OT and ICS security in the UAE and GCC: Secure the systems that run the plant, the grid and the building.
Operational technology controls physical processes. A bad patch or a blunt scan can stop a line. We find what you run, close the routes in, and watch the boundary, without breaking production.
For
Operators with control systems, industrial networks, building systems or connected devices.
You get
A true inventory of what runs, a map of how it connects, and a ranked plan that respects safety and uptime.
How it runs
Passive discovery first. We agree windows with operations before we touch anything live.
Not included
Running your control systems, or replacing your engineers. We secure the environment around them.
Where we look, from the boundary to the device
We follow the connections an attacker would follow, from the office network down to the controller.
The IT and OT boundary
The path between the office network and the plant.
- Every link between IT and OT found and justified
- Firewalls and demilitarized zones reviewed
- Shared accounts and shared servers flagged
Remote and vendor access
How engineers and suppliers reach the plant.
- Vendor and remote routes inventoried
- Strong sign-in and session recording on every route
- Access that expires when the job ends
Zones and conduits
How the plant is split so one failure does not spread.
- Zones drawn around safety and critical processes
- Allowed flows written down and enforced
- Flat networks broken up in steps
Assets and vulnerabilities
What runs, at which version, and what is exposed.
- Passive discovery of controllers, HMIs and sensors
- Vulnerabilities ranked by process impact
- Compensating controls where patching is not possible
Monitoring and recovery
What you can see and how fast you can restore.
- Alerts tuned to industrial protocols
- Offline backups of configurations and logic
- A response plan agreed with operations and safety
The same job, in IT and in OT
| Item | In IT | In OT |
|---|---|---|
| Top priority | Confidentiality of data | Safety and availability of the process |
| Patching | Monthly, often automatic | Planned outages, vendor approval, sometimes never |
| Scanning | Active scans are routine | Active scans can crash fragile controllers. Passive first. |
| Lifespan | Often 3 to 5 years | Often 15 years or more |
| Incident response | Isolate the host | Isolating may stop the process. Operations decide with us. |
What we fix first
Plants cannot fix everything at once. We start where one change removes the most risk.
- 1
Know what you run
A passive inventory of devices, versions and connections.
You cannot defend what you cannot list.
- 2
Close the front door
Strong sign-in, jump hosts and recording on all remote access.
Remote access is a common way in.
- 3
Separate IT from OT
Firewall rules and zones between the office network and the plant.
It stops an office breach reaching production.
- 4
Watch the boundary
Monitoring for industrial protocols and unusual commands.
You see a problem before the process does.
- 5
Prove you can recover
Offline backups and a restore test with operations.
Recovery time decides the cost of an incident.
Order changes with your site. A safety system or a single-vendor plant can move steps up or down.
Assess once or run it on a cycle
| Item | Assessment | Program |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Maps assets, links and gaps and ranks the fixes. | Assessment plus segmentation design, monitoring and recovery tests. |
| Best for | A first look, a tender, or an audit that asks for evidence. | Sites with several plants, many vendors or a regulator watching. |
| Time on site | Days to weeks, with agreed windows. | Phased over months, plant by plant. |
What you hold at the end
- Asset inventoryDevices, firmware, protocols and owners, built without disturbing the process.
- Network and zone mapHow IT, OT and vendors connect, and where the gaps are.
- Ranked fix listEach item with the process risk, the owner and the effort.
- Remote access designOne controlled route for staff and suppliers, with logging.
- Recovery planBackups, restore order and who decides what, agreed with operations.
The UAE rules that may apply to you
No single UAE standard covers every plant. What applies depends on your sector, your owner and any critical-infrastructure designation. We confirm scope with you and your counsel.
| Rule | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UAE Information Assurance standard and the Critical Information Infrastructure Protection policy | Entities formally designated as critical | A sector in a critical list does not designate every company in it. Confirm your status. |
| DESC ICS Security Standard | Dubai government and semi-government entities that run critical infrastructure or ICS/OT | Do not assume it covers private plants outside that scope. |
| DESC IoT Security Standard | In-scope Dubai government and semi-government entities using IoT | Check scope against the standard’s own text. |
| DESC Electronic Biomedical Devices standard | Dubai healthcare settings that deploy in-scope devices | Built with the Dubai Health Authority. Confirm device scope. |
| Customer and supplier contracts | Suppliers to operators, utilities and government | Contracts often set remote access, logging, patching and incident-notice terms. |
Standards we use
ISA/IEC 62443
The main series for securing industrial automation and control systems. Zones, conduits and security levels.
NIST SP 800-82 Revision 3
Guide to operational technology security, covering industrial control, building and similar systems.
MITRE ATT&CK for ICS
A catalogue of attacker techniques against industrial systems, used to test detection.
Works well with
- Security ArchitectureDesigns zones and the IT/OT boundary before you build or expand.
- SOC / MDRWatches alerts from the boundary around the clock.
- Incident ResponseLeads the response with operations when a plant is hit.
Questions we hear
Will you scan our live plant?
Not by default. We start with passive discovery from network copies and documents. We run active checks only in windows agreed with operations, on systems that can take it.
Does this cover building systems and IoT?
Yes. Building management, access control, cameras, sensors and connected medical devices carry the same risks, often with weaker vendor support.
We cannot patch. Now what?
Many controllers cannot be patched for years. We reduce exposure with segmentation, tight remote access, monitoring and backups instead.
Do UAE rules require this?
It depends on sector, ownership and designation. See the table above. Where a rule does not apply, customers and insurers often still ask for the same evidence.
Find out what is connected to your plant.
Tell us the sector, the number of sites and who has remote access. We scope a first assessment.
