Energy & Utilities
Security from the control room to the boardroom
Generation, networks, and supply depend on control systems built for safety and reliability, and now connected to corporate IT, suppliers, and the cloud. DarkGuard gives energy and utility operators one accountable partner for operational technology security, IT security, resilience, and governance, so your leadership team can meet its obligations and keep operations safe and available.
The challenge
IT and operations now share the same risks
Control systems, corporate networks, and supplier connections now form one environment. A problem in one part can reach the others, and the questions that follow come from the board, the regulator, and the public. Four pressures in particular now reach the leadership team.
Operational technology is now connected
Control systems that were once isolated now link to corporate networks, remote access tools, and vendor platforms. Many run on older protocols that cannot be patched or scanned like ordinary IT.
Regulators expect secure essential services
Operators of essential services and critical infrastructure are expected to manage cyber risk, report significant incidents, and show that their controls work.
Safety and uptime come first
Security work has to fit around maintenance windows, safety requirements, and systems that cannot simply be taken offline.
Suppliers reach deep into operations
Equipment vendors, integrators, and service providers often have remote access to operational systems. Your organisation remains accountable for how that access is controlled.
How we support you
OT and IT security from one partner
Operators often run OT security, IT security, and compliance through separate teams and suppliers, and gaps tend to appear where those responsibilities meet. We cover both environments through one engagement, led by senior people, with one point of accountability to you.
Specialised services
Operational technology (OT/ICS) security that respects uptime, safety, and older technology.
- — OT asset inventory: a current view of control systems and how they connect
- — Network segmentation design: clear separation between corporate IT and operational networks
- — OT-specific security baselines: security settings suited to industrial systems and protocols
- — Non-disruptive vulnerability assessment: weaknesses identified without interrupting operations
- — OT incident response plan: a response plan written for operational environments
Governance, risk & compliance
Governance and risk management that give your board a clear view across IT and operations.
- — ICT risk management & governance: a defined risk appetite, a living risk register, and board-level reporting
- — Third-party & supply chain risk management: due diligence and monitoring of equipment vendors, integrators, and service providers, including their remote access
- — Compliance & policy framework: policies aligned to the obligations that apply to you, with evidence packs ready for audits
- — Security awareness & training: role-based training for office and operational staff
Managed detection & response
Continuous monitoring, so unusual activity is spotted and handled early.
- — MDR & XDR services (24/7 managed detection & response): monitoring and response across devices, identities, network, and cloud, around the clock
- — SIEM engineering & operations: log data from your critical systems collected and reviewed in one place
- — Threat intelligence & detection engineering: detection tuned to the threats that target energy and critical infrastructure
Incident response & forensics
An experienced response team on call, working to a plan agreed with you and your operations teams.
- — Security incident response: fast triage and containment, organised around your reporting obligations
- — Incident & escalation management: severity levels, decision rights, and escalation paths agreed across IT and operations
- — Digital forensics & containment: evidence collected and preserved with a clear chain of custody
- — Crisis communication & stakeholder management: coordinated communication with customers, regulators, and the public
Operational resilience
Confidence that essential services keep running and recover when something fails.
- — Recovery planning & business continuity: continuity and disaster recovery plans for your essential services
- — Business continuity & cyber resilience testing: tabletop exercises for leadership and operations teams, and technical recovery tests
- — Recovery execution & system rebuilding: clean rebuilds and integrity checks before systems return to service
Attack surface management
A clear view of where you are exposed, with every finding tracked until it is fixed.
- — Asset discovery & inventory: a current inventory across IT, cloud, and operational systems
- — Vulnerability management & assessment: regular scanning, a prioritised remediation queue, and tracking to closure
- — Penetration testing & adversary simulation: realistic attack simulations against infrastructure, applications, and people
- — Configuration & hardening reviews: critical systems checked against hardening standards
Every service runs to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0. Services can be delivered as advisory projects, as managed services, or as a combination of both.
How we engage
How we work with you
Assess
A fixed-scope review of where you stand across IT and operations against the obligations that apply to you. You receive a summary for the board and a prioritised plan.
Build
We close the priority gaps in governance, controls, and recovery, planned around your operational constraints. Every finding gets an owner and a remediation date.
Run
We deliver the agreed services day to day and meet with you every quarter to review progress against your risk appetite.
Additional services
Specialist services when you need them
Virtual CISO
Security leadership at board level without a full-time hire. Includes fractional CISO leadership, board & executive cyber reporting, and regulator & external engagement.
Identity & data protection
Data security & privacy protection, identity & access management, and encryption & key management, so the right people have access to the right systems and sensitive data stays protected.
ICT services
Cloud infrastructure & migration, network & connectivity, end-user computing & workspace, a managed service desk, and IT infrastructure & systems management, run to a defined standard.
AI enablement
AI adoption is moving faster than AI governance in most organisations. From an AI readiness assessment to AI governance, risk & policy and AI pipeline & infrastructure security, we help make AI in forecasting, maintenance, and customer service safe and defensible.
Regulatory fluency
Fluent in the rules you answer to
Whichever regulator or framework applies to your operations, the expectations follow the same themes. We work with your compliance, operations, and technology teams in the same conversation, and where you operate in more than one jurisdiction, we set up one control environment that covers all of them.
Governance and accountability
Clear ownership of cyber risk across IT and operations, a defined risk appetite, and regular reporting to the board.
Supply chain and remote access
Due diligence, contracts, and controlled access for the vendors and integrators your operations depend on.
Resilience of essential services
Essential services identified, recovery planned, and plans tested against realistic scenarios.
Incident reporting
Significant incidents classified and reported within the deadlines that apply, with a clear record of each decision.
Evidence
Policies, tests, and remediation records kept current, so audits and regulatory reviews start from documents that already exist.
Talk to us about where your operations stand today and what to prioritise first.
Speak with our team