Quick Access
Industrial & OT

IT and OT support for
environments where failure isn't an option.

We understand industrial infrastructure — the networks, the process control systems, and the security challenges that come with connecting OT and IT in regulated, high-availability environments.

Our industrial background

We've worked inside the environments we now support.

Our background isn't in reading about industrial IT — it's in doing it. Our team has spent years inside international chemical companies, managing infrastructure at scale, supporting process control environments, and leading complex technology programmes across multiple sites and countries.

That experience means we understand the difference between an IT environment and an OT environment — and critically, what happens at the boundary between the two.

IT/OT convergence

The gap between operational technology and information technology is closing. Process control systems are increasingly connected to enterprise networks, cloud platforms and remote access tools — creating new efficiencies, but also new risks. We help organisations navigate that convergence safely: designing the architecture, implementing the network segmentation, and securing the boundary between the plant floor and the corporate network.

DeltaV and process control environments

We have hands-on experience supporting the IT and network infrastructure around Emerson DeltaV distributed control systems — used in chemical, pharmaceutical, energy and utilities plants worldwide. We understand the specific requirements of DeltaV environments: the network architecture, the historian connectivity, the patch management constraints, and the change control processes that regulated environments demand.

We don't touch the DCS configuration — that's your engineers' domain. But the infrastructure it runs on, the network it communicates across, and the security that protects it — that's ours.

Cybersecurity for OT environments

OT cybersecurity is fundamentally different to IT cybersecurity. You can't just patch a PLC the way you patch a Windows server. You can't reboot a process control system at will. The consequences of getting it wrong aren't a disrupted office — they're a disrupted plant.

We approach OT security with the Purdue model and IEC 62443 as our framework — proper network segmentation, DMZ architecture, secure remote access, and monitoring that doesn't interfere with process operations. We work with your engineering and HSE teams, not around them.

Mergers, acquisitions and IT integration

We have direct experience managing IT and OT integration projects during mergers and acquisitions at international scale — integrating thousands of users, converging networks across multiple countries, and delivering technology programmes under hard commercial deadlines with zero tolerance for operational downtime. If your organisation is going through a transaction, we understand what that means for your technology.

Critical National Infrastructure

We provide IT and OT services to organisations operating within the UK's Critical National Infrastructure sectors. We can't say more than that — but we can demonstrate our credentials: ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, and the practical experience to back them up.

What we bring

  • Direct experience in chemical and process industries
  • DeltaV environment infrastructure support
  • IT/OT network architecture and segmentation
  • IEC 62443 aligned security approach
  • Secure remote access for distributed sites
  • M&A IT/OT integration at international scale
  • Multi-site WAN and connectivity
  • Critical National Infrastructure experience
  • European operations capability

Certifications

ISO 27001 ISO 9001 ISO 14001 ISO 45001 Cyber Essentials Plus

A note on discretion

We understand that organisations in regulated and critical sectors operate under strict confidentiality requirements. We don't name clients, we don't discuss engagements, and we don't use your name as a reference without explicit permission. That's not a policy — it's how we work.

The Purdue model

How IT and OT networks are structured — and where they meet

The Purdue model defines the five levels of an industrial network — from the physical process at the bottom to the enterprise IT network at the top. The boundary between Level 3 and Level 2 is where IT meets OT, and where the most careful security and architecture work happens.

Level 4 Enterprise Network Web Servers Email Servers DNS Servers Level 3.5 Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Patch Server Historian Mirror Jump Server Level 3 Manufacturing Operations Workstation Historian I/O Server Level 2 Supervisory Control SCADA HMIs Level 1 Basic Control PLCs RTUs DCS Controllers SIS hightidegroup.net

Where we work within this model

We work across Levels 3 and 4 — managing the IT infrastructure, network security, connectivity and systems that sit above the DMZ. We also design and implement the DMZ itself: the firewall architecture, network segmentation and secure remote access that separates the OT environment from the enterprise network. For organisations looking to connect historian data upward into Level 3 and 4 systems, we understand how to do that safely without exposing Level 1 and 2 to unnecessary risk.

Industrial environments we understand

Sectors with no room for downtime

Chemical & petrochemical

Process control networks, DCS infrastructure, historian systems and OT security in environments where safety and uptime are non-negotiable.

Pharmaceutical & life sciences

GxP-aligned IT infrastructure, validated systems support, audit trail management and secure network architecture for regulated manufacturing.

Energy & utilities

SCADA and control system network support, NIS2 compliance, secure remote access and resilient connectivity for distributed infrastructure.

Manufacturing

IT infrastructure for production environments — from shop floor connectivity and MES integration to enterprise network management and cloud services.

Working in an industrial or OT environment?

Call 01429 818332 — we'll have a straightforward conversation about your environment, your challenges and how we can help.

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