European Network for Cyber Security

What European Network for Cyber Security does

European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS) is a non-profit membership organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, owned and governed by European electricity grid operators. It focuses exclusively on operational technology (OT) cybersecurity for the energy sector, with documented customers/members including major distribution system operators (Alliander, Enexis, Stedin, Enedis, Iberdrola, Netbeheer Nederland, Kärnten Netz GmbH) and transmission system operators (TenneT, National Grid Electricity Transmission, National Grid Gas Transmission, Elering, REN Portugal, SSEN Transmission), as well as integrated utilities (E.ON, EDP, EVN, innogy/Enel). Its operating footprint is explicitly European, with members serving markets across the Netherlands, Austria, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Estonia, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, and France.

ENCS delivers its offering through three long-term programs — Security Policy (risk management and regulatory readiness, including NIS2 and the EU Network Code on Cybersecurity), Security Architecture (security-by-design systems design and procurement specifications), and Security Operations (SOC/CSIRT monitoring, vulnerability handling, incident response) — all grounded in ISO 27005 and IEC 62443. Underlying deliverables include a library of procurement requirements documents (e.g., SM-301 for smart meters and data concentrators; DA-301 for distribution automation RTUs; EV-311 for EV charging stations), security testing services (functional, robustness, and penetration testing on meters, concentrators, and OT sensors), three recurring training programs (Architecture, Operations, and a Red Team/Blue Team course using a Gridnet simulated grid environment), consulting, and a program of roundtables, webinars, and an annual joint Cybersecurity Forum with E.DSO, EE-ISAC, and ENISA.

The business model combines recurring membership subscriptions from grid operators with fee-for-service revenue from training, testing, and consulting, supplemented by publicly available resources (position papers, select requirements documents). Membership provides access to events, the member portal, project participation, and discounted service rates. Training is sold at €1,650 per participant for full members and €2,200 per participant for information-sharing members and non-members. The organization holds no external investment, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and is governed by a member General Assembly that approved the 2021–2025 business plan in February 2021.

Name

European Network for Cyber Security

Legal name

European Network for Cyber Security

Website

https://encs.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS) is a non-profit membership organization founded in 2012 in The Hague, owned by European grid operators, providing OT cybersecurity expertise, standards-aligned security requirements, testing, training, and consulting to distribution and transmission system operators across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ENCS is a non-profit membership organization owned by grid operators. Members gain access to cybersecurity knowledge through events, portal documents, testing, training, and consulting.
2. Training Services: ENCS offers security architecture training and operations training for members and non-members at different price points. Training includes hands-on practical cases covering distribution automation, communication with field location, substation automation, and central systems.
3. Testing Services: ENCS conducts security testing for equipment including smart meters, data concentrators, head-end systems, and OT sensors. Tests include functional security testing, robustness testing, and penetration testing.
4. Consulting Services: ENCS provides consulting services to members and non-members including support for procurement processes and security assessments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ENCS is a non-profit membership organization that develops and shares cybersecurity knowledge for European grid operators. It delivers long-term security programs (Policy, Architecture, Operations), security testing of OT equipment such as smart meters and EV charging stations, hands-on training, and consulting services grounded in ISO 27005 and IEC 62443 standards.

Product overview

ENCS operates as a non-profit membership organization owned by grid operators, offering a portfolio of security programs, services, and training. The core offerings include three long-term security programs: the Policy Program (for risk management and regulatory compliance), the Architecture Program (for security system design and procurement), and the Operations Program (for vulnerability handling and incident response). These programs are supported by fee-based services including testing (evaluating equipment security), training (Architecture Training, Operations Training, Red Team/Blue Team Training), and consulting. ENCS also provides a library of security requirements documents for procurement (smart meters, distribution automation RTUs, EV charging stations) and hosts regular webinars and roundtables for knowledge sharing among members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Security Policy Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Tested more than 30 different meters and a number of data concentrators and head-end systems
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DIVDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026ENCS and DIVD (Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen vulnerability disclosure for Europe's critical infrastructure. The partnership aims to improve coordinated vulnerability disclosure practices.
• ENISAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024ENCS co-organizes the annual E.DSO/EE-ISAC/ENCS/ENISA Cybersecurity Forum with the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, bringing together experts in grid cybersecurity to exchange on latest developments.
• EE-ISACcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024ENCS co-organizes the annual Cybersecurity Forum with the European Energy - Information Sharing & Analysis Centre (EE-ISAC), which brings together experts in grid cybersecurity.
• WindEuropeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2020ENCS and WindEurope joined forces to address DER (Distributed Energy Resources) security. The partnership focuses on securing the connection of wind parks and other DER to grid operator control systems.
• E.DSOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2018ENCS and E.DSO stepped up their partnership to face emerging cybersecurity evolution and challenges in European smart grids. They jointly launched the first-ever set of security requirements for EV charging infrastructure and provide harmonized smart meter security requirements.
• ENTSO-EcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2017ENCS and ENTSO-E signed a memorandum of understanding to develop state of the art cybersecurity regulation, practices and standards for the electricity transmission system. ENCS provides technical information and support on cybersecurity issues while ENTSO-E gives ENCS insights into the European transmission system. This collaboration resulted from a series of hacking and security training programmes organized by ENCS.
• ElaadNLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2017ENCS and ElaadNL collaborated on developing security requirements for EV charging infrastructure and contributed to the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) standard. Based in the Netherlands, ElaadNL is the knowledge and innovation centre for charging infrastructure. The collaboration created security-by-design requirements to ensure charging equipment is secure and any breach consequences would be limited.
• AlliandercoreOthersAlliander participated in the ENCS OT security monitoring member project, working with other DSOs to define requirements for OT security solutions, evaluate available solutions, and develop organizational guidelines.
• EnexiscoreOthersEnexis participated in the ENCS OT security monitoring member project, contributing to defining requirements and evaluating solutions for OT security monitoring.
• StedincoreOthersStedin participated in the ENCS OT security monitoring member project, contributing expertise to the joint initiative on OT cybersecurity monitoring.
• Österreichs EnergiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENCS collaborated with Österreichs Energie to create security standards for smart meter procurement used across Austria and Europe. The partnership developed comprehensive security requirements aligned with European Commission positioning.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Dragos: Commercial OT cybersecurity vendor specializing in industrial asset discovery, threat detection, and incident response for utilities and critical infrastructure. Competes with ENCS's Security Operations Program and OT monitoring use cases via a pure-software commercial product model.
• Nozomi Networks: OT and IoT security vendor with deep utility-customer penetration. Competes directly with ENCS's OT monitoring methodology and is increasingly used by European DSOs and TSOs that might otherwise rely on ENCS-authored use cases.
• Claroty: Commercial OT/IoT security platform serving energy, manufacturing, and healthcare. Overlaps with ENCS's architecture and operations programs as a vendor alternative for asset visibility, vulnerability management, and secure remote access in substations and grid environments.

Others

• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied-research organization that collaborates with ENCS on energy cybersecurity research and standards. TNO is an adjacent enabler (R&D partner) rather than a competitor, but operates in the same Dutch critical-infrastructure security ecosystem.
• SANS Institute: Global cybersecurity training and certification provider with a strong ICS/OT curriculum. Adjacent to ENCS's Architecture, Operations, and Red/Blue Team training programs—offers a commercial training alternative at global scale.

Broad incumbents

• ENISA: EU Agency for Cybersecurity that co-organizes the annual Cybersecurity Forum with ENCS. ENISA is a public regulator/agency covering all NIS2 sectors, whereas ENCS is a private, specialized operational body focused on energy grid OT—functionally adjacent rather than competitive.

Regional players

• E-ISAC (Electricity Information Sharing & Analysis Centre): North American electricity-sector ISAC operated by NERC. Functionally analogous to ENCS/EE-ISAC but serving North American utilities; relevant as a structural and methodological peer even though geographic mandates do not overlap.

Direct peers

• ENTSO-E: European association of electricity TSOs and ENCS's formal MoU partner. While ENTSO-E is the industry/systems operator association and ENCS is the cybersecurity-focused counterpart, they share the same member institutions and overlapping governance roles.
• E.DSO: European association of DSOs and ENCS's joint-publication partner on smart meter and EV charging security requirements. Operates the same DSO membership model but with a broader smart-grid remit rather than cybersecurity specialization.
• EE-ISAC (European Energy - Information Sharing & Analysis Centre): European energy-sector ISAC that, like ENCS, is a member-driven information-sharing community for grid and energy operators. EE-ISAC focuses on threat intelligence sharing while ENCS covers requirements, testing, and architecture, making them the most directly comparable peer in mission and member base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/encseu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/encs-u-a-
• Xx.com/encs_cybersec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Network for Cyber Security