Sitehop launches SAFEcore Edge for remote network security

Sitehop has launched SAFEcore Edge, a post-quantum encryption device for remote points on networks.

The Sheffield company is targeting sectors including critical national infrastructure, financial services and government. The device is designed for locations where conventional security systems are hard to deploy, such as oil platforms, distant bank branches, retail sites and autonomous vehicles.

SAFEcore Edge is a pocket-sized hardware product that provides encryption at the network edge. It delivers 1Gbps full-duplex encryption, supports up to 10 simultaneous IPsec connections and operates with lower latency than software-only alternatives.

The product measures 37mm by 116mm by 68mm, weighs 310g, uses less than 10 watts of power, and runs on 5V USB-C or 24V power. It uses passive cooling.

Manufacturing Base

The device was designed in Sheffield and is manufactured in the North of England. It is the latest addition to Sitehop’s SAFE Series platform, which is already deployed with a global tier-one telecommunications carrier in seven countries, as well as with government and defence organisations.

According to Sitehop, a leading international IT services provider is already trialling the device. Existing customers across several sectors are also assessing how it could be used in their networks.

The product includes a FIPS 140-3 Level 3 secure element and uses ML-KEM hybrid post-quantum key exchange. It can be managed centrally through Sitehop’s SAFEnms software and works with third-party IPsec devices.

Target Sectors

Sitehop said the device could be used in energy grids, industrial control systems, smart city networks and real-time autonomous systems. In financial services, it is aimed at high-frequency trading and payment systems, while in the public sector it is positioned for classified and diplomatic communications across multi-domain environments.

The launch comes as companies and public bodies prepare for the longer-term risk that quantum computing could undermine widely used encryption standards. Post-quantum cryptography is attracting growing investment as organisations review how to secure data and communications against that threat.

Melissa Chambers, chief executive officer of Sitehop, said the new product was designed to extend that protection to harder-to-reach parts of a network. “As cyber threats escalate, securing the communications that underpin our critical infrastructure, financial system and government networks has never been more important.

SAFEcore Edge is British-engineered sovereign technology that brings post-quantum encryption to every point on the network, however remote, protecting the institutions and systems that people and businesses depend on every day,” Chambers said.

Ben Harper, chief technology officer, said the product forms part of a wider platform. “Combined with SAFEcore, it delivers hardware-enforced, ultra-low-latency encryption that protects sensitive data without compromising performance, whether securing remote operations or high-speed financial transactions,” Harper said.