Industry
IT support and security for district heating
In district heating, a failure in the middle of the heating season is not a technical problem but people left without heat. We set up IT so the control network and billing systems run reliably, and security is aligned with NIS2.
A district heating company combines two worlds: ordinary office IT and the network that controls boiler houses, substations and telemetry. That shifts the priorities, because what matters most is continuity of heat supply and making sure an attack from the office side cannot reach the controls. We run heating-company IT with that in mind, and at the same time we put the obligations arising from NIS2 in order.
Challenges in this sector
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Continuity of heat supply
A failure during the heating season means customers without heat, not just an entry in an incident log. IT systems and monitoring must run reliably in frost and at peak load.
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Control network and telemetry
Control of substations, boiler houses and telemetry is the OT world, protected differently than office computers. A single attack on the control network can stop the production and distribution of heat.
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Distributed infrastructure
Heat substations, pumping stations and boiler houses across many locations must be monitored and secured remotely. Without that, every fault is a trip and every remote access is a potential open door.
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NIS2 in the energy sector
District heating belongs to the energy sector, so the company is often an essential or important entity. Real obligations appear for security and incident reporting, for which the board is accountable.
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Office network joined to controls
When the office network and the control network are joined without a boundary, a malicious email attachment has a straight path to the boiler house. Segmentation and traffic control between them are needed.
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Billing and reporting
Billing systems, settlements with customers and the data needed for reports must be secured and recoverable. Losing that data is a financial and a formal problem at once.
AI in monitoring the heating network
AI helps where response time counts: analysing substation telemetry, detecting anomalies in how the network runs and giving an early warning of a failure before customers lose heat. In the security layer it speeds up detection and classification of an incident, which matters given the NIS2 reporting deadlines.
We deploy AI where it delivers results and make sure that using the tools does not itself create new risk. We write the rules into the risk analysis and security policy, consistent with the approach NIS2 requires.
Heating companies choose us because we understand the difference between an office network and a control network, and we treat continuity of heat supply as a priority, not an add-on.
- 24/7monitoring and detection
- 24 hearly warning deadline under NIS2
- OT and ITseparated networks after segmentation
- ISO 27001standard we work to
Related case studies
- Law firm Law firm: Microsoft 365 backup and NIS2 readiness in 6 weeks Email and documents in Microsoft 365 with no independent backup, no MFA and no real endpoint protection, with NIS2 obligations on the horizon. 6 wks from start to NIS2 readiness 100% of accounts with active MFA Anonymised case study Details
- Manufacturing company Manufacturer: NIS2 rollout, OT network segmentation and monitoring The production hall, machines and office on one flat network, no risk analysis and no monitoring, while holding the status of an important entity under NIS2 and facing growing pressure from supply chain audits. 6 separated VLAN segments 100% of critical assets under monitoring Anonymised case study Details
- Logistics company, freight forwarding Logistics company: ransomware incident response and TMS restore from backup Encrypted servers and a halted TMS along with warehouse operations. A backup existed, but had never been tested for a real restore. 0 PLN ransom paid 22 h to restore the TMS and warehouse Anonymised case study Details
Frequently asked questions
Is a district heating company subject to NIS2?
Usually yes. District heating belongs to the energy sector, so the company is often an essential or important entity. We start with an assessment of which category you fall into and which obligations actually apply, so you neither overpay nor miss requirements.
How does protecting the control network differ from ordinary IT?
The control network (OT) runs the boilers, substations and pumps, so its priority is the continuity and safety of the process, not just data. We protect it differently than office computers: we separate it from the office network, limit access and monitor it, so an attack from the IT side cannot reach the controls.
How do you ensure continuity of heat supply on the IT side?
We design IT and monitoring so a failure does not stop the work: redundancy of key systems, a tested backup with a short recovery time, continuous monitoring and a fast response within an agreed SLA.
Do you help separate the office network from the technology network?
Yes. We carry out segmentation: we separate the office network from the control network, set up traffic control between them and secure remote access to the distributed substations, without opening a door for an attack.
What about substations and boiler houses across many locations?
We remove the need to drive to every location for every fault: remote, controlled access, central status monitoring and alerts. Problems become visible earlier, before they grow into a failure customers can feel.
Do you secure billing systems and reporting data?
Yes. We cover settlement systems and the data needed for reporting with an independent backup and access control, so they are safe and recoverable after a failure or an attack.
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