IoT for Critical Infrastructure (KRITIS)

Critical infrastructures – energy, water, wastewater, transport, health, telecommunications – are the arteries of modern societies. Their failure is not a business question but a matter of public safety. At the same time, many of these facilities are older, more heterogeneous, and less digitalised than industrial standards – and are under increasing regulatory pressure from BSI-KritisV, EU-NIS2, and the IT Security Act.

IoT plays a dual role in KRITIS: as a technology for monitoring and optimising operations – and as a potential attack surface that must be secured. Operating sensor networks in drinking water infrastructure, substations, or control centres requires different security requirements than in a manufacturing operation.

On this page you will find verified real-world examples from the IoT Use Case network – for operators and solution providers planning, implementing, or securing KRITIS-compliant IoT projects.

Critical Infrastructure: What Actually Works with IoT in KRITIS Facilities

KRITIS IoT is not a normal industrial project. Security requirements, regulatory specifications, and the criticality of the infrastructure demand concepts that differ significantly from typical Industry 4.0 projects. At the same time, the potential is enormous: better monitoring, early disruption detection, and fewer manual on-site inspections.

Typical Application Areas

Remote Monitoring of Decentralised Facilities

Pump stations, transformer stations, metering stations, and switching systems spread over large areas are too costly for regular on-site inspections. IoT sensors remotely monitor operational parameters such as pressure, flow, voltage, temperature, and fill level. Anomalies are immediately reported. NB-IoT and LoRaWAN work even in areas without broadband coverage.

Early Warning and Situational Management Systems

IoT sensor networks in water distribution detect pressure drops or leaks early. In power grids, voltage deviations and feed-in fluctuations are sensorically captured. Intelligent situational systems aggregate measurement data from hundreds of measuring points and automatically generate situation reports for control centres and authorities.

OT Security and Network Segmentation

Passive network monitoring instantly detects new, unknown devices in the OT network. Anomaly detection based on baseline profiles of communication behaviour identifies attacks early. Network segmentation according to IEC 62443 isolates critical subsystems. All of this works without intervening in existing SCADA systems.

Physical Security and Perimeter Protection

Motion detectors, fence monitoring with AI video systems, biometric access control, vibration sensors at protected zones: physical security solutions for KRITIS facilities must work without internet dependency, be tamper-resistant, and log without gaps.

NIS2 Compliance and Automated Reporting

NIS2 requires demonstrable security measures, risk analyses, reporting obligations, and regular reviews. IoT platforms that continuously monitor and log automatically deliver the data basis for these proofs – without manual documentation.

What Sets IoT in KRITIS Apart from Other Areas

KRITIS IoT is primarily a security and availability project, not an efficiency project. This has direct implications for technology selection, integration strategy, and operating model: redundancy, air gap, fail-safe behaviour, and minimal attack surface take absolute priority. Selected solutions must be explicitly approved or certified for KRITIS requirements.

Real-World Examples from the IoT Use Case Network

In our network you will find concrete, verified solution examples for IoT in critical infrastructures – from remote monitoring for water supply networks and OT security solutions for energy suppliers to physical security systems for substations and NIS2 compliance platforms. Every example shows which technologies were used and what was concretely achieved in the end.

No marketing fluff. Only practice.