If/When
Resilience by Design: Safeguarding Water Utilities From Cyber Threats
Show contributors: Ben Stirling, Roger Caslow, Arthur Jones
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According to Check Point Research and Reuters, cyberattacks on U.S. utilities in 2024 increased nearly 70% compared to the year before, leading to an average of 69 attacks every week. In 2025, the trend continued, in the U.S and globally.
What can water utilities do to protect themselves from these digital threats?
The answer is a nuanced one, as the challenges extend beyond outdated software and ageing infrastructure. Most water utilities globally are undergoing rapid digital transformation to respond to higher demands from communities, councils and authorities. This has opened more opportunities for cyberthreats, driving more challenges for cybersecurity in Operational Technology (OT) environments. Unlike conventional Information Technology (IT) systems, OT systems directly control pumps, valves, and treatment processes. An attack on OT can have immediate, real-world consequences for water quality, safety and public health.
The OT environment at Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) is a success story as it protects one of the largest regional water and wastewater utilities in the U.S., servicing more than 20 counties and cities and 1.5 million people. Thanks to its signature program of embedded visibility, governance and consequence-driven planning, it can serve as a blueprint for water utilities globally.
Today we’ll talk about how to apply this cybersecurity blueprint with Ben Stirling, Director, Cybersecurity & OT at Jacobs, and Roger Caslow, Chief Information Security Officer, Hampton Roads Sanitation District.
Tune in to find out
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What are the greatest cyber threats for water utilities?
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Why does OT cybersecurity need to be embedded into digital transformation from day one?
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What are consequence-driven cyber strategies, and why do we need them?
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How do you get leadership buy-in for cybersecurity investment?
About our guests
Ben Stirling is a Director of Cybersecurity & OT at Jacobs with more than 18 years’ experience spanning information technology, physics and cybersecurity analysis. Ben identifies security and operational risks and implements practical mitigations that strengthen resilience for clients. He leads and supports secure system and network operations, from architecture and hardening through incident readiness, and OT integration for connected assets and industrial networks.
Ben advises organizations across banking, publishing, energy and healthcare, as well as a range of commercial clients, translating technical findings into clear actions that protect critical operations.
Roger Caslow is Chief Information Security Officer at Hampton Roads Sanitation District, where he leads the security strategy protecting regional water and wastewater services. With more than 20 years’ experience in security and privacy, he blends physical, cyber and operational expertise to strengthen resilience against evolving threats. Roger leads programs spanning Operational Technology and Information Technology governance, risk assessments, insider-threat detection and third-party risk management to safeguard essential public services every day.
Roger is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a U.S. Navy veteran and holds graduate credentials from National Intelligence University and the University of Central Florida. Roger also serves as a Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC) board member.
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About If/When
In Jacobs’ series of interviews with some of the industry’s leading subject matter experts, inspirational leaders and trailblazers, we pull back the curtain on some of the hottest topics and trends across critical infrastructure, climate resiliency, water, advanced manufacturing, energy transition, sustainability, technology and artificial intelligence. We unpack the innovation, core values and close collaboration between Jacobs and its relationships with clients, partners and the communities in which it serves. We explore how we’re building social value across all that we do to create digitally enabled, science-based and sustainable solutions that drive climate response and human wellness.
