In a digital world where utilities increasingly rely on data-driven engagement, trust and security are paramount. Customers will only act on insights if they know their data is safe. Utilities, meanwhile, face intense scrutiny from regulators and growing cyber risks across their operations.
At Advizzo, security isn’t an afterthought – it’s built into the DNA of our platform. From design and development, through to monitoring and customer engagement, every decision is underpinned by one principle: data protection first.
Why security matters for utilities and their customers
Cybersecurity is no longer a background concern for critical infrastructure, it’s an active, escalating risk.
In the water sector, government strategy has already warned of the increasing complexity and scale of cyberattacks. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued specific guidance to UK water providers in 2023, highlighting the risk of hostile nation-state and criminal actors. By 2025, those threats have only intensified. Attacks could disrupt pumping stations, contaminate water supplies, or trigger widespread service failures, with devastating consequences for public trust, finances, and regulatory compliance.
Energy providers face similar pressures. According to IBM, the energy sector accounted for 24% of all UK cyberattacks in 2022, making it the most targeted industry. The UK Government’s 2024 Cybersecurity Breaches Survey confirmed that over half of UK businesses suffered a breach or attack in the past year.1 Regulatory frameworks like the UK’s National Cyber Strategy and the EU’s NIS2 Directive now demand higher standards, with penalties for companies that fail to comply.
For utilities, the message is clear: robust cybersecurity is no longer optional. It’s fundamental to protecting operations, customers and reputations.
Understanding the threats
As utilities embrace digital transformation, they face a growing spectrum of threats:
- Phishing – deceptive emails or websites designed to steal credentials.
- Ransomware – malicious software that locks data until a ransom is paid.
- Malware – programs that infiltrate systems to disrupt operations or steal data.
- DDoS attacks – overwhelming networks with traffic to cause outages.
- Data leakage – accidental or insider exposure of sensitive information.
These threats demand a proactive, integrated approach to defence – one that goes beyond patchwork solutions and builds resilience from the ground up.
What “Secure by Design” means
At Advizzo, we follow a Secure by Design approach. This means considering cybersecurity from the very beginning of product development, not retrofitting it later. This includes:
- Threat modelling and vulnerability testing are part of our development process.
- Secure coding standards ensure that resilience is built in from the start.
- Lifecycle security means protections don’t end at launch – they’re continually updated and strengthened.
In practice, this approach reduces vulnerabilities, protects consumer privacy and ensures that our solutions remain resilient to evolving threats.
Industry standards and certification
Our systems and processes are certified to ISO 27001, the globally recognised benchmark for information security management. This means that every aspect of how we handle, store and protect data, from encryption to staff training, has been rigorously assessed. For utilities and customers, it provides assurance that information is in safe hands.
We also align with:
- GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 – ensuring lawful, fair and transparent data processing.
- ISO quality standards – embedding continuous improvement in our processes.
- Independent audits – verifying that our practices remain robust, transparent and effective.
Together, these frameworks demonstrate more than compliance. They provide independent validation that Advizzo’s approach is rigorous, resilient and trustworthy.
24/7 monitoring and resilience
Cybersecurity isn’t a one-off exercise, it’s a round-the-clock commitment. Advizzo systems are protected by continuous monitoring and alerting, designed to detect and neutralise threats before they escalate.
We also plan for the unexpected. Disaster recovery and business continuity measures ensure services remain available, even in the face of disruption. Whether the challenge is cyber, hardware or environmental, our systems are built with redundancy and resilience at their core.
For utilities, that means minimal downtime and maximum reliability. For customers, it means uninterrupted access to the personalised insights that help them save money, reduce consumption and live more sustainably.
Protecting customer data
We treat customer data with the highest level of responsibility:
- Data minimisation – we only collect what’s strictly necessary to deliver value.
- Encryption at rest and in transit – protecting data from the moment it’s shared to the moment it’s stored.
- Role-based access controls – ensuring only the right people have access, and only to the data they need.
- Audits and penetration testing – verifying our defences against evolving threats.
By combining these measures, Advizzo not only complies with regulatory requirements, we go further, giving utilities and their customers peace of mind that their information is always protected.
A secure foundation for engagement
For utilities, customer trust is hard-earned, but easily lost. Cybersecurity is central to protecting that trust. With Advizzo, utilities gain more than a customer engagement platform, they gain a cybersecure, compliant and resilient partner.
Security and engagement go hand-in-hand. By safeguarding data, we enable customers to focus on what really matters: making positive, sustainable changes in how they use energy and water.
Build engagement on a foundation of trust. Discover how Advizzo’s secure-by-design platform can support your journey.
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1 Government press release – New plans to supercharge UK cyber sector