How Secure Remote Access Fuels Uptime in the Energy Sector

Power Under Pressure: Why Uptime is Everything

In most industries, a minute or two of downtime will be disruptive. In the energy sector, it can be catastrophic. Because energy doesn’t just keep businesses running – it keeps people alive. 

When homes, hospitals, and even entire cities rely on power from your facility, uptime goes beyond performance metrics and becomes a public duty. 

One minor misstep – whether caused by a security breach or a configuration error – can quickly ripple into safety incidents, regulatory fallout, reputational damage, and substantial financial consequences. 

So here’s the non-negotiable: Your systems need to stay online. And that means your remote access strategy needs to be rock solid.  

The good news is that when implemented the right way with the right tools, remote access can do far more than just connect people to resources. Research released earlier this year shows that secure remote access (SRA) helps to maximize uptime – improving not only security but also accelerating the time to resolution and facilitating safer, more efficient preventive maintenance. 

Outdated Remote Access Tools Jeopardize Energy Uptime 

Cyberattacks pose a real and significant threat to energy facilities, as evidenced by the 70% surge in attacks on U.S. utilities between 2023 and 2024. However, other more unexpected factors are also leaving you exposed to potential disruptions or downtime. 

For instance, the outdated remote access tools many organizations still depend on may be doing as much harm as good. 

• Legacy VPNs provide risky network-level access and can be compromised with relative ease. 

• Jump servers are difficult to manage and offer minimal supervisory controls.

• Shared credentials exacerbate risk and complicate incident response efforts. 

• Overly complex security processes lead to workarounds and shadow access, practices that may actually increase risk. 

These are tools that let third-party contractors into your network with no oversight or safeguards. Tools that don’t support real-time troubleshooting or immediate, agentless onboarding for emergency situations. Tools that aren’t built to maximize uptime or operate in near real-time speed. Tools that, in practice, can actually cause delays and, in the worst case, downtime.  

Stronger Access Controls, Fewer Outages, Safer Operations 

The chain of events ultimately leading to downtime often begins with something as minor as a stolen password or an accidental click. 

In many cases, the account that gets compromised belongs to a privileged user. Cybercriminals deliberately target these users (think third-party vendors, OEMs, or remote engineers) because they often have far more access than they really need. 

It may seem practical to grant a third-party technician broad access so they can quickly resolve issues wherever they arise. But in reality, this kind of access policy creates significant security risks. 

Because ensuring uptime isn’t about leaving the door open for anyone who might need to get in. It’s about guaranteeing the right person gets in at the right time – and sees only what they need to.

That’s why the best SRA solutions for critical industries are built around zero-trust access and include connectivity and oversight controls: 

1. Enforcing identity-based access and continuous authorization (even for legacy systems)

2. Limiting access to necessary resources only, in alignment with the principle of least privilege  

3. Reducing lateral movement through application-level access 

4. Ensuring visibility plus supervision and monitoring capabilities for the duration of each connection, not just at the point of access

This approach doesn’t only improve your cybersecurity posture – it also boosts continuity. Less exposure, less risk, fewer curveballs.  

Plus, convenient, secure remote access supports preventive maintenance, allowing you to find, diagnose, and fix potential issues before they escalate.  

And if something does go sideways? You’ve got full visibility to act fast. 

When Every Second Counts, Your SRA Strategy Can’t Fall Short 

When a substation falters or an industrial control system (ICS) alert flags an anomaly, there’s no time to spare. You – and the public relying on you – can’t afford to wait hours for access.  

Your remote operator or OEM vendor needs to diagnose the issue now. Not three hours from now, after wrestling with outdated tools, chasing approvals, or catching a flight to the site. 

But while everyone agrees that delays kill uptime, the thought of changing your SRA strategy may still feel too overwhelming to seriously consider. Not to mention that most energy companies don’t have the time, appetite, or budget for a full infrastructure overhaul. 

But what if you could upgrade your security without network changes, without downtime, and without making the Director of Grid Operations want to tear his hair out? 

This is exactly what Cyolo PRO (Privileged Remote Operations) offers organizations in energy and other critical industries. A modernized SRA solution with dedicated controls for securing instances of privileged access, Cyolo PRO improves productivity and operational efficiency by giving the right people instant, streamlined access to the systems they’re responsible for – and nothing more.  

Granular access policies (including Just-in-Time access), actions controls (such as restricting file sharing or copy/paste permissions), and supervisory measures (including real-time monitoring and session recording) give you visibility and control over every connection to your critical systems. Even third-party vendor and contractor connections. 

And because network changes and system overhauls are simply too risky, Cyolo PRO wraps around your existing infrastructure – yes, your legacy OT systems too – for speed, simplicity, and seamless secure access. 

Uptime is the Real Test of Your Cyber Resilience 

Uptime isn’t just a metric in the energy sector — it’s a mission-critical mandate. When your operations are depended on by businesses, medical centers, and national infrastructure, every minute of disruption carries weighty consequences. 

That’s why a strong secure remote access strategy is non-negotiable. It's what enables field engineers, OEM partners, and remote operators to respond to issues quickly, perform maintenance tasks safely, and support resilience at scale. 

Cyolo PRO is designed specifically for high-stakes environments like yours. It provides remote access without compromising security, wraps around legacy infrastructure without requiring updates, and empowers your teams to act fast. 

And as regional and industry-specific compliance standards like ISA/IEC 62443, NIS2 and NERC CIP continue to tighten, demonstrating strong cyber hygiene is no longer about checking boxes. It’s about proving — day in and day out — that your systems are secure, auditable, and resilient. 

If you've been putting off a change to your remote access strategy, now is the time to act. And as your first step, check out The SRA Buyers' Guide for Energy & Utilities to help cut through the noise of a crowded market and make the best possible decision for your organization.