The Danger of IT, OT, Medical Device Cyber Turf Wars

Mohammad Waqas, CTO of Armis, on Ensuring Accountability Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) • February 23, 2026 26 Minutes

What often appears to be turf wars between healthcare technology management, facilities OT staff, IT departments and security teams are often just the result of unclear ownership and accountability of device security. And that presents a safety risk to patients, said Mohamed Waqas, chief technology officer at Armis.

As more medical gear, facilities and operational technologies become network-connected, devices are frequently deployed outside the visibility of cybersecurity teams, with the expectation that IT or security - or perhaps a vendor - will intervene only when something goes wrong, he said.

At the same time, security teams often identify and report vulnerabilities but don't remediate them, leaving asset-owning teams responsible for fixes they may not be equipped to handle.

"I think it's more about confusion in terms of ...