌 Follow Aaron Pfiefer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adpfeifer/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing

Today we’re joined by David Schultz (G5 Consulting) and Ryan Kershaw from Thing-Zero to unpack what smart manufacturing really looks like beyond buzzwords.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: OT vs IT and the "Boring Topics, Interesting People" Premise

00:55 Meet David Schultz: Background in Automation & G5 Consulting

03:40 What Digital Transformation Actually Looks Like

06:10 Why Most Dashboards Don’t Drive Action

08:20 Human-Centered Change Management in Manufacturing

10:00 How ISA-95 Helps Bridge OT and IT 11:50 - The Real Power of Unified Namespace (UNS)

14:20 Cultural Resistance and Adoption: The Real Battle

17:15 How to Lead Through Event Storming and Trust Building

20:40 Why “Secure by Design” Isn’t Optional

23:00 Lessons from the Field: What the Best Teams Do Differently

28:45 Final Thoughts: Advice for Industrial Leaders

30:30 Wrap-Up & What’s Next for Smart Manufacturing

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Ryan Kershaw: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankershaw/

📌 Follow David Schultz: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedavidschultz/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thing-zero/

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing

This is Episode 1 of the Zeroed In Podcast. Marvin Tansley from Thing-Zero interviews Eric Siegel from Gooder AI to tackle real-world smart manufacturing challenges using predictive AI.

Together, they break down common issues seen on the factory floors into quick-wins, with step-by-step guidance you can use to break into the exciting world of OT and increase ROI with predictive AI.

If you're in an IT or OT role in Manufacturing, this episode is for you!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro & episode setup (manufacturing + AI)

01:06 What Thing-Zero does: secure predictive analytics

01:30 Guest intro: Eric Siegel (Goodter AI, ex-Columbia)

02:21 The pain: ~30% downtime / quality loss in factories

04:26 Predictive maintenance explained (why it’s the gold standard)

06:12 Decisions by probability: expected cost in plain English

08:08 Why pilots stall: missing business visibility & ROI

10:01 Data you need: historical + real-time (same schema)

12:38 Secure OT→Cloud pipeline (zero-trust, compliant)

13:02 Crawl-Walk-Run roadmap to production value

16:03 Change management: augment operators, don’t replace them

17:52 Beyond binary: process optimization & democratized data

19:12 From data lake to business wins (scrap, shifts, capex)

33:23 Visibility → optimization → financial decisions (playbook)

38:33 Wrap-up, next steps & how to get in touch

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/

📌 Follow Eric Siegel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/predictiveanalytics/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thing-zero/

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com#operationaltechnology

#IoT#AI #PredictiveAnalytics #SmartManufacturing