Operations Technology, Cybersecurity and Resilience
Accelerating resilience for water infrastructure
Utility Resilience
West Yost has assisted more than 20 clients with their all-hazards America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) compliant Risk and Resilience Assessments (RRAs) and Emergency Response Plans (ERPs). Each project was a collaborative effort between West Yost’s RRA and ERP experts and the utility staff, who are experts in their system.
CCE for the Water Sector
CCE is a methodology developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). To-date it has been applied to protect facilities within the Nuclear and Energy sectors from cyber attacks. West Yost is working with INL to adapt this methodology to the water sector, and assists our clients in determining the best approach for applying CCE within their control system to protect their assets, staff, and customers.
Industry Leadership
West Yost supports the AWWA’s efforts in risk and RRAs, cybersecurity, and ERPs. Over the last few years, West Yost has conducted cybersecurity training for utility staff, developed two of the five-module Utility Risk and Resilience Certification Program, led updates to the AWWA Cybersecurity Risk Management Guidance Tool, and is delivering outreach to small and rural systems.
Our Operations Technology, Cybersecurity and Resilience (OTCR) Team provides industry leading expertise across many aspects of technology application in water and wastewater and is established as national leaders with unique partnerships, including with Idaho National Laboratory and the American Water Works Association. We are leaders in adapting Cyber-informed Engineering (CIE) to the water sector and performing Consequence-driven, Cyberinformed Engineering (CCE) assessments with clients from across the United States, including some of the largest utilities in the U.S.
OTCR supports our clients by helping them adapt to an ever-changing operating environment with complete Operations Technology (OT) design and implementation and technical program management across multiple practice areas that address unprecedented environmental changes, new regulatory requirements, workforce challenges, technology implementations, and ever-evolving cyber-threats.
OTCR Scope of Services
SCADA Design, Master Planning, and Implementation • Operations Technology Programming and Configuration • Staffing roles and responsibilities definition • Development and implementation of SCADA standards • Electrical instrumentation engineering and hardware design • Resilient network architecture design • Cybersecurity assessment, planning, design, and implementation • Operations Technology Programming and Configuration • Cybersecurity resiliency planning • Operations Technology detailed design and implementation • Risk and Resilience Assessments • Electrical, Instrumentation & Controls design (EI&C) • A Day Without SCADA® Tabletop Exercise
OTCR Practice Areas
Resilience
The Resilience Practice Area provides all-hazards resilience services supporting our clients address their readiness for potential challenges from cyberattacks to earthquakes to climate change. West Yost has supported over 100 water utilities with development of risk and resilience assessments, cyber-risk and resilience assessments, emergency response plans and emergency preparedness exercises.
Innovation
The Innovation Practice Area focuses on technology planning and the growth of emerging service offerings, including distributed energy resource (DER) planning. Innovation serves as an entry point for many other OTCR and West Yost services. Technology planning establishes roadmaps to technical program management services, design, and SCADA implementation.
Electrical, Instrumentation and Controls
The Electrical, Instrumentation, and Controls Practice Area performs engineering services during initial planning, design, and construction. This practice area specializes in facility site plan development, power distribution, motor controls, distributed energy resources design, instrumentation design, and control panel design.
Process Controls and Optimization
The Process Controls and Optimization Practice Area leads efforts for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) master planning, PLC programming and SCADA configuration. This practice area plays a key role throughout design processes by creating preliminary Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) using SCADA screens to gather feedback from operators and stakeholders to help guide design efforts.
Operations Technology, Cybersecurity and Resilience Team Spotlight
West Yost has assembled an OTCR team of experts from across the country who are dedicated to providing safe, resilient water infrastructure for all of our communities. They enjoy the challenge of their specialties and feel pride in working together to solve very complicated challenges. They are doing the best work of their lives at West Yost.
Daniel Groves, PE, CISSP
OTCR Business Sector Leader
Andrew Ohrt, PE
Resilience Practice Area Lead,
Principal Technical Specialist I
Greg Smith, PE
Senior Technical Specialist I
West Yost Word
How do we protect our public utilities?
In an era where cybersecurity threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the public utilities sector, particularly water systems, faces unique challenges …
The Future of Water System Electrical Resilience: Resilience-Focused Distributed Energy Resources
In the second week of April, West Yost’s team members came together for our annual All Staff event, setting the …
A Spectrum of Water Treatment: Ensuring Safe and Reliable Water
In the second week of April, West Yost’s team members came together for our annual All Staff event, setting the …
Safeguarding water critical infrastructure with resilient design
For the protection you need, our industry leaders are creating change in the sector to maintain safe, clean water for our communities
The West Yost Operations Technology, Cybersecurity and Resilience (OTCR) team are experts in supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system design and implementation; networking; cybersecurity assessments; electrical engineering; instrumentation, controls, and electrical systems (IC&E); data management; and programming.
We create change throughout the sector. Our team of experts 1) assess current infrastructure, 2) fix the issues, 3) improve the design, and 4) provide industry-wide leadership for better systems.
Services provided by our Operations Technology, Cybersecurity, and Resilience group include:
- Cybersecurity vulnerability assessments
- Operations Technology Programming and Configuration
- Cybersecurity resiliency planning
- SCADA master planning
- Operations Technology detailed design and implementation
- Risk and Resilience Assessments
- Electrical, Instrumentation & Controls design (EI&C)
- Seismic Informed Engineering (SIE)
Additional information on our team’s project experience or qualifications is available upon request.
Our Key Initiatives
Consequence Driven Cyber-Informed Engineering (CCE) for the Water Sector
Partnered with Idaho National Laboratory
CCE is a methodology developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). To-date it has been applied to protect facilities within the Nuclear and Energy sectors from cyber attacks. West Yost is working with INL to adapt this methodology to the water sector. This methodology assumes that if a SCADA system is targeted by a persistent and capable threat actor, it will be compromised. Based on this assumption our team designs SCADA systems in such a way that a utility will still be able to confidently carry out its mission of delivering drinking water to customers, even if the SCADA system is compromised.
Programming and Configuration Services
Implementing CCE and SIE in the design process
The Process Controls and Optimization practice offers programming and configuration services. Programming and configuration services are essential to help utilities consistently deliver safe drinking water to the public and treat wastewater to be safely returned to the environment. Nearly all modern control systems depend on programming and configuration as well as network security design and implementation. The implementation of these systems affects electrical processes, mechanical processes, and nearly all other branches of engineering and design.
Industry Leadership – American Water Works Association (AWWA) Support
Sector Best Practice Training and Guidance Development
West Yost supports the AWWA’s efforts in risk and RRAs, cybersecurity, and ERPs. Over the last few years, West Yost has conducted cybersecurity training for utility staff, developed two of the five-module Utility Risk and Resilience Certification Program, led updates to the AWWA Cybersecurity Risk Management Guidance Tool, and is delivering outreach to small and rural systems.
Seismic Informed Engineering (SIE)
Preparing control systems to support seismic resilience
Seismic Informed Engineering (SIE) is a holistic approach to planning, design and implementation of water systems with resilience to seismic events. SIE includes accepted seismic design considerations (i.e., structural analysis/design, seismic valves), and expands upon this approach by including the mechanical, electrical, communications and control systems as elements of resilience. SIE focuses on how a water system should react prior to, during, and after a seismic event.
Utility Resilience
Beyond AWIA compliance
West Yost has assisted more than 20 clients with their all-hazards America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) compliant Risk and Resilience Assessments (RRAs) and Emergency Response Plans (ERPs). Each project was a collaborative effort between West Yost’s RRA and ERP experts and the utility staff, who are experts in their system.
America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018
The 2025/2026 cycle marks the second round of America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA), requiring small, medium and large water systems serving to update their Risk and Resilience Assessments and Emergency Response Plans.
Our team of industry-leading professionals is adept at navigating the complexities of water system compliance, offering tailored assessments that go beyond mere regulatory adherence. We provide comprehensive insights and actionable recommendations, ensuring not just compliance, but meaningful improvements in the resilience, safety, and efficiency of your water infrastructure.
