Energy Storage Key to Maintain Continuity in Wake of Cyberattacks

The growing rate of cyberattacks to the manufacturing industry is prompting industrial operators to integrate energy storage systems into their continuity strategies, making energy resilience a functional component of industrial risk management.

“Operational security no longer depends solely on information systems. Energy has become the first line of defense against cyberattacks. Protecting the operation means protecting the energy that sustains it,” says Alejandro Fajer, Chief Operating Officer, Quartux.

Mexico is the most targeted country in Latin America by volume of attempted cyberattacks. Fortinet reports more than 324 billion intrusion attempts in 2024. The financial sector experiences the highest concentration, followed by the manufacturing sector. These environments depend on automated control systems that support production, logistics, and monitoring activities.

In the last few years, industrial operators in Mexico adopted connected architectures that include industrial sensors, real-time data analytics, remote management systems, and supervisory control and data acquisition platforms. These systems expanded productivity but also increased exposure to operational disruption. Threat actors now target process interruption, which can affect production cycles and physical assets.

Blackouts cause significant costs to the manufacturing sector. According to the National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry, the estimated economic loss for the manufacturing sector amounts to US$200 million for every hour without electricity. Total Cyber-Sec reports that the average recovery cost from a ransomware incident in Mexico is about US$1.35 million, little bit under the global average of US$1.5 million. The figure includes recovery activities, downtime, and indirect losses. These conditions have accelerated the adoption of complementary mechanisms that address both digital and physical risk.

These problems are making energy resilience key to industrial risk management. Battery energy storage systems, known as BESS, can isolate electrical infrastructure, form temporary microgrids, and sustain critical loads independently from the public grid or compromised digital management systems. BESS platforms can be designed to supply servers, supervisory control systems, environmental control units, and priority production lines.

These systems activate in real time and operate without remote connectivity. This characteristic enables operators to maintain control during an incident that compromises digital platforms or electrical infrastructure. The capacity to maintain autonomous operation reduces exposure to simultaneous failures that combine cyber events and grid instability.

BESS platforms also integrate with renewable energy sources and can operate in isolated mode. This configuration mitigates the impact of blackouts or severe voltage fluctuations. The ability to maintain isolated operation has become relevant for sectors that depend on continuous electricity supply.

“Energy storage is gaining strategic relevance within risk management and productive continuity programs, especially in sectors that require continuous energy stability such as advanced manufacturing, mining, food and beverage, or data centers,” says Fajer.

The integration of BESS solutions into cybersecurity planning reflects an operational shift. The boundary between digital risk and physical risk has become less defined. Industrial operators in Mexico are incorporating energy storage systems to reinforce redundancy, maintain process stability, and reduce exposure to concurrent disruptions.