Vysiion supports South East Water's network transformation

UK-based OT and IT infrastructure specialist Vysiion, an Exponential-e Group company, has been awarded the South East Water Wide Area Network (WAN) Infrastructure and Support Services contract to deliver a modern, secure and resilient communications network across South East Water’s IT and OT environments.

The initial five-year contract, with the option to extend for up to a further five years, will see Vysiion replace South East Water’s existing network and provide a fully managed hybrid SD-WAN. The new mission-critical network will span over 300 geographically dispersed estate locations, including offices, depots, water treatment works, pumping stations and remote rural facilities, that depend on secure and reliable connectivity to support both IT services and operational technology, including SCADA telemetry and control systems and CCTV.

PSTN-dependent locations will be prioritised as part of the initial rollout, supporting South East Water’s controlled migration away from legacy analogue services before the planned January 2027 switch-off. Vysiion will use a combination of fixed-line, fibre, 4G/5G and satellite connectivity, selecting the most appropriate primary and secondary services for each location. Physical and logical diversity between connections will help remove single points of failure and maintain operational services if an individual carrier or connectivity method is disrupted.

The investment comes as the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill progresses through Parliament, raising expectations around how essential service providers protect the network and information systems on which critical services depend. The legislation will build on the existing Network and Information Systems Regulations and strengthen the UK’s resilience against cyber threats.

Executive commentary on network resilience and operational delivery

Darryl Mitchell, Head of IT at South East Water, said:

“Reliable and secure connectivity is fundamental to the operation of our water network. With the support of Vysiion, we are now creating a stronger foundation from which to manage our critical assets, prepare for stronger resilience expectations and deliver a better service to our customers.

Vysiion’s CNI expertise in both IT and OT environments and UK-sovereign service delivery capabilities will not only strengthen resilience but give us the support needed for our future innovation and operational requirements.”

Peter Clapton, CEO at Vysiion, said:

“We are delighted to have been selected by South East Water to provide and manage its communications network.

Water companies operate some of the UK’s most critical infrastructure, yet many of their sites are remote, unmanned and difficult to connect. Resilience cannot depend on a single carrier or connectivity technology, particularly when a network interruption can affect the systems used to manage water treatment and distribution.

Working with South East Water, we are delivering a network that uses the most appropriate combination of fixed-line, mobile and satellite connectivity at each location. The result will be a secure, centrally managed and highly resilient platform that supports South East Water’s operational needs today while providing the flexibility required for future innovation.”

The new network has been designed to support South East Water’s alignment with the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework and wider critical national infrastructure expectations. It will provide centralised management, end-to-end encryption and secure separation between corporate IT and operational technology traffic, while enabling automatic failover and intelligent routing across available connections.

Vysiion will deliver the project alongside Exponential-e, combining Vysiion’s experience in critical national infrastructure, operational technology and utilities with Exponential-e’s UK-sovereign networking and connectivity capabilities.

The solution will use Cisco technology designed for demanding operational environments. Vysiion is one of only three suppliers selected by Cisco’s operational technology team for Project One and the only participant recognised as a Utilities Specialist.