ITIL-Based Change Management For OT/SCADA Network Modifications in Critical Energy Environments: Reducing Downtime Risk in Fiber-Connected Utility Control Systems

Abstract

This study investigates the critical problem of downtime risk during OT/SCADA network modifications in fiber-connected utility control systems, where poorly governed changes can disrupt real-time monitoring, control visibility, and operational continuity in energy infrastructure. The purpose of the research is to quantitatively assess how ITIL-based change management practices contribute to reducing downtime risk and improving system resilience in critical energy environments. A quantitative, cross-sectional, case-based research design was adopted, using a structured Likert-scale survey administered to a purposive sample of 214 professionals drawn from cloud-integrated enterprise and utility control system environments, including OT engineers, SCADA operators, network engineers, and ITIL practitioners. The study examined key independent variables such as change planning, change risk assessment, approval and authorization, rollback and recovery planning, and post-change review and documentation, with downtime risk reduction as the dependent variable. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability testing, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression modeling. The findings reveal strong statistical relationships, with the regression model explaining 67.5% of the variance in downtime risk reduction (R² = 0.675, p < 0.001). Change risk assessment emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.31), followed by rollback and recovery planning (β = 0.27) and change planning (β = 0.22). Correlation results further confirm significant positive associations, particularly between change risk assessment and downtime reduction (r = 0.72, p < 0.001). The overall downtime risk reduction score was high (M = 4.20), while system resilience was also strong (M = 4.12), although moderate risk exposure remained (M = 3.96). These findings indicate that structured ITIL-based governance significantly enhances operational continuity. The study implies that integrating risk-aware planning, recovery readiness, and formal authorization into change processes can reduce failures and improve resilience in critical infrastructure systems.