Verizon Business Targets Smart Grid Security Consulting

Verizon Business has added security consulting to its portfolio of security services to help utilities working with Smart Grid technologies meet infrastructure protection standards.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has developed critical infrastructure protection (CIP) standards for the country's bulk power system. Verizon's new suite of professional consulting services is designed to provide utilities with compliance and readiness assessments to help them meet the 2010 NERC CIP requirement to be Auditably Compliant, which is the highest level of compliance. Utilities at that level will be subject to spot checks and audits.

As more and more utilities venture into the Smart Grid realm and its associated IT and communications capabilities, they risk greater exposure to attacks from hackers and other cyber security threats. Those threats jeopardize the unimaginably massive amounts of data that the Smart Grid is expected to generate.

"Smart Grids require savvy professionals to protect these digital networks from cyber threats," said Rilck Noel, vice president and managing director for the Verizon Business global energy and utility group. "As the power industry employs more Internet protocol (IP)-based controls and machine-to-machine communications to monitor and control power generation, transmission and distribution, we can apply our security, IT and IP communications expertise to help accelerate the adoption of Smart Grids," he added.

Verizon Business is no stranger to cybersecurity. The new consulting services will be a part of Verizon's existing portfolio of managed security and professional security services that are designed to help utilities find and mitigate risks to critical cyber assets such as data, applications and IT systems and networks.

Verizon's security management program experts assess and analyze a company's security practices and procedures. Using ISO 27002 controls, the security management program can evaluate security at key layers of a utility's business, including employees, customers, partners, and suppliers.

Verizon Business has one of the world's most connected IP networks and provides a variety of services, including communications, IT, information security and network solutions.

   Verizon NERC-CIP services factsheet (pdf)

   Smart Grid Security resources on SGN

   Smart Grid Standards resources on SGN

   Regulators Want More Authority Over Grid Security