Sitehop launches national security unit for defence networks

Sitehop has launched a national security unit to help the UK and its Five Eyes allies protect ageing defence networks.

The Sheffield cybersecurity company will focus on legacy systems still in use across defence estates that cannot easily be upgraded to newer cryptographic standards. It is positioning itself around securing existing infrastructure without disrupting operational systems.

The move comes as defence and security organisations face growing concern over cyber risks linked to artificial intelligence and the possibility of quantum computing weakening current encryption. Legacy equipment is a particular challenge because replacement programmes can be expensive, slow and difficult to carry out in sensitive environments.

Sitehop says its approach differs from the software-based networking products widely used in defence and enterprise environments. Rather than relying on a software stack, its system is built on reprogrammable hardware, which it argues reduces the attack surface created when management, configuration and customer data are handled on the same processor.

Its devices are also designed to be tamper-resistant. If a unit is physically compromised or interfered with, it is built to wipe itself and return to a factory state so data cannot be recovered, even when the equipment is powered down.

The national security push builds on the company's previous commercial work. Sitehop says it has been deployed with a tier-one global telecommunications provider across seven countries and is running an ongoing trial with a major UK retailer to protect payment data.

It has also developed a post-quantum encryption device called SAFEcore Edge, intended to protect operational technology networks in field settings. Sitehop says it was the first outside business admitted to BT's main test facility to run a proof of concept on the telecoms group's network.

Defence focus

A key part of Sitehop's pitch is that its products are designed and built in the UK. That gives allied governments a domestic option as supply chain security becomes a more prominent issue in defence procurement and network design.

Melissa Chambers outlined the company's view of the threat facing older systems.

"Across the defence sector, legacy networks running on conventional software are vulnerable today, not just in the quantum-powered future. Governments and their allies can't afford to wait for lengthy replacement programmes while that risk exists," said Melissa Chambers, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sitehop.

Her comments reflect a broader issue for defence operators, many of whom still run equipment that was not designed for current cyber requirements. In many cases, organisations must protect those systems in place rather than replace them outright.

Ben Harper said the company's method is designed to avoid direct changes to the underlying equipment.

"We secure this equipment at the network layer instead, without touching the underlying systems. It gives defence and security bodies a faster, lower-risk way to guard against evolving threats from AI and 'harvest now, decrypt later' attacks," said Harper.

The argument centres on a pressing cyber security concern: attackers may collect encrypted data now and hold it until advances in computing make decryption easier. For operators of government and defence networks, that risk has increased interest in systems that can work alongside older infrastructure already deployed in the field.

Sitehop is a relatively small UK player in a market dominated by larger network and security suppliers. Its decision to establish a dedicated national security unit suggests it sees an opening in defence modernisation programmes where full system replacement is impractical and governments are seeking equipment from trusted domestic or allied suppliers.

The company's co-founders bring technical and sector experience to that effort. Harper previously built his career in defence and intelligence technology at a major UK defence contractor, while Chambers is leading the company as it seeks to expand from telecoms and retail applications into more sensitive government and military environments.

For defence bodies dealing with long equipment cycles, the immediate question is less about replacing legacy systems than reducing the exposure around them. Sitehop's new unit is aimed squarely at that problem.