How Offshore OT Is Embracing Containers and Modern Cybersecurity
Offshore oil and gas operations don't have the luxury of simply shutting everything down and starting over.
In this episode of PrOTect IT All, host Aaron Crow sits down with Portianer's Matt McLendon and Josh Herr of Xiid to explore the real-world challenges of modernizing cybersecurity and technology in offshore operational technology (OT) environments.
From million-dollar equipment and aging control systems to virtualization, containers, and edge computing, this conversation reveals what it actually takes to keep critical industrial operations running when technology fails, hardware is difficult to replace, and downtime can come at an enormous cost.
Aaron, Josh, and Matt share stories from the field, including the creative decisions operators sometimes have to make to keep one rig running when another goes down. They also explore the gradual shift from legacy Windows and Sun workstations toward Linux, containerization, and newer approaches to managing industrial systems.
Key Takeaways
- Why offshore OT environments present unique cybersecurity challenges
- How legacy systems continue to influence modern industrial operations
- Why containers and virtualization are gaining ground in OT
- How operators balance cybersecurity with uptime and reliability
- The surprising realities of maintaining aging industrial hardware
- What the shift from Windows to Linux can mean for OT environments
Speakers
Matt McLendon Product Steward - Edge & Field Application Engineer at Portainer
Matt is a multidisciplinary team leader and technology practitioner with experience spanning electrical systems, controls, automation, data systems, and IS/IT. His background includes offshore oil and gas electronics, systems administration, and computer hardware, with a strong emphasis on troubleshooting and component-level repair. Matt has led diverse technical teams in fast-paced, mission-critical environments, where collaboration, clarity, and effective problem-solving are essential.
Joshua Herr Director of Integration Engineering at Xiid
Josh is a software engineer and technology architect with more than a decade of experience designing and building systems across desktop applications, cloud infrastructure, and modern cybersecurity environments. His background spans multiple technology verticals and industries, giving him a practical, cross-functional perspective on how organizations secure complex systems at every layer of the technology stack. Josh brings deep expertise in software engineering, cloud architecture,and cybersecurity strategy, with a focus on helping organizations navigate evolving security challenges without sacrificing operational performance. His work combines hands-on technical knowledge with a strong understanding of how security, infrastructure, and business priorities intersect in real-world environments.