The rise of the Internet and World Wide Web have revolutionized how the world:
Internet technologies have revolutionized our own electric utility industry as well:
We can configure substation equipment from hundreds of miles away over a network.
We can view a SCADA one-line diagram with a web browser on a laptop in a substation or in a service truck.
We can quickly and efficiently exchange information within our companies as well as with partner utilities.
All of these are good things; they allow electric utilities to utilize resources more efficiently, maintain them more effectively, and be more responsive to customer needs.
With improved technology comes new criminal behavior
Unfortunately for all of us, the explosion of the Internet and related technologies has also revolutionized the way criminals and terrorists wreak havoc.
The industrial control systems that we use, much like traditional business information systems, are coming increasingly under attack by a variety of malicious sources, such as:
Hackers looking for notoriety
Sophisticated nation states intent on damaging equipment and facilities
Friendly sources who might accidentally bring malware onto a site
Disgruntled workers or former workers who simply “don’t know any better.”
As keepers of much of the world’s critical infrastructure, it is the job of the electric utility to do everything within reason to prevent malicious or accidental damage to our critical resources.
It’s a tough job – a really tough job.
It’s a job that requires the latest and best technology and know-how in a fast-moving field. It’s a job that requires a reliable partner – a partner that understand the problems electric utilities face, a partner that has made the commitment to stay abreast of the latest developments in the field, to train its workforce, and that has experience in the industry.
Siemens wants to be that partner.