Industrial Cybersecurity & OT Risk worked example

OT Monitoring Sensor Density at 58% target sensor utilization: a worked example

Suppose target sensor utilization falls to 58%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate OT monitoring sensor or collector density required for network zones and compare it with available monitoring capacity.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Network zones or segments needing monitoring: 42 segments (held at the documented default)
  • Monitoring sensor capacity available: 35 segments (held at the documented default)
  • Target sensor utilization: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Required OT monitoring sensor load = monitoring demand in zones or segments รท target sensor utilization.
  • Total load works out to 1,470 units at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Hourly equivalent works out to 25.34 units / hr at these inputs.
  • Input load works out to 42 units at these inputs.
  • Load factor works out to 35 x at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target sensor utilization sits at 80% and the headline result is 1,470 units, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 1,470 units.
  • It computes the required monitoring sensor load at your target utilization and the gap between that requirement and your installed sensor capacity. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total load: 1,470 units (headline result)
  • Hourly equivalent: 25.34 units / hr
  • Input load: 42 units
  • Load factor: 35 x

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live OT Monitoring Sensor Density calculator, set target sensor utilization to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.