Do you manage our SCADA system or PLCs?▼
No, and we'll be upfront about that. Your controls integrator or in-house controls staff own the PLC logic, the SCADA software and its configuration. We manage the IT side: office computers, servers, billing, email, backups, and the firewall and remote access that sit at the edge of the control network. We work with your integrator on anything that touches both sides, such as which ports the historian needs or when an HMI workstation can be patched. That split keeps changes to process equipment in the hands of the people who understand the process, while giving you someone accountable for the network around it.
Can you help us with our AWIA risk assessment?▼
We can help with the cybersecurity portions. Under AWIA 2018, community water systems above the population threshold must complete a risk and resilience assessment and an emergency response plan and certify them to EPA. Your utility, often with an engineering firm, owns that work and the certification. What we provide is the IT input: an inventory of electronic systems, network diagrams, who has remote access, backup and recovery evidence, and a cyber incident response section your staff can exercise. Having those records current makes the next five-year update far less painful, and it gives your engineer accurate facts instead of guesses.
Our integrator needs to log in after hours. How do we keep that secure?▼
Keep the access, change the method. Most problems come from a remote desktop tool that's always on with a password several people know. We set up a jump host that vendors reach with their own named account and MFA, and from there they can only get to the systems they support. You can leave access enabled for a known on-call vendor or turn it on for a specific window. Every session is logged with who connected and when. If an integrator employee leaves the company, you disable one account instead of wondering who still knows the shared password.
We're a small district with a part-time office. Is this overkill?▼
Smaller utilities are often the easiest to fix, because there's less to inventory. The core items are the same regardless of size: separate the office from the plant, put MFA on email and remote access, keep operator PCs off the internet, and have backups you've actually restored. We scale the work to what you run. A district with one plant, a few lift stations and two office PCs needs far less than a city utility with multiple plants, but it still needs someone answering the phone when the billing computer won't start before a cycle.
What happens if we get hit with ransomware?▼
Operators switch to the manual procedures in your emergency response plan while we work the IT side. We isolate affected office systems, check the boundary firewall logs to confirm whether anything crossed toward the control network, and coordinate with your integrator before anyone touches plant workstations. Recovery starts from immutable backups in the order you set ahead of time, usually billing and email first. We'll help you document what happened. Decisions about notifying customers, regulators or law enforcement belong to you and your legal counsel, and we'll give them the technical facts they need to make those calls.
Do you work with municipal utilities outside our area?▼
Yes. Most of our IT and security work is done remotely by U.S.-based engineers, which suits utilities with spread-out sites anyway. When something needs hands on a box, such as replacing a firewall at a lift station or recabling the plant office, we either handle it near one of our offices or direct a vetted local technician while our engineer stays on the line. We serve water districts, municipal utilities and private operators across the country, and the same playbook applies whether the plant is down the road or several states away.
Do you provide Water & Wastewater Utilities IT Services in Houston and nearby areas?▼
Yes. LayerLogix is based in the Greater Houston area and delivers water & wastewater utilities IT services to businesses across Houston and the surrounding communities, including The Woodlands, Spring, Katy, Sugar Land, Conroe, Cypress, and Pearland. For most Houston-area clients we can be on-site the same day when something needs hands-on attention, and our help desk is available during business hours, with after-hours emergency support. Call 713-571-2390 to check coverage for your specific address.
What does Water & Wastewater Utilities IT Services cost for a Houston business?▼
Pricing depends on your size and what you need, so we do not publish a one-size-fits-all number — but Houston businesses generally pay a flat, predictable monthly fee rather than surprise hourly bills. We start with a free, no-obligation assessment of your current setup, then give you a clear quote in plain English with no hidden costs. That way you know exactly what you are getting and what it costs before you commit.