Industrial Cybersecurity & OT Risk worked example

OT Risk Mitigation Payback with ot mitigation investment of 87,500 $: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop ot mitigation investment to 87,500 $, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate payback for an OT risk mitigation project using investment, annual risk reduction savings, and support cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • OT mitigation investment: 87,500 $ (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 175,000)
  • Annual OT risk reduction savings: 72,000 $ / yr (held at the documented default)
  • Annual mitigation support cost: 18,500 $ / yr (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Net annual OT mitigation savings = annual OT risk reduction savings - annual mitigation support cost.
  • OT risk mitigation payback period works out to 1.64 yr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Net annual OT mitigation savings works out to 53,500 $ / yr at these inputs.
  • OT mitigation investment works out to 87,500 $ at these inputs.
  • Five-year net OT mitigation value works out to 180,000 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where ot mitigation investment sits at 175,000 $ and the headline result is 3.27 yr, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 1.64 yr.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to ot mitigation investment, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. The risk-reduction savings input is an expected-value estimate of avoided downtime and incident cost, not a metered cash flow, so the payback is only as sound as the underlying threat and impact assumptions.

Results at a glance

  • OT risk mitigation payback period: 1.64 yr (headline result)
  • Net annual OT mitigation savings: 53,500 $ / yr
  • OT mitigation investment: 87,500 $
  • Five-year net OT mitigation value: 180,000 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live OT Risk Mitigation Payback calculator, set ot mitigation investment to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.