Operating in the food industry, Pouttu wanted to improve the cybersecurity of its online environment through segmentation together with Loihde. The project was also guided by SensorFu’s sensors, which helped identify network leakage points. At the same time, Pouttu’s compliance with the requirements of the NIS2 Cybersecurity Directive was strengthened.
AI-generated and author-reviewed summary of the article:
Pouttu has carried out a production OT network segmentation project in cooperation with Loihde and SensorFu to strengthen cybersecurity and meet the requirements of the NIS2 Directive. SensorFu’s sensors helped detect network leakage points and verify that segmentation works as intended. The project has progressed on a tight schedule and has provided significant new insight into the security of the network.
Loihde has long provided Pouttu with comprehensive security solutions. When the network segmentation project became timely, it was natural to do it with a familiar partner. In addition, SensorFu joined in, and its sensors helped steer the segmentation in the right direction.
“Overall, the project went very positively. Our underlying idea was to meet the requirements of the NIS2 Cybersecurity Directive. We operate in the food industry and, for our part, support Finland’s security of supply, so from that perspective as well, security must be continuously developed,” says Pouttu’s ICT Manager Jyrki Jaatinen.
The segmentation project for OT (Operational Technology) networks related to production lines started at Pouttu in October 2025, and at the time of the interview in late winter 2026 the work is in its final stages.
“We already had some separated networks, but as a result of this project, the number of segments at least tripled,” confirms Pouttu’s ICT Specialist Aleksi Erkkilä.
Segmentation, or isolation, is one of the most important cybersecurity elements of a network. According to SensorFu’s Pekka Pirttiaho, it works like watertight compartmentalization in a ship: even if one compartment starts leaking, watertight bulkheads prevent the whole vessel from sinking. The sensors are like alarms that immediately indicate if the integrity of any bulkhead is not in order.
“A unified network exposes the entire production environment to a chain reaction: one device vulnerability endangers all systems. A one-hour production interruption is not just a one-hour loss—it causes long-lasting multiplier effects such as delivery delays, scrap production, and resource re-planning, and fixing those can take a long time,” Pirttiaho says.
In parallel with OT network segmentation, insights produced by SensorFu’s sensors were utilized. In practice, sensors installed in the production network attempt to reach the internet from within the network, and if this happens an alert is triggered. Right at the start, a couple of points requiring remediation were found and sealed. This provided valuable information about vulnerabilities and the network structure in support of segmentation. In other words, SensorFu’s software verifies that network isolation works as intended.
“It would have been challenging to build a good network without the sensors. For example, the management network leak we detected would hardly have been noticed without them,” Jaatinen praises.
Deploying the sensors into the production network environment went quickly. No physical devices are needed; deployment is done using virtual machines in a virtual server environment. Installing the sensors also does not require any device installations or changes to the OT network.
“Commissioning was easy. At first we had nearly 20 sensors and it took less than an hour,” Erkkilä says.
Loihde’s Technical Specialist Jukka Nyman says the sensors immediately detect, for example, a firewall configuration error. The findings are important, because network environments are often not static.
“The sensors provided essential support for the segmentation project. With their help we also found a DNS leak from the network outward. Depending on the case, the leak direction in a network can be either inward or outward.”
“In practice, it was a traffic-inspecting firewall that opened IP packets and sent some of the data to the vendor’s cloud for validation while performing content inspection. We caught this right at the very beginning. As the project progressed, the sensors ran in the background to monitor whether changes made due to segmentation had created any kind of gap. It provided solid background assurance and verification throughout the journey,” Erkkilä confirms.
The sensors are particularly well suited to examining OT networks, as they often include a wide variety of devices and software that are not updated very frequently.
“The solution is easily scalable according to the size of the organization. A service-based implementation enables professional cybersecurity for production OT networks also for smaller operators,” Pirttiaho says.
Segmentation work takes time, and Jaatinen says Loihde provided a realistic estimate of what kind of undertaking it would be. The schedule was nevertheless set fairly tight—but it has been kept.
“No major problems came up during the project. We did part of the work ourselves and Loihde did part. We wanted to be closely involved, and it was great that Loihde enabled that,” both Jaatinen and Erkkilä confirm.
Jaatinen says the project as a whole brought a lot of new information. Communication, especially at the beginning, was close both with Loihde and SensorFu. Active and regular meetings supported the project’s progress.
“Especially when making larger changes to network solutions, sensors are an important aid. They also make it easier to build the network,” Jaatinen sums up.
SensorFu’s Pirttiaho says he sometimes encounters the idea that a customer would like to first complete a segmentation project and only then install sensors.
“There are risks to that, just as accidents can happen at a construction site during the build and transition phases. Continuous testing of isolation is like a permanent moisture sensor: it reveals structural issues in the starting state, avoids exposure during the construction phase, and provides warning if isolations deteriorate during use. In the same way, when building a new house it’s worth embedding sensors into structures and processes already at the start of a renewal project.”
EU-level regulations, such as the NIS2 Cybersecurity Directive, have in part spurred organizations to develop security. However, development work is continuous.
“Segmentation work was once again one concrete milestone forward for us. We carry out these kinds of individual development projects step by step, and of course we continuously assess how the security situation is evolving—without forgetting staff training,” Jaatinen says.
Next up is renewing the entire switch network in line with lifecycle management. Timing-wise, it now fits well with the final phase of the segmentation project.
“At the same time, we can now renew server software as well, and if, for example, a server address changes due to segmentation, it’s convenient to upgrade the server to a newer one right then and there. New settings affect many places,” Erkkilä clarifies.
Read more about our solutions.