Give support teams a controlled path into OT.
Remote access for internal teams and vendors supporting operational systems.
Urban UtilitiesThe constraint
Internal specialists and external vendors needed to reach OT systems without receiving unnecessarily broad access. Identity checks, application access and audit records had to fit the existing IT and OT environment.
Our work
Urban Utilities needed remote access for the people maintaining its operational systems. Quokka designed and implemented OT Connect around internal teams, external vendors and the permissions each needed to do their work.
What changed
Define employee and vendor permissions
Separate the systems and applications needed by internal maintenance teams from those required by external vendors. Tie permissions to the support role.
Join identity, MFA and OT access
Integrate Active Directory, Okta multifactor authentication and Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect with the existing access environment, including Citrix NetScaler.
Pilot the complete support workflow
Test with internal users and vendors, refine access to the required systems, and support rollout with training and operating documentation.
The result
OT Connect combined role-based access, multifactor authentication, encrypted connections and access logging in a service for Urban Utilities’ internal teams and vendors.
Designed and implemented by Quokka Advisory for Urban Utilities.
The engineering decisions.
The delivery joined the access components to the maintenance workflow: who is connecting, which systems they need and how the team can review that access.
Join identity checks to the remote-access path
Quokka integrated Active Directory, Okta multifactor authentication and Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect with the existing access environment, including Citrix NetScaler. The work connected user authentication to access into the operational estate, with encrypted connections and logging included in the service.
Define permissions around the maintenance role
Internal support teams and external vendors needed different combinations of systems and applications. The design used role-based permissions to account for those requirements, with access records available for review. The access model followed the work each person needed to perform across the existing IT and OT environment.
Pilot the complete support task
The delivery included a pilot with internal users and vendors to check functionality and security. Their feedback informed the access experience before wider rollout. Training and operating documentation covered both groups, giving the support team the material needed to maintain the service after implementation.
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Talk to us about the environment, the constraint and the change.