The Network as a Line of Defense: En+ Upgrades Infrastructure at Four Hydropower Plants
Cloud X has completed a major phase of local area network modernization at four hydropower facilities operated by the En+ Group. The project has significantly strengthened the resilience of the facilities’ digital infrastructure.
Cloud X’s team (Cloud Solutions LLC) faced a major challenge: redesigning the security architecture of critical infrastructure owned by En+ Group International Public Joint-Stock Company, while accounting for the specific requirements of each facility. The project covered the Krasnoyarsk, Bratsk, Irkutsk and Ust-Ilimsk hydropower plants.
As a first step, Cloud X’s staff conducted a comprehensive audit of the information systems, identified blind spots in monitoring and uncovered vulnerabilities arising from the overlap between corporate and operational technology traffic.
The contractor’s team then designed a new architecture with clear rules governing communication between network segments and the authentication of endpoint devices. All users were migrated to a secured Active Directory domain using the 802.1X standard, a network access control protocol that prevents a device from connecting until it has been authenticated. This approach helps minimize the risk of unauthorized access and meet regulatory requirements for protecting critical information infrastructure.
The project also included measures to improve fault tolerance. Redundant communication channels were established, automatic failover was enabled, and security events were monitored. The migration from the old architecture to the new one was carried out in stages to avoid disrupting industrial control systems (ICS). As a result, En+ gained a more secure information system, significantly reduced administration costs and streamlined the preparation of reports for regulatory authorities.
Scaling Up: Domestic Demand and Exporting Expertise
As energy companies increasingly need to strengthen the security of their information infrastructure, demand for similar projects is likely to grow in the coming years. Distributed cloud solutions, an area in which Cloud X specializes, are already becoming more prominent. This architecture is less vulnerable than solutions based entirely on local infrastructure. At the same time, large Russian customers often favor hybrid models, with some information infrastructure hosted on their own servers and the rest in the cloud.
Cloud X’s approach to separating IT and OT networks is particularly important in the energy sector. If attackers manage to breach the corporate office network, they still will not gain access to the systems that operate industrial equipment.
Integrated Solutions for Industry
The En+ and Cloud X project is a representative example of the challenges Russian cybersecurity companies have been working to address in recent years. Protecting industrial control systems (ICS) has become essential as cyberattacks on critical infrastructure grow more frequent. Effective tools to counter such attacks are already available. In December 2023, for example, Positive Technologies and RegLab tested the compatibility of security tools with an industrial control system.
In April 2024, Positive Technologies expanded the capabilities of its PT ISIM system, which analyzes OT traffic and detects potentially dangerous operations, adding compatibility with equipment made by Russian manufacturer Energomera. In June 2025, the company unveiled a prototype of a national, open industrial automation platform with integrated, comprehensive security features. Other companies operating in the industrial cybersecurity market include Kaspersky, MPS Soft, Aksit and others.
Reducing Infrastructure Vulnerability
The Cloud X project at En+’s four hydropower plants significantly reduces the risk of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. This approach is likely to be adopted more widely across Russia’s energy sector as the industry rapidly digitizes and the level of cyberthreats rises. The ultimate goal of cooperation between energy companies and Russia’s IT sector is to build a digital shield for hydropower and thermal power plants, preventing attackers from compromising the reliability of electricity supplies to households and industrial facilities.
