Are You in Control of Who is Accessing Your Critical Systems?

Remote access has become essential. However, for most industrial organizations, it’s also become the most dangerous blind spot in their cybersecurity posture. 

The tools many teams still rely on VPNs, jump servers, and shared logins that were never built for today’s OT and IT environments. These legacy systems were designed decades ago, when connectivity was simpler and threats were fewer. 

But today, 88% of industrial sites identify remote access as their most significant cybersecurity risk¹. And attackers know it. 

The Problem: Fragmented Access = Expanding Risk

If you can’t clearly answer who’s accessing what, when, and from where, then you’re exposed unnecessarily. Not just to cyber threats, but to downtime, operational delays, and compliance gaps. 

Legacy tools like VPNs and jump servers introduce serious risk because: 

  • They allow insecure endpoints to connect directly to sensitive systems 
  • They lack granular access control, visibility, or audit trails 
  • They offer persistent access, increasing insider threat exposure 
  • They’re hard to maintain and patch, and harder to scale 
  • They don’t support just-in-time access or modern security standards 

Real-World Example: What Can Go Wrong?

A natural gas-fired power plant relied on outdated, fragmented remote access tools. User authentication was inconsistent and visibility limited. As a result, unauthorized users were able to access operational systems, triggering major security and compliance concerns. 

The impact? 

  • Increased risk of cyberattack
  • Manual workarounds to verify access
  • Compliance issues under NERC CIP
  • Delays and added operational costs

After implementing a secure access platform, the plant centralized authentication, enforced role-based access, and gained real-time visibility eliminating blind spots and regaining control. 

The Shift to Modern Access Control

Modern OT and critical infrastructure teams need more than perimeter security; they need access control that is: 

  • Identity-based
  • Real-time and auditable
  • Unified across IT and OT domains
  • Built for constrained and hybrid environments

A strong access control framework allows you to: 

  • Control who gets in, and what they can do
  • Align with global security standards (NERC CIP, IEC 62443, TSA, NIS2)
  • Streamline operations and reduce admin overhead
  • Strengthen your security posture without sacrificing usability

Don’t Wait for a Breach to Take Back Control

Most access failures aren’t about firewalls; they’re about trusting the wrong things by default. It’s time to rethink how your teams and partners connect to your most critical systems. 

  1. Evaluate your current remote access policies
  2. Identify gaps in visibility, enforcement, and auditability
  3. Start exploring secure access solutions purpose-built for industrial environments

Want to Read More, Check Out: “The Risks of Inadequate User Access Control in Critical Infrastructure”  

 

Endnotes 

  1. Remote Services: Analyzing the Financial Exposures in Industrial Sites, DeNexus, 2025. 

Disconnected Access Explained: How Xona Protects Critical Systems Without Network Connectivity

Reframe Secure Access for Critical Infrastructure

Remote access isn’t optional in critical infrastructure anymore; it’s operationally essential. Whether for maintenance, OEM support, remote field work, or incident response, industrial organizations must enable access to critical systems.

But, legacy access methods like VPNs, jump servers, and even agent-based Zero Trust or IT-based remote privileged access management (RPAM) tools all share one dangerous flaw: they implicitly trust the endpoint.

In a world where ransomware is delivered through contractor laptops, jump hosts become pivot points, and unmanaged endpoints are the #1 threat vector to OT, it’s time to fundamentally rethink how we provide access.

What if users could access critical systems without ever connecting to the network?

That’s the promise of Disconnected Access, a protocol isolated architecture that’s reshaping secure access for operational technology (OT), industrial control systems (ICS), and cyber-physical systems (CPS). It’s how Xona helps critical infrastructure leaders break the connection, not just restrict it.

What Is Disconnected Access?

Disconnected Access is a secure access model that breaks the traditional network tunnel between user endpoints and critical infrastructure.

Instead of routing traffic from untrusted devices into trusted networks (as VPNs or jump hosts do), Xona isolates access at the protocol level, completely severing the network path between the user and the system.

Using browser-based interaction, screen rendering, and strict protocol mediation, users interact with applications (like HMIs, PLCs, and engineering workstations) without the underlying device ever making a network connection to the OT environment.

This approach:

  • Eliminates lateral movement
  • Prevents malware payload delivery
  • Stops data exfiltration via endpoint compromise
  • Protects ransomware-prone OT systems without patching

It’s Zero Trust without assuming endpoint integrity; an ideal match for field engineers, remote contractors, and third-party OEMs accessing sensitive industrial systems.

“Restrict the connection” vs. “Break the connection”

Most remote access platforms, including modernized IT-RPAM, VPN, and Zero Trust solutions, attempt to restrict access through configuration.

They rely on segmentation, firewalls, endpoint verification, or policy layers. But they all still fundamentally connect the user’s device to the OT network.

🔐 Xona breaks the connection entirely.

Our platform establishes a one-way, protocol-isolated session that proxies screen data only, not files, commands, or protocols. This air gap by design enforces Zero Trust from endpoint to asset without any direct network exposure.

How Xona’s Architecture Works

Xona’s secure access platform is purpose-built for critical infrastructure. Here’s how it protects operations from endpoint risk while keeping workflows fast and effortless:

✅ Application-Layer Isolation
Only mouse, keyboard, and screen data are exchanged, not protocols or packets. OT traffic stays confined to the trusted network.

✅ Browser-Based Access
No VPN clients. No agents. No plugins. Just a modern browser, even in air-gapped or low-bandwidth environments.

✅ No Endpoint Trust Assumptions
We make no assumptions about the user’s device. Compromised laptop? Infected field tablet? Irrelevant. Xona mediates all access from a secured perimeter.

✅ Complete Session Control
Record every session. Shadow user activity. Enforce RBAC, TBAC, and instantly terminate sessions when policy violations occur.

✅ Regulatory Ready by Design
Supports NERC CIP, IEC 62443, TSA SD02, NIS2, and OTCC-1 standards, including just-in-time access, session audit, and secure identity brokering.

FeatureVPNJump ServerPAMXona
Built for OT/ICS❌❌❌✅
No endpoint-to-network connection❌❌❌✅
Browser-based (zero install)❌❌❌✅
Session isolation and recording⚠️ Limited⚠️ Partial⚠️ Partial✅
Regulatory compliance ready❌❌⚠️ Partial✅
Maintenance overheadHighHighMediumLow

Only Xona offers true Disconnected Access, a secure, protocol-isolated session that defends against endpoint threats without complexity or compromise.

Xona in Action: Real-World Use Cases

Field Engineer Troubleshooting
An engineer with an unmanaged laptop needs to check an HMI panel 300 miles away. With Xona, they log in through a browser and access the interface securely, no VPN, no agent, no network exposure.

OEM Support Access
A vendor needs to patch firmware on a PLC for one hour. With Xona’s time-bound, least-privileged access and moderated file transfer, they get session-limited entry via protocol isolation, with full video recording and zero lateral risk.

Compliance Driven Operations
A pipeline operator must demonstrate NERC CIP-003-09 compliance. With Xona, every remote session is logged, recorded, policy-bound, and compliant with zero direct connectivity.

Why It Matters Now

  • 91% of organizations expressed concerns about VPNs compromising their security environment, with recent breaches illustrating the risks of maintaining outdated or unpatched VPN infrastructures.1
  • VPN vulnerabilities have multiplied in recent years, leading to exploitation and emergency directives such as CISA’s ED-24-01.
  • Regulators now mandate Zero Trust enforcement across OT environments, but without breaking operations.

Secure remote access with disconnected access is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have for any OT organization that wants to secure, sustain, and scale operations in a hostile threat landscape.

Conclusion: It’s Time to Rethink Access Control

At Xona, we believe the people who keep the lights on, water flowing, and critical systems running deserve access that’s effortless, reliable, and secure, no matter where they are.

We’re proud to empower critical infrastructure heroes with tools that help them work faster and safer, without compromising the assets we all depend on.

Want to Learn More? Schedule a 15-minute demo.

End Notes
1. Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 VPN Risk Report, Zscaler, https://zerotrust.cio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2024/05/threatlabz-vpn-risk-report-2024.pdf

OT Endpoint Risks and How to Eliminate Them

Cyberattacks on operational technology systems increased 87% in 2024 (Dragos 2024), with endpoint access emerging as THE top attack vector for OT and industrial control systems (ICS).

This means the same connections vital to maintaining your critical systems, whether a vendor connecting remotely via VPN or an employee logging into a local workstation, represent a potential entry point into your environment.

And unlike IT, where an attack typically results in data theft or held hostage, OT environments present unique challenges that pose real world risks.

What Makes OT Endpoint Access So Risky?

A compromised OT endpoint exposes physical consequences: unsafe working conditions, disrupted production lines, poisoned water supplies, even regional blackouts. So, it’s less about stolen records and more about keeping the lights on and people safe. Each endpoint is a critical vulnerability demanding immediate attention.

Here’s why OT environments are especially vulnerable to endpoint threats.

The Remote Endpoint Challenge

According to Dragos, over 50% of initial access in OT ransomware campaigns comes from third-party vendor tools like VPNs and remote desktop protocol (RDP). That means the very tools enabling external vendor support are now one of the biggest threats to uptime, safety, and compliance.

These are typically users you don’t employ, connecting from devices you don’t control, into environments that demand 99.999% uptime.

Untrusted Remote Devices: Vendor laptops aren’t yours to secure. They may carry malware, lack endpoint protection, and have connected to multiple unknown networks that week.

Dormant Remote Access: When a technician leaves their company, how fast is their access revoked? Sometimes it’s days or even weeks before your team is notified.

Lateral Movement Exposure: Remote connections like VPNs and RDP often gives broad, lateral network access. If compromised, attackers can move from the HMI to the historian to engineering workstations undetected.

While these remote endpoint threats get significant attention, many teams over-invest in external controls leaving a critical vulnerability much closer to home.

The Local Endpoint Blind Spot

Remote access risks dominate security conversations. And for good reason. But here’s what’s often overlooked: local access (employees, contractors, and technicians connecting directly to systems on-site) is still a major threat vector, and one of the least protected.

So while teams are hardening perimeter connections and managing remote vendors through VPN replacements and zero trust models, these local endpoint risks remain.

Shared Local Credentials: Teams often reuse generic logins for local workstations. “Everyone knows the password to ENG-01.” If something goes wrong, there’s no way to track who did what and when they did.

Unmonitored Local Sessions: In environments where every remote login is subject to MFA, session recording, and approval workflows – local access is often still running on muscle memory and trust.

Assumed Physical Security: The legacy model assumes that if someone has badge access and knows the workstation password, that’s considered good enough. But that trust model never included traceability, MFA, or per-user accountability.

The Common Thread: Systemic OT Access Gaps

Remote and local access may feel like separate challenges. But dig deeper and you’ll find the same set of systemic flaws undermining both:

Identity Blindness – Shared logins, default credentials, and a lack of per-user traceability mean organizations can’t answer a basic question: “Who made that change?”

Credential Sprawl – Old contractor accounts, dormant VPN users, and permanent passwords create standing backdoors attackers love to find.

Audit Gaps – Most OT sessions (remote or local) aren’t monitored or recorded. That means you can’t catch misuse in real time or explain what happened after the fact. NERC CIP, TSA Security Directives, and EU NIS2 all require documented access controls and audit trails. Shared credentials and unmonitored sessions create automatic compliance failures during audits.

Inconsistent Controls – Some vendor access goes through layered authentication. Other on-site engineers log in with a badge and shared password. That kind of inconsistency is what adversaries exploit.

Whether someone logs in from across the world or walks up to a workstation on the plant floor the common issues persist: unverified identities, unmonitored sessions, and stale credentials continuing to create cracks in your defenses.

How Did We Get Here?

Given these clear vulnerabilities, it’s tempting to ask, “Why hasn’t this been solved already?” The answer, like most OT security issues, has layers.

To understand why these inconsistencies persist, it’s important to understand how IT and OT evolved differently.

Traditional IT Tools Don’t Translate to the OT Floor

Most IT endpoint security tools rely on installing agents to collect data and enforce policy. Many OT devices can’t support agents. Some run legacy or embedded operating systems. Others are simply off limits because of vendor constraints or operational risk. Even if agent deployment were possible, there’s usually no window for it when uptime is on the line.

And the problem doesn’t stop at agents. Identity governance platforms, user behavior analytics systems, and even your basic SSO weren’t built for legacy controllers running ladder logic.

  • You’re not deploying CrowdStrike to a Siemens S7-300
  • You’re not federating access to an HMI running Windows XP Embedded

Plant-floor devices weren’t designed with enterprise IAM system integration in mind. They don’t speak LDAP or SAML. Some don’t even support encrypted protocols.

OT teams are frequently forced to operate outside the enterprise access tools the rest of the business relies on. This causes visibility, and control, to drop off sharply at the OT boundary.

The fundamental IT/OT divide set the stage for two completely different approaches to access control as connectivity needs grew.

Different Evolution Paths for Remote vs. Local Access

When IT/OT convergence began, the technology gap forced different evolution paths for remote and local access.

Remote Access Evolution: Organizations spent years building robust remote access controls, especially as COVID accelerated the need for offsite connectivity.

Local Access Stagnation: The legacy model for local access hasn’t kept pace. For years, the implicit model was “once you’re inside the facility, you’re inside the trust zone”. Security at the perimeter. Trust inside the walls.

But business demands weren’t going to wait for OT access models to catch up.

OT Is Now Connected…and Exposed

Today’s reality is that OT connectivity is no longer optional. With the rapid push for digital transformation, cloud-integrated telemetry, and remote diagnostics, the boundary between local and remote access has blurred.

Field devices are pushing telemetry to cloud dashboards. Remote diagnostics are being performed over LTE failovers. Engineering laptops bounce between internal and external networks.

So, while the architecture has evolved, the access model hasn’t. Both local and remote access are still treated with inconsistent security standards even though they’re increasingly wired into systems and services that sit well beyond the perimeter.

This has left many OT and ICS professionals stuck with a patchwork of legacy tools for today’s threat landscape.

The Legacy Tools Creating Modern Problems

These tools tell the story of our predicament.

VPNs, jump servers, RDP, and shared local workstations made sense when critical systems were siloed. But as more organizations push convergence, we see an increase in attackers targeting critical infrastructure. And they’re doing so primarily through insecure endpoints and using tools meant to manage remote and local access.

The Remote Access Problem

In breach after breach, attackers are exploiting weak remote access paths: RDP tunneling, credential reuse, and outdated VPN setups. These legacy tools are present in nearly every OT-targeted incident in the past two years. CISA has even issued emergency directives warning federal agencies to abandon vulnerable VPN systems.

VPNs were built for encrypted traffic, not secure control.

They offer broad access with little visibility. And when they fail, they fail hard like in the Colonial Pipeline incident traced to an unused, unmonitored VPN profile.

The Local Access Gap

Here’s how endpoint access is typically handled in many organizations:

CapabilityRemote AccessLocal Access
Identity verificationSSO with SAML or ADShared workstation credentials
MFA enforcementTOTP, Push, Smart CardRare to nonexistent
Session recordingScreen, commands, timestampedNone
Approval workflowIntegrated with ITSM (e.g., ServiceNow)Manual or informal
LoggingForwarded to SIEM (e.g., Splunk, Elastic)No forwarding or centralized logs

We’ve spent years engineering discipline into remote access with SSO, MFA, session recording, approvals, and detailed logging, while local access is still operating on legacy assumptions.

The typical local access setup still relies on shared workstations, generic credentials, and little to no session visibility. No MFA. No logging. No accountability.

The Stakes Are the Same, So the Standards Should be Too

These differences mean a vendor connecting remotely will face more authentication steps than a technician walking up to a workstation inside the facility.

But attackers don’t care whether the connection is remote or local. They don’t care if the device is corporate-issued or personal. They care about access and what they can do once they’re inside. To them, both are doors to the same pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Without consistent, identity-based controls across both access types, your defenses are fragmented. You lose visibility. You lose accountability. And you lose defensibility along with the ability to prove to auditors, regulators, or even your own team that your access model stands up to scrutiny.

The consequences of production downtime, safety risks, or regulatory fallout are the same no matter how access is gained.

In manufacturing, one compromised endpoint session can bring down an entire line, whether that’s an OEM connecting remotely or an engineer connecting locally.

Oil & gas, rely on satellite-connected remote sites using fragile VPN tunnels, while local access points largely remain unmonitored.

Utility cyberattacks are up 70% year-over-year, and both third-party access and internal endpoint connections are still essential to maintaining grid infrastructure.

That’s why remote and local access can’t be treated with two different sets of rules. If both represent an equal endpoint risk, both deserve the same level of control.

You can start by eliminating the inconsistent, outdated access assumptions still baked into many OT environments.

How to Eliminate Endpoint OT Access Risk (Without Breaking Ops)

Whether someone connects from across the world or across the room, the same secure-by-design approach should apply. Every session, remote or local, should be governed by identity, limited by purpose, and recorded for accountability.

Here’s what a secure-by-design endpoint access model looks like:

Uses Clientless, Browser-Based Access: No installs or config changes. Just log in. This works for both remote third-party access and local engineering workstations.

Integrates with Authentication Stack: Use your IdP (SAML, OIDC) to enforce identity for all connections.

Provides Granular Access Controls: Grant access only to the system, protocol, and time window needed regardless of connection location.

Utilizes Just-in-Time Approvals: Eliminate standing access for both remote and local connections. Require approvals.

Retains Full Session Recording: Video-level auditability for compliance and forensics across all endpoint types.

Forces Individual Identity: Implement individual accounts with role-based permissions. For example: John.Smith.Maint accesses only maintenance HMIs, while Sarah.Jones.Config can modify PLC parameters, but only during scheduled maintenance windows.

The goal? Stop asking “Can we trust them?” and start asking “What are they allowed to do?”

These are the access controls every environment needs in place to eliminate endpoint risk without introducing operational drag.

Your Minimum Access Requirements Checklist

If you’re managing OT access, make sure your secure access solution provides these foundational elements:

☐ No direct network access – Ensure that all endpoints never connect directly to critical systems

☐ Session-level controls – Maintain full audit trails and video recordings for accountability across all access types (required for NERC CIP-005, TSA SD 1582-21, and SOX compliance in industrial settings)

☐ Zero trust architecture – Authenticate based on verified individual identity, not IP, location, or physical presence

☐ Enforced multi-factor authentication (MFA) – Non-negotiable for all users, not optional

☐ Asset isolation – Keep all endpoint devices completely separate from core OT systems

☐ Unified access model – Apply consistent security policies whether access is remote or local

☐ Rapid deployment – If it takes weeks to implement, it won’t get used

This should become your baseline, minimum access requirements. Keep in mind, these aren’t standalone controls but if you can’t check all the boxes, you’re exposed and unprepared.

Secure Access Is the New Foundation

The secure-by-design model works when it’s enforceable consistently, across every user and session. But secure endpoint access is just one layer of your defense.

Your comprehensive endpoint access strategy should support:

  • OT visibility platforms
  • Asset management systems
  • SIEM/logging infrastructure
  • Your existing identity providers
  • Both remote and local access requirements

Defense-in-depth works best when your tools integrate to improve security across all connection types without adding complexity.

Final Thoughts

Your vendors and employees keep your critical systems running. But choosing between security and uptime is a false choice that legacy tools force on you.

The reality is every day you operate with uncontrolled endpoint access you’re one compromised session away from potential production downtime, safety incidents, or regulatory violations. Whether that compromise comes from a vendor laptop in another time zone or a shared workstation on your plant floor.

The same amount of time you’d spend in a typical vendor meeting (30 minutes) is enough to deploy secure remote access controls that would eliminate your biggest endpoint vulnerabilities.

Want to see how this works in practice? Let’s talk about how Xona can help you eliminate endpoint risk without operational friction.

The Endpoint Dilemma: Why Your Critical Systems Are More Vulnerable Than You Think

Introduction

In today’s connected OT, ICS and CPS world, critical infrastructure organizations have a need to extend remote access to employees, 3rd party contractors, and OEMs. But in the rush to support remote operations, many critical infrastructure operators have exposed their critical systems to a silent but severe risk: the user endpoint.

“Third-party access is the #1 blind spot in most remote access strategies.”1

“It’s also the #1 riskiest access channel in critical infrastructure environments: talking about the supply chain, your vendors, OEMs, and support partners.”

Laptops in the field. Mobile devices. Third-party vendor machines. These transient endpoints are often insecure, unmonitored, and outside the organization’s control. Yet they routinely connect to some of the most sensitive OT and ICS systems in the enterprise. The result? A massively expanded attack surface with weak points ripe for exploitation.

The Growing Risk of Insecure Endpoints

Remote access has become essential for many industrial environments—but it has also become the most exploited threat vector in these industrial environments. According to Takepoint Research, “71% of major OT cyberattacks leveraged remote services as the entry point.” 2 This should be a wake-up call.

These attacks often begin with a compromised or unmanaged endpoint. From there, adversaries exploit legacy access paths like VPNs or jump hosts to pivot into the network, moving laterally into critical systems. In OT environments, this can mean disrupting safety systems, shutting down pipelines, or triggering physical damage.

The bottom line? You can’t secure what you can’t control. And if your user endpoints are outside of your control, your entire infrastructure is likely exposed.

The Limits of Traditional Remote Access Solutions

Many critical infrastructure organizations still rely on IT-centric access tools designed for office workers, not industrial operators. Tools like VPNs, jump servers, remote desktops, and agent-based access all share one fatal flaw: they assume the endpoint is safe or try to make up for that assumption with some sort of device posture assessment.

  • Virtual private networks (VPNs) create an encrypted network tunnel, giving the endpoint direct access to more than it needs—and giving attackers a straightforward inroad into your environment.
  • Jump-server-based approaches have proven increasingly unsecure and complex to manage. They also often lack the granularity to provide access to a single device, providing access to the entire network instead.
  • Agent-based tools require endpoint installs, which are difficult (or impossible) to deploy across uncontrolled third-party and vendor devices.
  • IT-based remote privileged access management RPAM) solutions often depend on traditional remote protocols and network connectivity, which still expose internal systems to endpoint vulnerabilities and require extensive configuration and maintenance. These tools may work for light-touch OT/CPS access, are not useful if hands-on operations, maintenance or upgrades to equipment are needed.

Even when paired with MFA, these legacy methods still connect the endpoint directly to your critical systems. That connection is the problem.

The OT Impact: High Stakes for Critical Systems

In critical infrastructure environments, the consequences of endpoint-based attacks are not just IT disruptions—they’re real-world, operational failures.

  • Imagine a field technician accessing a SCADA system from an infected laptop.
  • Or a vendor connecting to a programmable logic controller (PLC) or HMI from a tablet.

These are not hypothetical scenarios. They are everyday risks in sectors like energy, manufacturing, water, and transportation. And they are precisely the vulnerabilities that sophisticated adversaries, including nation-states, are exploiting.

What Needs to Change

It’s time to stop thinking about access in terms of network perimeter defense and start thinking in terms of application-level isolation. The next evolution in secure access is clear:

  • Don’t just restrict the connection. Break it.
  • Don’t trust the endpoint. Eliminate exposure to the endpoint.
  • Don’t assume users are inside your network. Make sure they never have to be.

This shift requires moving away from traditional tools and toward architectures designed specifically for OT and ICS environments—ones that enable access without network connectivity.

Conclusion: A New Access Paradigm

The security risks of unmanaged, insecure endpoints or any connected endpoints for that matter are too great to ignore. As attacks on critical infrastructure increase, continuing to rely on legacy access methods is no longer acceptable or necessary. Organizations need to rethink how access is provided to critical systems.

Disconnected access is the answer. And in our next post, we’ll explain exactly how Xona delivers this new paradigm—enabling users to access critical applications without ever establishing a network connection.

Because when the endpoint can’t connect, it can’t compromise.

Endnotes

  1. “Imprivata Study Finds Nearly Half of Organizations Suffered a Third-Party Security Incident in Past Year”, Imprivata, February 13, 2025.
  2. “New Study Reveals 92% of Industrial Sites at Risk from Unsecured Remote Access”, DeNexus, January 22, 2025.

Xona and Solution Synergy Partner to Deliver Secure, Effortless, and Reliable Access for Critical Infrastructure

Introduction

Xona Systems, the leading provider of secure access solutions for operational technology (OT) environments, announced its partnership with Solution Synergy, a trusted digital transformation partner for critical infrastructure industries. Together, the companies will empower organizations to modernize operations with secure, identity-based access management that protects critical systems without disrupting performance or reliability.

At a time when operational networks are increasingly connected — and increasingly targeted — the need for robust, streamlined access control has never been greater. This partnership combines Xona’s award-winning secure access platform with Solution Synergy’s cybersecurity and OT expertise to deliver security-first remote access and privileged user management to some of the world’s most essential industries.

 

 

About Solution Synergy

Solution Synergy specializes in bridging the gap between IT and OT cybersecurity for critical infrastructure organizations. With a focus on secure access, operational technology (OT) cybersecurity, and digital modernization, Solution Synergy helps organizations accelerate innovation while protecting their most vital systems. Their vendor-agnostic approach and deep expertise across energy, utilities, transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare make them an ideal partner for customers pursuing resilient, compliant operations.

 

Delivering Unmatched Zero-Trust Secure User Access

Through this partnership, Solution Synergy customers gain access to the Xona secure access platform — the most secure, effortless, and reliable way to extend identity-based access management to OT environments. The Xona Platform enables organizations to:

  • Isolate critical assets from insecure endpoints through disconnected access and protocol isolation.
  • Enable seamless remote and third-party access without cloud dependency or network reconfiguration.
  • Comply with industry regulations such as NERC CIP, IEC 62443, and TSA SD2.
  • Simplify administration with rapid deployment and flexible integrations.

By leveraging Xona’s browser-based, agentless solution, Solution Synergy customers can reduce their attack surface, meet compliance requirements, and improve operational resilience — all while maintaining productivity across users, vendors, and maintenance teams.

 

 

Executive Quotes

 

Roark Pollock, Chief Marketing Officer at Xona Systems

“Solution Synergy shares Xona’s mission to protect the world’s critical infrastructure by delivering practical, secure access solutions that don’t add complexity. Their expertise in OT cybersecurity and digital transformation perfectly complements the Xona Platform. We’re excited to partner with Solution Synergy to help more organizations modernize securely and effortlessly.”

 

Steve Bouck, President at Solution Synergy

“At Solution Synergy, we help our customers embrace digital modernization securely and confidently. The Xona Platform gives us a best-in-class secure access solution that fits the unique operational demands of critical infrastructure. Together, we’re enabling customers to take control of their OT environments while meeting the highest standards of cybersecurity and compliance.”

 

Looking Ahead

Together, Xona and Solution Synergy are empowering critical infrastructure operators to build more secure, resilient, and efficient operations. By combining unmatched secure access technology with proven cybersecurity and integration expertise, the partnership sets a new standard for operational security and performance.

To learn more about how Solution Synergy and Xona are helping protect critical infrastructure, or to schedule a demo, contact us today.

Xona and Secolve Partner to Strengthen OT Access Security Across Australia and the APAC Region

Xona Systems, the leading provider of secure access solutions for critical infrastructure, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Secolve, a premier Australian cybersecurity firm specializing in operational technology (OT) security. This partnership marks a significant step forward in delivering secure, effortless, and reliable access control solutions to critical infrastructure operators across Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Together, Xona and Secolve will offer a tightly integrated solution that combines Xona’s secure access platform with Secolve’s end-to-end OT cybersecurity services — from red teaming and advisory to regulatory compliance and workforce readiness. The result is a seamless approach to defending industrial environments against an evolving threat landscape.

 

 

Mitigating Top Risks for Critical Infrastructure

Industrial and critical infrastructure sectors in Australia are undergoing rapid digital transformation. However, with greater connectivity comes increased exposure to threats targeting industrial control systems (ICS) and OT environments. While organizations recognize the need for strong cybersecurity postures, many still struggle with the complexity of securing remote access, managing third-party connectivity, and maintaining compliance with government mandates and industry frameworks like IEC 62443 and the Australian Energy Sector Cyber Security Framework (AESCSF).

That’s where Xona and Secolve come in.

By pairing Xona’s secure remote access platform — known for its disconnected access architecture, protocol isolation, and zero-trust alignment — with Secolve’s deep domain expertise in OT threat modeling, incident response, and compliance-driven security architecture, the partnership provides critical infrastructure operators with the tools and guidance needed to simplify, secure, and scale their OT access strategy.

 

A Natural Alliance of Strengths

“Secolve is deeply embedded in the operational technology landscape across Australia, and they bring unmatched insight into the unique cybersecurity challenges facing critical infrastructure,” said Roark Pollock, Chief Marketing Officer at Xona. “By joining forces, we’re delivering a solution that’s not only technically robust, but also regionally relevant and tailored to real-world OT security demands.”

Secolve’s CEO, Laith Shahin, added: “The Xona Platform brings a level of access control and usability that’s critical for modern OT environments. Our clients need access control, system protection, and assurance when it comes to remote access — and that’s exactly what Xona delivers. Together, we’re empowering operators to reduce risk while improving operational agility.”

 

Partnership Highlights

This collaboration delivers a best-of-breed approach to OT security, including:

  • Secure Remote Access for OT Environments: Xona enables third-party vendors, field engineers, and control room personnel to access systems securely — with no clients, agents, or cloud access required.
  • Seamless Compliance and Governance: Together, the platform and services support adherence to key regulatory frameworks such as IEC 62443, AESCSF, and NIST 800-53.
  • Full Lifecycle Security: From assessment and architecture to implementation and response, the joint solution addresses the entire OT security lifecycle.
  • Regional Support and Expertise: Secolve delivers localized service, training, and advisory expertise — backed by a global-grade access technology from Xona.

 

A Secure Future, Together

This partnership is more than a technology alignment — it’s a shared commitment to protecting critical infrastructure in a region facing increasing cyber pressure. From power generation and water treatment to manufacturing and transportation, organizations across the APAC region can now benefit from a proven, scalable, and standards-aligned approach to OT access control.

For more information on this partnership or to schedule a demo of the joint solution, please contact us today.

 

About Xona

Xona Systems is the most secure and easiest-to-deploy access platform for critical infrastructure. Xona’s Secure Access Management (SAM) platform protects OT, ICS, and XIoT environments by eliminating insecure endpoints, extending identity-based access, and improving governance and compliance.

About Secolve

Secolve is Australia’s first and only cybersecurity firm focused entirely on operational technology. Founded in 2020, Secolve delivers advisory, technical, and training solutions to protect the systems and people powering the nation’s most critical sectors.

Xona and MCS Holdings Partner to Strengthen Secure Access for Critical Infrastructure Across Africa

Introduction – Partnership Delivers Zero-Trust, Effortless Access to Operational Technology Environments in One of the World’s Fastest-Growing Regions

Xona, the leading provider of secure access solutions for critical infrastructure, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Mideast Communication Systems (MCS Holdings), a premier IT solutions provider delivering cybersecurity, infrastructure, and professional services across Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa.

This partnership brings together Xona’s award-winning secure access platform and MCS Holdings’ regional leadership in critical infrastructure security, helping energy, utilities, manufacturing, and government organizations across Africa better protect their operational technology (OT) systems from today’s most advanced cyber threats.

“MCS Holdings is a recognized leader in delivering high-impact security and infrastructure solutions to organizations operating some of the most critical environments in the region,” said Bill Moore, CEO of Xona. “Together, we can provide customers across Africa with fast, secure, and compliant access to OT systems—without the complexity of legacy remote access tools.”

 

 

A Shared Mission: Modernize and Secure Access to Critical Assets

Founded in 2006, MCS Holdings has built a trusted reputation for securing digital transformation projects across industries. With operations in Egypt and ten African nations, and partnerships with top global technology vendors, MCS delivers tailored solutions that meet the unique challenges of its regional clients.

Now, with Xona, joint customers can deploy a zero-trust access overlay for their OT environments—one that eliminates insecure endpoints from connecting to critical assets, replaces legacy VPNs and jump servers, and simplifies compliance with global cybersecurity standards like IEC 62443, NIST 800-53 and Saudi NCA OTCC-1:2022.

“Cyber risk is growing rapidly across Africa, and the most vulnerable targets are critical infrastructure systems that were never designed to be internet-facing,” said Tarek Shabaka, CEO of MCS Holdings. “With Xona, we’re giving our customers an access solution that’s not only secure and compliant, but incredibly easy to deploy and manage—even in remote or bandwidth-constrained environments.”

 

Simple, Secure Access for Remote Operators and 3rd Party Vendors

Xona’s disconnected access architecture creates an air gap between remote endpoints and critical systems by isolating protocol traffic (RDP, VNC, SSH, etc.). The platform provides access via any modern web browser—no clients, agents, or cloud access required—enabling seamless access for:

  • Remote and onsite operators
  • OEMs and 3rd party contractors
  • IT and OT administrators
  • Multi-site monitoring and shared SOC teams

With Xona, MCS customers gain:

✅ Secure remote access to OT/ICS/CPS/XIoT systems
✅ Session recording and real-time monitoring
✅ Role-, time-, and identity-based controls
✅ Deployment in 30 minutes or less per site—no network changes required

 

A Trusted Partnership Driving Regional Resilience

The Xona-MCS partnership reflects a shared commitment to helping critical infrastructure providers achieve operational resilience through security-first solutions that are simple to deploy, manage, and scale.

Together, we’re enabling the digital transformation of critical systems—without compromising security.

To learn more about how MCS Holdings and Xona are helping protect critical infrastructure across Africa, or to schedule a demo, contact us today.

Xona and Oregon Systems Partner to Deliver Secure, Effortless, and Reliable OT Access in the Middle East

Introduction

Xona, the leading provider of secure access solutions for critical infrastructure, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Oregon Systems, a premier cybersecurity value added distributor specializing in Operational Technology (OT), Critical Infrastructure Security and providing High performance computing (HPC) solutions in the Middle East. This collaboration combines Xona’s cutting-edge secure access platform with Oregon Systems’ deep regional expertise to deliver a robust, scalable remote access solution tailored for critical infrastructure sectors.

With this partnership, organizations across energy, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and other critical industries in the Middle East can now leverage a best-in-class secure remote access solution that enhances security, ensures compliance, and optimizes operational efficiency.

Industry Challenge: Securing OT Environments

As OT environments become more interconnected, organizations in the Middle East face increasing cybersecurity threats, stringent regulatory requirements, and operational complexities. Legacy access solutions such as VPNs, jump servers, and remote desktop tools expose critical systems to unnecessary risk, while cumbersome security measures create administrative bottlenecks and hinder operational efficiency.

Governments and regulatory bodies are imposing stricter security mandates, requiring organizations to comply with industry standards like IEC 62443, NIST 800-53, and Saudi NCA OTCC-1:2022 guidelines to secure access to critical infrastructure systems. Meeting these requirements while maintaining seamless operational workflows demands an innovative, zero-trust approach to secure remote access.

The Joint Solution – The Power of Xona + Oregon Systems

This partnership delivers an unparalleled secure access solution that:

  • Minimizes Security Risks – Eliminates insecure endpoints from connecting to critical OT/ICS systems by enforcing identity-based access and protocol isolation.
  • Ensures Regulatory Compliance – Helps organizations adhere to key cybersecurity standards, including IEC 62443, NIS 2, the European Cyber Resilience Act, NIST 800-53, and Saudi NCA OTCC-1:2022.
  • Simplifies Remote Access – Provides a zero-footprint, browser-based experience that eliminates the need for VPNs, agents, or plugins.
  • Optimizes Operational Efficiency – Enables real-time collaboration and vendor access without compromising security.

Better Together – Partnership Roles

Xona: Secure, Simple, and Scalable OT Access

The Xona Platform is purpose-built to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats while ensuring seamless remote connectivity. Key features include:

  • Identity-Based Access Management – Granular control over user access with role, identity, and time-based policies.
  • Disconnected Access Technology – Eliminates insecure endpoints from directly connecting to OT systems, preventing ransomware and malware spread.
  • Seamless User Experience – A clientless, browser-based solution that simplifies secure remote access for users.
  • Granular Audit and Governance – Real-time session logging, monitoring, and compliance enforcement.

Oregon Systems: Trusted Cybersecurity Value added Distributor in the Middle East

Oregon Systems enhances Xona’s technology with deep regional expertise, offering:

  • Secure Remote Access Solutions – Implementing agentless, browser-based access with multi-factor authentication to ensure safe connectivity to critical OT systems.
  • Regulatory Compliance Support – Ensuring alignment with Middle Eastern cybersecurity regulations and global frameworks.
  • Proactive Security Management – Implementing strong access controls, regular system checks, and timely updates to maintain the integrity of critical infrastructure.

Impact for Critical Infrastructure Operators

By leveraging the combined expertise of Xona and Oregon Systems, organizations in the Middle East gain a secure, scalable, and regulation-ready remote access solution. This partnership enables helps customers reduce attack surface risk by eliminating insecure endpoints from connecting to critical systems and enforcing zero-trust security principles; ensure adherence to cybersecurity regulations with real-time auditability and governance of user access; and improve operational efficiency and simplify administration and vendor access management, reducing the burden on IT and security teams.

Next Steps

Secure access to critical infrastructure has never been easier. Learn how Xona and Oregon Systems can transform your remote access strategy. Speak with our experts to discuss your security challenges, experience a live demo to see the platform in action, or deploy a trial version to experience the benefits firsthand.

Take Back CONTROL of User Access to Your Critical Systems

The Cost of Waiting

Why You Need to Take Back Control of User Access Now!

The Risk is Growing – Why Waiting is No Longer an Option

Cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure are increasing at an alarming rate. Attackers and nation-states are exploiting weaknesses in remote access, outdated VPNs, and fragmented identity management, leading to costly and disruptive breaches. The data speaks for itself:

  • 71% of major OT cyber-attacks leveraged remote services as an entry point.1
  • U.S. utilities saw a 70% increase in cyberattacks in 2024 compared to 2023.2
  • Dragos reports an 87% surge in ransomware attacks on industrial environments, with a growing focus on disrupting OT operations.

Every day you delay taking action, attackers become more sophisticated, and your organization remains vulnerable. Critical infrastructure operators must acknowledge that cyber adversaries are actively targeting remote access systems, identity controls, and unmonitored user sessions to infiltrate networks and disrupt operations.

Beyond the security risks, regulatory compliance is tightening, and failure to comply with mandates like NERC CIP, IEC 62443, and TSA Security Directives can lead to steep fines and even operational shutdowns. The message from regulators is clear: secure user access is no longer optional—it’s an operational imperative.

By taking action now, organizations can close these security gaps, eliminate unnecessary risks, and ensure compliance before it’s too late. Waiting increases the likelihood of a breach, a costly compliance violation, or an operational disruption that could have been prevented.

The True Cost of Delaying Action

Delaying the implementation of robust user access controls exposes organizations to significant financial, operational, and reputational risks.

Financial Costs:

  • Escalating Breach Expenses: The global average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million in 2024, marking a 10% increase over the previous year. Cyberattacks cost energy and utility companies $4.72M per incident.4
  • Regulatory Fines and Legal Actions: Non-compliance with cybersecurity mandates such as NERC CIP, IEC 62443, and TSA Security Directives can lead to substantial fines and legal repercussions.

Operational Costs:

  • Downtime and Disruptions: Inadequate user access controls can result in system downtime, operational disruptions, and decreased productivity.
  • Delayed Responses: Inefficient access controls can slow down incident response times and hinder timely maintenance, exacerbating operational challenges.

Reputation Damage:

  • Loss of Trust: Customers, partners, and regulators may lose confidence in organizations that fail to protect their critical systems or fail to demonstrate regulatory compliance, leading to diminished business opportunities and market share.

Proactively securing user access is essential to avoid these escalating costs and maintain operational integrity.

The Fastest Way to Secure User Access and Achieve Compliance

Many organizations hesitate to adopt new security solutions because of concerns over complexity, long deployment timelines, and integration challenges. With Xona, those barriers are eliminated.

Unlike traditional access control solutions, PAM and RPAM solutions, and ZTNA solutions that take months or more to implement, Xona deploys in under an hour per site. And with no network reconfigurations required and no additional software agents to install, organizations can quickly transition from an outdated, high-risk remote access environment to a secure, identity-based access model that enforces least privilege and ensures compliance from day one.

Xona also eliminates VPN-related risks by replacing traditional network-based remote access with a secure, browser-based authentication system. This means no broad network access, no open ports, and no reliance on outdated security models that attackers frequently exploit.

For organizations subject to strict compliance regulations, Xona’s platform provides pre-configured security controls, full session recording, and real-time auditing features that simplify regulatory adherence while enhancing security. Compliance with NERC CIP, IEC 62443, TSA security directives, and other mandates is no longer a burden—it’s built into the platform from the moment of deployment.

The reality is clear: the longer organizations wait to secure their user access, the greater the risk becomes. But with Xona, that risk can be mitigated immediately.

What’s the Risk of Acting Now? None. What’s the Risk of Waiting? Everything. The choice is simple: act now and take control or wait and risk becoming the next target of an avoidable cyberattack. Competitors are already moving toward secure, zero-trust access solutions—don’t let your organization fall behind. Every day without action is a day where security gaps remain open, compliance risks grow, and operational inefficiencies persist.

Xona enables organizations to eliminate user access risks instantly with a frictionless, zero-client deployment that integrates seamlessly with existing OT and IT environments. There is no downside to acting now—but the potential consequences of waiting can be severe.

Secure your infrastructure today, and ensure that your critical systems remain operational, compliant, and protected against the growing wave of cyber threats against critical infrastructure.

Endnotes

  1. New Study Reveals 92% of Industrial Sites at Risk from Unsecured Remote Access, Takepoint Research, 2024.
  2. Cyberattacks on US utilities surged 70% this year, says Check Point, Reuters, September 11, 2024.
  3. Takepoint Research Newsletter, February 28, 2025.
  4. Cost of a Data Breach Report, IBM, 2024.

Xona and Barrier Networks Partner to Enhance OT Access Security

Xona Systems, a leading provider of secure access management solutions for critical infrastructure, is partnered with Barrier Networks, a managed security service provider for industrial organisations, to deliver a comprehensive, fully managed secure access solution for critical OT environments.

The partnership combines Xona’s cutting-edge secure access platform with Barrier’s deep operational cyber security expertise. It enables organisations across the UK to enhance the security of their endpoints within OT environments, meet regulatory compliance requirements, and simplify remote access management through an effortless, browser-based experience.

The collaboration provides operators of critical infrastructure with the expertise, technology and strategy needed to secure their environments while maintaining efficiency and operational resilience.

Better Together: The Joint Solution

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, critical infrastructure industries are more connected and complex than ever before. However, this connectivity brings significant risks as organizations face escalating threats to their operational technology (OT), industrial control systems (ICS), and IT environments. Traditional access methods like VPNs and jump servers fail to provide the necessary security, leaving critical systems exposed to ransomware, malware, and operational disruptions

Xona and Barrier Networks have joined forces to eliminate these challenges by offering a seamless, secure, and easy-to-deploy access solution that minimizes risk, ensures compliance, and optimizes operational efficiency.

Xona’s Role: Secure, Simple, and Scalable Remote Access for OT 

The Xona Platform delivers secure access to critical infrastructure with features purpose-built to address the unique challenges of OT environments. Key capabilities include:

  • Identity-Based Access Management – Ensures secure access for all users— onsite employees, remote workers, third-party vendors, and OEM partners—through role, identity, and time-based controls. Take back control of who, what, when, where, and how users can access critical systems.
  • Disconnected Access – Helps eliminate 100% of insecure endpoints that connect to critical systems by isolating critical system protocols, such as RDP, SSH, and VNC, from untrusted, transient user endpoints.
  • Seamless User Experience – A browser-based, clientless solution that simplifies remote access without requiring VPNs, agents, or plugins.
  • Granular Audit, Governance, and Compliance – Real-time session logging, recording, and enforcement of identity-based security policies.

Barrier Networks: Delivering security and resilience to OT organisations

Barrier is an expert at helping industrial operators build cyber resilience and develop strategies to defend against cyber-attacks. Barrier understands the unique challenges of protecting OT environments and offers its clients comprehensive OT security services designed to safeguard critical infrastructure against evolving and sophisticated cyber threats while building security programmes that guarantee resilience and availability.

The new partnership will enable Barrier to bolster its services with Xona’s market leading secure access solutions, providing an essential layer of security to safeguard critical environments.

Combining Barrier’s vast presence in the UK’s industrial sector with Xona’s cutting-edge OT solutions, more critical organisations will be able to enhance their access security against internal and external threat actors, ensuring that even as OT environments digitally transform through advancements in automation, no endpoints or users are ever overlooked.

“Critical industry organisations are facing an increased risk of attack from cyber criminals and nation state adversaries, who are either financially motivated or want to cause harm to society. Access into these critical networks has become a growing concern, particularly as OT environments become increasingly connected, creating more entry points for attackers to exploit. Our new partnership with Xona will help tackle these issues, providing our customers with a secure access solution dedicated to complex OT environments,” said Ian McGowan, managing director of Barrier Networks.

As critical infrastructure industries face increasing digital threats and navigate an evolving regulatory landscape, secure, simple access solutions like Xona’s are more crucial than ever.

The platform secures critical OT, IT, and cloud environments and helps companies meet industry standards, including IEC 62443, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and NERC-CIP compliance requirements.

About Barrier Networks:

At Barrier, our mission is to help our customers build cyber resilience and develop strategies to defend against cyber attacks. We have created a portfolio of services and solutions that suit small and large customers in both the private and public sectors.  Our portfolio encompasses the initial consultancy to identify the right strategy, to solutions from innovative vendors to mitigate attacks, through to managed services to detect attacks and provide incident response.

We have also built a practice dedicated to providing assurance that systems are resilient to attack. We provide penetration testing services to check the effectiveness of the deployed controls and vulnerability management to maintain resilience.

We aim to build trust and understanding of how our customers’ organisations function. Our work spans all sectors, with strong references in the Finance, Legal, HMG/MoD, and the Public Sector.

https://www.barriernetworks.com/

About Xona

Xona Systems is a leading provider of secure access solutions for critical systems and operational technology environments. By combining unmatched security with ease of deployment, Xona helps organisations reduce their attack surface and comply with industry regulations while offering the best user experience on the market. Trusted by industry leaders across energy, manufacturing, and utilities, Xona’s solutions protect critical systems around the world.

www.xonasystems.com