Cyber Threats, Disaster Recovery, and the New Reality for Water Utilities
Driving Digital in Water and Wastewater Operations | Part 1
The recent cyberattacks on municipal water systems have once again brought attention to the need for securing our infrastructure. Although many utilities managed to continue operating safely, the attacks have clearly shown that it is not only necessary to prevent cyber threats when it comes to protecting water and wastewater operations, but also that vital systems must be able to recover swiftly should something unexpected occur.
This topic is especially relevant now, given the recent national headlines.
In our recent webinar, ‘Driving Digital in Water and Wastewater Operations,’ cybersecurity was not treated as a separate IT issue. Still, it was included within a wider discussion concerning resilience, operational continuity, and how utilities can improve their preparation for the challenges they are currently facing.
This is the first article in our four-part series on the main challenges facing the water and wastewater industry. Here, we explain why cybersecurity and disaster recovery are now essential for every digital strategy.
Water Utilities Are Facing a Different Kind of Risk
Water and wastewater utilities have always been responsible for delivering one of our most critical public services. Today, that responsibility extends beyond treatment processes and distribution systems to protecting the operational technology that keeps those systems running. As utilities modernize and connect more systems, the focus of cybersecurity has shifted. It’s not just about stronger defenses anymore. It’s also about making sure operations keep running if something unexpected happens.
This new approach to cybersecurity is becoming more important as utilities try to balance efficiency, meet regulations, and share data across their organizations. A key point from the webinar was that organizations shouldn’t just focus on preventing attacks. They also need to plan for how they will recover if an attack happens.
As Scott explained, that preparation extends well beyond cyberattacks. Hardware failures, lightning strikes, accidental configuration changes, severe weather, and other unexpected events can all disrupt operations.
The real question isn’t which problem will happen first. It’s whether your organization has a plan to recover quickly. The utilities that recover fastest aren’t the ones that never have problems. They’re the ones that have already prepared for them.
Recovery Is More Than Having a Backup
When most people think of disaster recovery, they usually think of backups first. Backups are important, but they’re just one part of the solution. A good recovery plan also means knowing what changed, when it changed, and how to restore systems quickly, without depending on one person who happens to have the latest program on their laptop.
This led to an interesting discussion at the webinar. Many municipalities still depend on a trusted system integrator or a long-time employee to keep program backups and system settings. While these relationships are valuable, they can be risky if important knowledge is only with one person or on one computer.
Now, organizations are finding ways to automate backups, track changes, and make recovery steps repeatable. This way, they don’t have to rely on just one person during an emergency.
One of the main lessons from the discussion was that you can’t build resilience during an emergency. You have to build it long before anything goes wrong.
This means writing down recovery steps, testing backups, keeping system settings up to date, and making sure the right people know how to restore operations if key systems go down. These projects might not be the most visible parts of digital transformation, but they often make the biggest difference when things go wrong.
Cybersecurity Is an Operational Conversation
For years, cybersecurity was viewed primarily as an IT responsibility. Today, it’s a shared responsibility across the entire utility. Operations, engineering, maintenance, and IT all play a critical role in protecting infrastructure, maintaining reliable operations, and ensuring communities continue receiving essential services when the unexpected happens.
As water and wastewater utilities continue investing in digital initiatives, cybersecurity and disaster recovery can no longer be treated as separate conversations. Together, they form the foundation of resilient operations that can adapt, recover quickly, and continue moving forward.
Watch the On-Demand Webinar
Watch the on-demand webinar, Driving Digital in Water and Wastewater Operations, to hear the full discussion, explore real-world examples, and learn how utilities are using operational data to improve resilience, strengthen cybersecurity, and make more informed decisions.