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Citizens Electric Corporation Using N-Dimension to Help Meet NERC CIP RegulationsN-Dimension Solutions, a market leading Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) with innovative solutions that protect smart energy networks from cyber threats, announced Citizens Electric Corporation (CEC) has adopted use of N-Sentinel Monitoring to help meet regulatory compliance and gain visibility into cyber threats. As a utility that operates transmission and distribution (T&D) power lines, CEC took proactive steps to meet NERC CIP compliance by monitoring their SCADA network for cybersecurity threats. In addition, they chose to be proactive in monitoring their internal IT network as well, with N-Sentinel Monitoring, protecting confidential customer and utility data and assets. CEC, located in Southeastern Missouri, operates over 3,000 miles of transmission and distribution power lines, including 50 substations. As a cooperative utility, they are committed to providing reliable power at the lowest possible price to their 27,000 members. "N-Sentinel Monitoring provides us with early awareness into potential threats and in-depth insights so we can be proactive and take action - before they result in any kind of incident," said Kerry Kimrey, IT supervisor and CIP senior manager, CEC. "It's important for every co-op to have this type of intrusion monitoring and cybersecurity intelligence not only for early threat awareness but to be able to fine tune cybersecurity policies on an ongoing basis." N-Sentinel Monitoring is an essential element in meeting NERC (News - Alert) CIP compliance through continuous monitoring of inbound and outbound communications of the SCADA network, logging cybersecurity incidents and generating alerts. Customers have access to the security incident logs required for compliance via a secure web portal where it can be viewed or download any time. The CEC IT staff has ained additional guidance on remediation and best cybersecurity practices by working with N-Dimension's team of cybersecurity experts. This service is provided as an integral component of N-Sentinel Monitoring and provides many utilities with additional expertise they don't have as part of their IT staff. "With the increasing attention by government officials and organizations on improving the security of critical utility infrastructures, it has become clear that before you can develop a plan to protect you need visibility into network activity," said Tom Ayers, president and CEO, N-Dimension. "As a managed service, we can quickly help utilities meet NERC CIP compliance and deliver the essential intelligence and reporting needed." Upcoming events in which N-Dimension will be participating include the Milsoft Users Conference (June 13-15); American Public Power National Conference (June 16-21); and MEARIE Conference (June 21-23).
About N-Dimension Solutions Company headquarters are in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada and U.S. headquarters are located in Addison, Texas. N-Dimension is the exclusive cybersecurity partner of Hometown Connections; and associate member of the American Public Power Association (APPA), National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and Electricity Distributors Association (EDA). For more information about N-Sentinel and to request a free trial, visit our website at www.n-dimension.com. Please follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn; check us out on YouTube and CrunchBase.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170613005284/en/ |
