ICS/OT Network Security Solutions
ICS and OT network security requires complete, packet-level visibility into industrial control systems and operational technology communications. SentryWire delivers full packet capture to help secure ICS and OT networks, detect anomalous behavior, and support compliance across critical infrastructure environments.
Bridging the IT-OT Security Gap
SentryWire creates unified visibility across converged IT-OT environments, enabling ICS network security teams to monitor industrial control system traffic across complex ICS environments and detect lateral movement before it reaches critical control systems. Our platform speaks the language of industrial networks—parsing ICS protocols such as Modbus, DNP3, OPC-UA, and other specialized communications that traditional IT security tools may omit entirely.
This deep protocol understanding links cyber events to physical outcomes, helping engineers validate that control commands produce expected results. When anomalies occur, teams can instantly determine whether issues stem from cyberattacks, equipment malfunctions, or misconfigurations.
Traditional ICS security tools rely on logs, alerts, or flow summaries that lack the context required for effective investigation. Full packet capture delivers immutable, packet-level visibility into every command, session, and protocol interaction across ICS and OT networks, enabling teams to investigate incidents, validate operations, and support compliance requirements without blind spots.
Intelligent Analysis Beyond Raw Capture
Our deep packet inspection generates comprehensive flow records and behavioral baselines, enabling statistical anomaly detection that identifies threats before they escalate. The platform learns normal communication patterns between industrial devices, flagging deviations that could indicate compromise or operational issues. This visibility is especially important in segmented environments, where network segmentation can obscure east-west traffic between ICS devices and OT systems.
Real-time correlation engines connect network events across multiple data sources, while customizable dashboards present packet volumes, protocol distributions, and alert trends aligned to your compliance requirements. SentryWire also provides visibility into remote access activity within ICS networks, a common vector for unauthorized access, ransomware, and insider misuse in OT environments. During incidents, complete packet replay eliminates guesswork—showing exactly what happened, when, and how to respond.
Enterprise-Grade Features for Critical Infrastructure
Lossless Packet Capture at Line Rate
Capture network traffic with zero packet loss, even at peak throughput. SentryWire preserves complete packets in their native format, ensuring forensic-grade evidence for investigations and audits.
Flexible, Long-Term Packet Retention
Tiered storage balances performance and cost, using high-speed disks for recent traffic and economical archives for long-term retention. Retain packets for days, months, or years based on operational and compliance needs.
Compliance-Ready Packet Evidence
Support regulatory and audit requirements with court-admissible packet records. SentryWire aligns with NERC-CIP, IEC 62443, and NIST frameworks, preserving chain-of-custody and evidentiary integrity.
Seamless SOC & Security Stack Integration
Export packet-level evidence to SIEM and SOAR platforms via JSON or Syslog. Enrich alerts and investigations while maintaining centralized event management across your security ecosystem.
Protecting Critical Infrastructure Through ICS Network Security
Energy companies deploy SentryWire across generation, transmission, and distribution networks where visibility gaps could lead to cascading failures. Water utilities secure treatment and distribution systems from both external threats and insider risks. Transportation authorities protect everything from traffic management to railway signaling systems.
Our platform excels in air-gapped environments where internal traffic monitoring is critical for detecting insider threats and lateral movement. For manufacturing operations, we protect both industrial processes and the intellectual property flowing across OT networks.
Measurable Security Outcomes
Strong ICS network security requires complete packet visibility, rapid investigation, and defensible forensic evidence. Organizations using SentryWire report:
Faster incident response through instant packet replay and root cause analysis
Reduced operational downtime by quickly distinguishing cyber events from equipment issues
Improved compliance posture with comprehensive audit trails and forensic capabilities
Enhanced network reliability through the detection of both security threats and performance bottlenecks
SentryWire transforms ICS security from reactive guesswork to proactive defense, providing the complete visibility needed to protect critical infrastructure in an evolving threat landscape.
Use Cases and Industry Applications
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Power generation and transmission networks demand zero-compromise visibility. SentryWire excels in segmented and air-gapped environments common to energy infrastructure, capturing every packet without breaking network isolation. Our platform provides the forensic replay capabilities that grid operators need to instantly determine whether anomalies stem from cyberattacks, equipment failures, or misconfigurations—critical distinctions when outages can cascade across entire regions.
The platform's deep understanding of DNP3, IEC 61850, and other energy-sector protocols ensures complete visibility into SCADA communications, substation automation, and generation control systems. This protocol intelligence, combined with our proven ability to scale from distribution substations to transmission operations centers, makes SentryWire the trusted choice for utilities meeting NERC CIP compliance requirements. This level of visibility is critical for SCADA security, where command integrity and timing directly impact safety and service continuity.
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Modern manufacturing depends on precise, synchronized communication between thousands of industrial devices. SentryWire captures and analyzes every Modbus, OPC-UA, and proprietary protocol exchange, identifying unauthorized commands or behavioral anomalies before they disrupt production. Our replay capabilities let engineers verify that control changes produce expected results, ensuring processes remain within operational parameters.
The platform's ability to link network events to physical outcomes proves invaluable when diagnosing production issues. Teams can instantly determine whether quality problems result from network latency, misconfigured PLCs, or malicious interference—accelerating root cause analysis from hours to minutes.
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Upstream and downstream operations involve complex protocol interactions across geographically distributed assets. SentryWire validates every communication between field RTUs and control systems, ensuring data integrity from wellheads to refineries. This comprehensive visibility reduces operational downtime, detects tampering attempts, and accelerates incident response across remote locations.
Our centralized monitoring architecture aggregates packet data from offshore platforms, pipelines, and processing facilities into unified dashboards. Global operators maintain consistent security standards across all sites while local teams retain granular visibility for site-specific troubleshooting. This dual-layer approach supports both corporate compliance requirements and operational excellence.
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Rail networks, airports, and transit authorities rely on SentryWire to monitor signaling systems, traffic management, and operational control networks. The platform captures command traffic and system polling data that could indicate either security breaches or safety-critical malfunctions. This real-time visibility enables rapid isolation of affected components and immediate corrective action.
Beyond security, our trending analysis identifies equipment degradation before failures occur. By analyzing packet timing and protocol behavior over time, maintenance teams can predict and prevent costly service disruptions, improving both safety and reliability.
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Water treatment and distribution systems face unique challenges—any compromise could affect public health. SentryWire monitors SCADA communications across treatment plants, pumping stations, and distribution networks, detecting unauthorized changes to chemical dosing, flow rates, or system pressures before they impact water quality.
The platform's ability to operate in isolated OT environments proves essential for water utilities, where air-gapped networks are standard practice. Internal traffic monitoring detects insider threats and lateral movement that perimeter defenses miss, providing the defense-in-depth required for critical infrastructure protection.
The Importance of Complete Visibility
Visibility defines security in industrial environments. Without complete awareness of network activity, even the most advanced defenses can fail to identify critical threats in time. SentryWire gives organizations the clarity they need to operate with confidence by capturing every packet, correlating every event, and revealing the full picture of what is happening across their ICS and OT networks.
Schedule a visibility assessment to identify gaps and discover how total packet-level insight supports stronger operational control.
FAQs
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ICS networks face risks from ransomware, unauthorized access, and misconfigurations that can impact system performance or safety. The convergence of IT and OT introduces additional exposure if visibility is limited.
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IT cybersecurity emphasizes data confidentiality, while ICS cybersecurity prioritizes operational continuity and process reliability. Disruption in ICS environments can lead to physical damage, production loss, or safety incidents.
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SentryWire provides continuous packet capture, enabling analysts to replay incidents in detail. This allows teams to verify root causes, confirm impact, and implement targeted remediation without assumptions.
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Yes. SentryWire operates effectively in isolated networks, storing packet data locally while maintaining capture accuracy. This capability supports highly controlled environments with strict separation requirements.
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Yes. SentryWire supports both frameworks by providing comprehensive logging, replay capability, and defensible audit trails aligned with compliance standards.
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Organizations can configure SentryWire’s retention settings to meet operational or regulatory needs. The platform allows storage from short-term monitoring to multi-year retention, maintaining data accessibility and integrity.
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Traditional monitoring tools rely on summarized data that can overlook critical details. Full packet capture records every communication in full context, providing the accuracy required for investigation, performance analysis, and compliance.
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NERC-CIP requires bulk electric system operators to maintain documented evidence of network monitoring, incident detection, and response capability. SentryWire supports these requirements by providing continuous full packet capture, long-term retention with accurate timestamps, and defensible audit trails across OT and ICS networks — ensuring organizations can demonstrate compliance during audits and investigations.
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ICS (Industrial Control Systems) refers to the hardware and software used to monitor and control industrial processes — including SCADA systems, PLCs, and DCS. OT (Operational Technology) is the broader category encompassing all technology that manages physical devices and processes. In practice, ICS is a subset of OT, and both require security approaches that prioritize operational continuity and availability over the data-confidentiality focus of traditional IT security.
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