Electric Utilities Must Strengthen Compliance Governance to Safeguard Grid Reliability, Advises Info-Tech Research Group

Compliance governance is becoming more complex as electric utilities move quickly to modernize their grid environments. New insights from Info-Tech Research Group indicate that without structured oversight across IT and operational technology environments, utilities can face audit gaps, operational strain, and weakened resilience. The firm's newly released blueprint, Build a NERC CIP Compliance Program, provides a phased governance framework and practical tools to help utilities operationalize compliance and sustain long-term audit readiness.

ARLINGTON, Va., March 19, 2026 /CNW/ - Electric utilities operating assets connected to the Bulk Electric System must comply with mandatory North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection standards. As grid systems expand to include distributed energy resources, cloud platforms, and increasingly connected operational technologies, the scope and complexity of compliance obligations continue to grow. Many utilities, however, still rely on decentralized governance structures, manual evidence tracking, and inconsistent control ownership across IT and operational teams. According to Info-Tech Research Group, these gaps can create duplicated efforts, limited visibility into compliance posture, and difficulty sustaining audit readiness over time.

The global research and advisory firm's recently published blueprint, Build a NERC CIP Compliance Program, outlines a structured three-phase approach to help utilities formalize accountability, standardize control mapping, and embed compliance governance into daily operations rather than treating it as a periodic audit exercise.

"Compliance governance must be integrated into operational decision-making, not layered on after the fact," says Evan Garland, Senior Research Analyst at Info-Tech Research Group. "Utility leaders need to define clear ownership across IT and operational domains, align controls to a unified framework, and establish ongoing monitoring practices that support both regulatory alignment and grid reliability."

Key Governance Challenges Electric Utilities Face

Modernization and security initiatives are advancing across the electric sector, but compliance governance has not matured at the same pace across all organizations. Info-Tech's resource identifies several structural challenges that complicate consistent compliance management:

• Unclear control ownership across IT and opertional technology teams, leading to inconsistent implementation and accountability gaps.
  
  
  
• Legacy infrastructure that does not align easily with modern security and monitoring tools, making standardized compliance enforcement difficult.
  
  
• Manual evidence collection and documentation practices that increase audit fatigue and reduce real-time visibility into compliance posture.
  
  
  
• Expanding digital environments, including cloud services and distributed energy resources, that broaden the number of in-scope systems and regulatory obligations.

Info-Tech's Framework for Sustainable Compliance Governance

To help utilities close governance gaps and create consistency across complex environments, Info-Tech recommends a structured, phased approach that moves compliance management from informal coordination to a clearly defined operating discipline. Rather than treating compliance as documentation upkeep, the firm emphasizes building repeatable processes, formal decision rights, and measurable control performance.

Info-Tech's Build a NERC CIP Compliance Program blueprint outlines the following three-phase framework to guide electric utilities through program establishment, obligation identification, and strategic implementation:

• Phase 1 – Establish Program: Review and adopt a NERC CIP-aligned control framework, assign formal compliance roles and responsibilities, and define operational environments to clarify scope and accountability across IT and operational domains.
  
  
• Phase 2 – Identify Obligations: Catalog applicable regulatory and contractual requirements, document conformance levels, and map compliance obligations into a unified control framework to ensure consistent coverage.
  
  
• Phase 3 – Implement Strategy: Update policies, align compliance with broader information security strategy, and embed monitoring and reporting practices to sustain long-term regulatory alignment.

Info-Tech's Build a NERC CIP Compliance Program blueprint provides electric utilities with structured templates, role definition guidance, and control mapping tools to support each phase of implementation. By establishing formal governance structures, clarifying regulatory scope, and integrating compliance into broader security strategy, utilities can move from reactive coordination to sustained operational discipline. The result is a compliance program that reinforces grid reliability while maintaining regulatory alignment as infrastructure and technology environments continue to evolve.

For exclusive and timely commentary from Info-Tech's experts, including Evan Garland, and full access to the Build a NERC CIP Compliance Program report, please contact [email protected].

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading and fastest-growing research and advisory firms, serving over 30,000 IT, HR, and marketing professionals around the globe. As a trusted product and service leader, the company delivers unbiased, highly relevant research and industry-leading advisory support to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to expert guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

To learn more about Info-Tech's HR research and advisory services, visit McLean & Company, and for data-driven software buying insights and vendor evaluations, visit the firm's SoftwareReviews platform.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software, and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].  

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

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SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group

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