Remote access now sits at the center of OT security. It is where regulatory enforcement, identity control, audit evidence, and real-time operations meet. At the same time, it is a primary path used in attacks on industrial environments. The challenge is that most legacy approaches were built for stable IT networks, while critical infrastructure operates in places where bandwidth is limited, latency is high, and connectivity drops without warning.
Xona’s Platform v5.5 is designed around that reality. Its core focus is keeping access governed and usable when network conditions are inconsistent. When a connection is interrupted at a substation, offshore platform, or remote plant, the session does not have to restart. Work continues without repeated logins or loss of operational state. That removes the pressure on engineers to bypass controls during time-sensitive activity and keeps security enforcement aligned with how the environment actually runs.
In OT environments, a dropped session is not a minor inconvenience. It can delay maintenance, interrupt response activity, or force teams to rebuild context while a process is still running. The ability to hold and automatically restore sessions shifts secure access from a point-in-time connection to a continuous, controlled workflow.
Michael Carr, Field CTO at Xona, explained to MSSP Alert, “the platform allows for automatic retry on connections in unstable environments and supports device- or application-based approval workflows instead of the always-on access model associated with VPNs and jump servers.” Access is granted to a specific system for a defined task, credentials are vaulted, activity is monitored in real time, and the full session is recorded for audit. That replaces persistent network exposure with a governed interaction.
For managed security providers, remote access often becomes a scaling problem. Each customer environment has different isolation requirements, identity systems, and compliance expectations. The platform is structured to support both shared and dedicated deployments.
Carr outlines the model: “MSSPs have two options. They can deploy a single Centralizer and connect multiple gateways across customers, controlling access through role-based policies, or deploy a dedicated Centralizer for customers that require isolated infrastructure.” This allows providers to standardize service delivery while still meeting customers who cannot operate on shared control planes. The same architecture supports multiple identity integrations or local account control, depending on how the customer manages authentication.
The result is a repeatable access layer that can be delivered across tenants without creating an always-on network path into OT environments.
Centralized policy and visibility are critical in environments that span hundreds of sites. Instead of managing access locally at each location, security and operations teams can define permissions, review session activity, and export audit records from a single control point.
Carr describes the operational impact: “Xona enables regulatory controls through a web-based system with granular permissions, giving OT administrators clear visibility while ensuring users only reach the devices they are authorized to access.” That directly affects compliance programs. Evidence is generated as part of normal activity, rather than through separate reporting exercises that add work for engineering teams.
One of the biggest barriers to modernizing access in critical infrastructure is the risk of change. Systems cannot be taken offline for large migrations, and hard cutovers introduce operational and safety concerns.
According to Carr, “the platform can be deployed in parallel with existing infrastructure, which removes the need for hard cutovers or major environmental changes.” Organizations can phase in governed access while keeping current connectivity in place, then shift usage over time. That approach lowers adoption risk and shortens the path to enforcement.
Secure access in OT is moving away from the idea of a tunnel into the network. It is becoming a governed session that enforces identity, limits scope, records activity, and remains available under degraded conditions. That model supports both regulatory requirements and the realities of field operations. Platform v5.5 reflects that change. Its value is not just in connecting users to systems, but in maintaining control, visibility, and continuity when the network is unreliable and the work cannot stop.