Implementing 24/7 MSS to Protect Oil & Gas Infrastructure in the Americas

Needs And Requirements:

The client, operating in the Mining, Oil & Energy sector, required a 24/7 Managed Security Service to protect critical infrastructure across its IT and OT environments. With operations running around the clock, they needed continuous threat monitoring and rapid incident response to minimize risk and downtime.

A key requirement was the integration of third-party alerts to create a unified view of their security posture by giving them improved visibility into their OT environment, which had previously lacked sufficient monitoring, in order to detect vulnerabilities and ensure operational resilience.

Main Challenges:

Evolving and Sophisticated Threat Landscape: The client faced persistent threats from increasingly advanced cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, making it essential to adopt continuous, real-time threat detection and response.

Complex and Interconnected Technology Infrastructure: Their IT and OT environments were deeply intertwined, creating challenges in monitoring, securing, and managing a broad attack surface across multiple systems.

Lack of Robust Incident Response and Recovery Plans: Prior to implementing 24/7 MSS, the client had limited capability to detect and respond to incidents in a timely manner, increasing the risk of prolonged downtime and operational disruption.

Solution:

24/7 Managed Security Services: Hitachi Cyber implemented a 24/7 Managed Security Service leveraging Microsoft Sentinel to deliver continuous monitoring, advanced threat detection, and rapid incident response across the client’s IT environment. To address the critical need for visibility into their operational technology (OT) systems, the solution was extended to integrate alerts from a third-party SIEM (QRadar) specifically designed for industrial control systems. This integration provided a unified view of security events across both IT and OT environments, enabling faster threat correlation, streamlined investigation, and improved situational awareness. By combining robust cloud-native capabilities with OT-specific intelligence, the client gained comprehensive protection aligned with the demands of their complex and high-risk infrastructure.

Outcomes:

With the implementation of Hitachi Cyber’s 24/7 MSS and the integration of OT-specific alerts, the client significantly improved their threat detection and response capabilities across both IT and OT environments. They gained real-time visibility into critical infrastructure, reduced incident response times, and achieved a more unified and proactive security posture. This not only enhanced operational resilience but also supported compliance with industry regulations and strengthened overall cybersecurity maturity.

Next Steps:

Following the successful implementation of 24/7 MSS and OT alert integration, the client will continue to collaborate with Hitachi Cyber to further enhance their cybersecurity program. The next phase includes exploring additional services such as penetration testing to proactively identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their overall security posture. Ongoing partnership discussions also include roadmap planning for advanced threat hunting, security awareness training, and continuous improvement of their incident response capabilities.