System Outages, Cybersecurity, and SCADA: What Every Utility Should Be Thinking About

For water and wastewater utilities, staying connected to your system isn’t just about convenience—it’s essential to protecting public health, ensuring compliance, and maintaining day-to-day operations. But as systems grow more complex and connected, so do the threats that can take them offline.

SCADA system outages can occur for a wide variety of reasons: equipment failures, power loss, weather events, weak network infrastructure, or targeted cybersecurity attacks. Even brief communication gaps can prevent critical alarms from being delivered—or worse, prevent operators from remotely intervening before problems escalate.

Understanding SCADA Outages

Most utility professionals will experience some form of SCADA interruption in their careers. These outages often fall into a few broad categories:

• Hardware Failures: Radio modems, RTUs, or PLCs may stop functioning due to age, damage, or environmental exposure.
  
  
• Communication Breakdowns: Cellular or IP-based networks may lose signal due to weather, interference, or backhaul issues.
  
  
• Power Interruptions: Without battery backups or UPS systems in place, sites may go dark without warning.
  
  
• Software or Configuration Errors: Improper setup or firmware issues can result in unstable or misbehaving systems.
  
  
• Cybersecurity Incidents: As critical infrastructure becomes more connected, utilities are increasingly targeted by bad actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities.
  
  

Some outages are minor and easy to resolve. Others reveal deeper issues—outdated infrastructure, poor visibility, or weak security—that require more than just a quick fix. That’s why many utilities are reassessing how they monitor their systems and what it means to be prepared.

Building Resilience Through Remote Monitoring

Modern SCADA systems have the potential to dramatically reduce the impact of outages. Cloud-based systems with real-time alarm notifications and secure remote access give operators the ability to detect issues early and act quickly—even if they’re not on-site.

But not all systems are created equal. When evaluating SCADA solutions, utilities should consider:

• Redundancy & Failover: What happens if a device goes offline or loses power? Is there an alert system in place to flag that event immediately?
  
  
• Security Standards: Is the system compliant with industry best practices like SOC 2 Type II? Is data encrypted in transit and at rest?
  
  
• Visibility & Access: Can operators and integrators see what’s happening across the entire system from a single dashboard?
  
  
• Support & Accountability: Who answers the phone when something goes wrong? Do they know your system?
  
  

These are the questions High Tide Technologies has spent the last 20+ years helping utilities answer. Our approach isn’t about selling the latest gadget—it’s about helping operators make decisions that keep their systems online, efficient, and secure.

A Secure SCADA System Starts with Trust

High Tide Technologies is SOC 2 Type II compliant and maintains greater than 99.6% system uptime, providing peace of mind to hundreds of utilities across North America. But more than that, we strive to be a reliable partner to utility operators, engineers, and integrators who need a system that works—and a team that shows up when it matters.

“Our mission has always been to build trust,” says Justin Starr, CEO of High Tide Technologies. “That starts with secure infrastructure, but it includes something less tangible—responsiveness, clarity, and real support. We’re here to help our customers make smart decisions, not just fast ones.”

‍

Looking Ahead

As cyber threats evolve and regulatory expectations rise, the need for resilient, secure remote monitoring will only grow. Whether your utility is planning a SCADA upgrade or simply looking to strengthen your existing system, it’s worth asking the hard questions now—before the next outage strikes.

To learn more about how utilities are preparing for a more connected and more vulnerable future contact sales at sales@htt.io. 

‍