IT security in the energy sector: QUADRA Energy achieves KRITIS compliance with LocateRisk

As a leading holistic energy manager in the renewable energy sector, QUADRA Energy GmbH relies on transparency, efficiency and continuous vulnerability management when securing its infrastructure or platform architecture. In the context of the KRITIS regulation (critical infrastructures), particularly high IT security requirements must be met - LocateRisk helps to meet these requirements: through continuous identification of vulnerabilities, well-founded derivation of effective measures and compliance with regulatory requirements. All this with low resource expenditure and high impact.

Initial situation: Critical infrastructure, clear priorities

QUADRA Energy is one of the market leaders in the direct marketing of renewable energies in Germany - and therefore bears a special responsibility. As a leading, holistic energy manager, QUADRA Energy operates the largest portfolio of renewable energies in the country. With its AI-supported, digital QUADRA platform, the company efficiently integrates both green producers and flexibility providers such as battery storage systems into the German energy system - creating sustainable added value for system operators, energy suppliers and electricity consumers alike. "A large part of our portfolio is controllable - a total of more than eleven gigawatts of installed capacity. This dimension clearly demonstrates the importance of secure and responsible system processes for us," says the company.

In view of this system relevance, protecting the infrastructure is a top priority. The key challenge is to identify attack surfaces at an early stage in order to prevent unauthorized access or failures. Particular focus: Availability risks and unauthorized access - Threat scenarios that could not only cause economic damage but also have consequences for grid stability.

Measurability without detours: a clear overview with little effort

LocateRisk was introduced to make security gaps systematically visible - without overloading internal resources. "For the first time, we have gained complete transparency with regard to vulnerabilities, potential cyber risks and threats," says Dennis Honke, Head of IT at QUADRA Energy, describing the benefits of LocateRisk. Automated detection of externally visible vulnerabilities - combined with the option of adding additional systems or addresses manually. This creates a realistic and attacker-like situation picture.

"We much prefer it when LocateRisk discovers a vulnerability - before a real attacker does"emphasizes Dennis Honke.

Regularity, quality, relevance - at the heart of vulnerability management

"LocateRisk is a central component of our vulnerability analysis in the area of cybersecurity. The results are incorporated into our processes in a structured manner and are consistently processed - we use them as a reliable starting point for assessing and dealing with potential risks. Together with other valid sources, this results in a well-founded overall picture that enables us to respond to vulnerabilities in a systematic and prioritized manner," explains Dennis Honke, Head of IT at QUADRA Energy.

It is not only the scope of the analyses that is impressive, but also the usability of the information. "The platform delivers consistent quality and is ideal for reporting purposes - both within the team and to management," explains Dennis Honke.

From individual cases to strategic evaluation - also in the service provider context

LocateRisk has also proven to be an effective tool in cooperation with external partners. In one specific case, the platform was used to carry out a structured security audit at a service provider - as an alternative measure to the missing certificate template. Head of IT, Dennis Honke, emphasizes: "The automatic scan via LocateRisk provided us with a very clear, meaningful picture of the situation, which we were able to use as a sound basis for discussion and decision-making."

The result: based on the analysis, targeted measures were implemented, critical weaknesses identified and significantly improved within a year. The platform therefore not only contributes to internal security monitoring, but also to the transparent, fact-based assessment of external IT risks.

Suitable for management and operationally effective

For the company, the security score in particular is a key indicator - both for internal reporting and for presenting security developments. "We use the scoring as a key figure in our management report. The development of the score and comparison with the industry While management relies on visual clarity, the operational teams work directly with the findings in the web view and derive their action plan from them. "The user interface has an extremely intuitive design, provides an excellent basis for reporting and is easy to understand for both technical specialists and management," emphasizes Dennis Honke.

Conclusion: Clear overview, targeted measures, measurable progress

LocateRisk enables QUADRA Energy to Continuous, objective overview of the IT security situation of the entire infrastructure - with a minimum of resources. The platform not only provides automated analyses, but also actively supports the Prioritization and minimization of weak points in day-to-day business. At the same time, LocateRisk offers Transparent, comprehensible key figures for managementwhich can be integrated directly into reporting - including score development and industry comparison. LocateRisk also creates clarity when working with service providers: through fact-based audits, reliable results and measurable progress.

"LocateRisk provides us with an overview, the ability to act and comparability - and is therefore a useful addition to our security architecture. The platform is now an integral part of our overarching security management."
- Dennis Honke, Head of IT, QUADRA Energy GmbH

LocateRisk in use - the advantages at a glance

- Create visibility: Overview of external attack surfaces and IT security vulnerabilities
- Prioritize weak points: Clearly evaluated findings with CVSS classification
- derive measures: Concrete recommendations for action for operations teams
- Simplify reporting: Management-compatible score indicators for monthly reports
- Rate service providers: Objective database for partner audits and IT risk assessments

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