Industry
Gas & Energy Infrastructure
OT cybersecurity support for gas transmission, energy infrastructure, compressor control, telemetry, vendor access, safety interfaces and assurance requirements.
Sector context
Gas and energy infrastructure depends on reliable control systems, resilient communications and clear operational ownership. Compressor stations, AGIs, terminals, telemetry systems, substations, metering packages and remote assets often rely on long-life control equipment that was not originally designed for current cybersecurity expectations.
The challenge is rarely just cybersecurity. It is keeping essential services running while improving visibility, reducing exposure and producing evidence that satisfies engineering, operations, compliance and assurance stakeholders.
Common OT cybersecurity problems in gas and energy infrastructure
Typical issues include
- Flat OT networks with limited segmentation
- Legacy PLC, SCADA, HMI, telemetry and engineering workstation arrangements
- Vendor remote access routes that are not fully documented
- Mixed ownership between operations, IT, engineering and suppliers
- Limited asset visibility across remote or unmanned sites
- Incomplete evidence for cybersecurity assurance reviews
- Difficulty aligning practical site constraints with IEC 62443 or NCSC CAF expectations
Relevant services
- IEC 62443 Readiness Assessment
- OT cybersecurity assessment
- Network segmentation engineering
- IEC 62443 support
- Cybersecurity risk assessment
- Engineering assurance
- Documentation and design support
Stakeholders involved
Decisions and constraints
- Operations need the site to remain available
- Engineering needs changes to be technically sound and manageable through change control
- Project teams need clear deliverables and realistic assumptions
- Compliance and assurance teams need evidence
- Safety stakeholders need assurance that cyber controls do not create operational or process risk
- Vendors need clear access requirements
- Senior managers need a proportionate plan that reduces risk without unnecessary disruption
Relevant engineering work
Activities
- OT cybersecurity readiness reviews
- IEC 62443-aligned system scoping
- SuC definition, zones, conduits and trust boundary development
- Network architecture review
- Remote access review
- Asset visibility and evidence gap assessments
- Cybersecurity input to FEED, detailed design, FAT, SAT and handover
- Practical risk reduction plans suitable for live operational environments
UK energy assurance and engineering evidence
For organisations subject to NIS or client assurance requirements, Meridian can help map NCSC CAF outcomes and applicable Ofgem guidance to existing OT evidence, identify gaps and track proportionate remediation actions through engineering delivery. The operator and relevant authority determine regulatory obligations and compliance status.
Evidence may include system boundaries, architecture and remote-access records, supplier responsibilities, design reviews, verification results and an action register showing owners and close-out. IEC 62443 can support this work according to role: asset-owner programme activities, service-provider delivery or system risk and requirements are considered where applicable rather than treated as one universal checklist.
Practical outcome
Decisions the review should support
- What systems are in scope
- Where the main cyber exposure exists
- Which interfaces need stronger control
- Which controls are realistic for the site
- What evidence is missing
- Which actions should be prioritised
Worked example
- Context
- A remote operational facility has accumulated PLC, SCADA, telemetry and vendor-access connections over several years, but the current architecture and responsibilities are not fully documented.
- Review focus
- Meridian can help establish the system boundary, review communication and support paths, identify practical segmentation opportunities and produce the engineering evidence needed to support design and assurance decisions.
Worked technical example only; it does not describe a completed Meridian client engagement.
Standards and guidance references
The following external references provide useful context for organisations considering OT cybersecurity, assurance, NIS alignment or IEC 62443-based control system security work.
Related OT cybersecurity topics
Related services
Choose this when your project needs specialist engineering capacity. A defined OT cybersecurity work package for risk, architecture, design review, supplier interfaces and assurance evidence within an active industrial project.
Start here if you are unsure what applies or where to begin. Establish the boundary, applicable lifecycle context, available evidence and next engineering work before a detailed IEC 62443 assessment or project decision.
Discuss gas & energy infrastructure OT cybersecurity
Make an enquiry about the control system, project stage, documentation gap or assurance requirement without exposing sensitive site or client details.