Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Security incidents and service disruptions are never simple. They are rarely the result of a single mistake, and they don’t only happen to organizations that “did something wrong.” In reality, many of the most capable, well-resourced companies experience them precisely because they operate at scale, under constant pressure, and within complex, interconnected environments.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, user access control is the single most important, foundational cybersecurity priority for critical infrastructure owners and operators. Attackers continue to exploit weaknesses including legacy remote access mechanisms, and the consequences are severe. A few indicative statistics of this priority include.

The ability to control and monitor who has access to critical systems is a fundamental pillar of cybersecurity. However, many organizations today struggle with fragmented identity management, leaving their operational technology (OT), industrial control systems (ICS), and/or cyber physical systems (CPS) environments vulnerable to security breaches, compliance violations, unnecessary business risks, and operational inefficiencies.