Österlen VA Strengthens Its Critical Infrastructure Security with Advenica’s Remote Access Device

Österlen VA is the municipal utility operator responsible for water supply and wastewater operations in the municipalities of Tomelilla and Simrishamn in southeastern Sweden. The organisation manages approximately 150 operational sites, including numerous water treatment plants and wastewater facilities.

As a provider of critical public infrastructure, Österlen VA relies heavily on secure and reliable operational technology (OT) systems to ensure the continuous delivery of essential services to local communities.

The challenge: Secure Remote Access for Internet-Separated Operational Technology

To protect its critical infrastructure, Österlen VA maintains a strict separation between its OT environment and the public internet. However, the organisation still needed a secure way to provide external technical specialists with remote access when advanced expertise was required.

The challenge was to find a solution that could enable temporary, highly controlled access to specific parts of the OT environment without compromising the security standards already in place. The risks associated with unauthorised access were significant. A cyberattack could potentially disrupt water supply or wastewater treatment operations, impacting essential public services and creating both operational and regulatory consequences.

Searching for the Right Solution

Österlen VA evaluated several well-known suppliers with strong reputations, proven customer references, and relevant security certifications. The organisation focused on hardware-based solutions that could be temporarily connected to the OT network when remote access was required. After reviewing available alternatives, Österlen VA selected Advenica. The decision was based on Advenica’s ability to provide a highly secure solution that was easy to work with while supporting endpoint-specific connections across a complex OT network structure.

The solution: Österlen VA implemented the Advenica Remote Access Device.

Unlike a fixed installation, the solution is deployed dynamically and can be physically moved within the OT environment. This allows temporary remote access to different parts of the infrastructure whenever specialist support is needed. Although the implementation process involved some challenges, Advenica provided extensive support throughout deployment and configuration, helping ensure a successful rollout.

The Results

The Advenica Remote Access Device now enables Österlen VA to provide technical experts with secure, temporary access to specific locations within its internet-separated OT environment.

Key benefits include:

• Secure remote access to selected endpoints without exposing the wider OT network.

• Reduced cybersecurity risk through supervised, temporary connections protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA).

• Continued operation of a fully internet-separated OT environment while still enabling access to external expertise when required.

• High stability and positive evaluations from third-party organisations involved in the environment.

As a result, Österlen VA has significantly strengthened its cybersecurity while maintaining the flexibility needed to support critical infrastructure operations.

"As a small-scale municipal utility operator, we do not have the possibility of keeping every high-level technical specialist in-house. The Advenica solution has enabled us to maintain an OT environment that is completely separated from the internet while still allowing us to bring in expert support remotely whenever needed” says Fredrik Olsson, IT Manager Österlen VA.

The organisation emphasises that protecting its networks is essential not only to ensure uninterrupted water and wastewater services, but also to meet the strict security and regulatory requirements associated with critical infrastructure. For organisations facing similar challenges, Österlen VA believes that secure and practical solutions are available:

"There are solutions to the challenges you are facing, and there are professional solution providers, such as Advenica, that can help you achieve the highest possible level of security while maintaining operational flexibility."