Innovation and Cybersecurity — Exploring the Relationship between New Technology and New Risks

(Joint Meeting with Task Force on Innovation)

New technologies bring the potential of increased operational efficiency, cost reductions, and reduction in human error when technology is able to perform certain routine functions.  The designers and manufacturers of these potential solutions are striving for products and services that deliver those efficiencies and cost savings.  However, new technologies also introduce new risks.  Utilities and their customers increasingly demand assurances that these operational efficiencies are not offset by an unacceptably greater risk of cyber-attack or due to vulnerabilities that have not been properly addressed throughout the supply chain—in the design, manufacturing, or distribution of such new technologies.

As utilities increase vigilance against multiple forms of cyber threat, have advanced technology business strategies fully integrated cyber threat considerations?  During this session, industry experts will discuss how these complex considerations are being addressed by product developers, manufacturers, and services providers, and suggest approaches to the strategic decision making required to maximize critical infrastructure reliability and resilience.

Topics will include:

• Cyber supply chain security approaches and best practices;
• Emerging technologies and hardware and firmware security considerations;
• Predictive software capabilities for analytics related to Internet of Things (IoT);
• Cost benefit considerations of introducing new solutions with a cybersecurity backdrop.

Moderator: Hon. Tim Echols, Georgia

Panelists:

Joe Doetzl, Cyber Security Practice Leader, Grid Automation, ABB

Kurt Lee, Vice President, Strategic Accounts, Pwnie Express

Steven Martin, Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, GE Energy Connections

Kyle Seymour, President & CEO, S&C Electric

Critical Infrastructure Resource Center

Presenter:

Hon. Richard P. Mroz, New Jersey, Chair, Critical Infrastructure Committee

Partner Updates

Presenters:

Puesh Kumar, Director, Preparedness and Exercises, U.S. Department of Energy

Joseph H. McClelland, Director, Office of Energy Infrastructure Security, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Cyber Workforce: Strategies to Fill the Gap

The nation’s cybersecurity workforce is at the forefront of protecting critical infrastructure from attack by a wide array of threat actors including nation-states, criminal gangs, and political hacktivists. The demand for skilled personnel is growing but experts suggest that the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs will reach 1.8 million by 2020. Panelists will discuss how utilities are contending with the workforce shortage and its potential effects on reliability and security. The focus will be on utilities’ strategies to recruit, train, and retain cybersecurity professionals.

Moderator: TBA

Panelists:

Gary Hayes, SVP/CIO, CenterPoint Energy

Scott King, Director, Information Security, Sempra Utilities

Rick Suttie, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Naval Postgraduate School

Innovations in Infrastructure Security:  UAS

Since the FAA’s new rules for unmanned aerial systems – commonly referred to as drones – went into effect last year, utilities have been investigating ways to leverage this new technology to improve performance and lower costs.  Although benefits may be indisputable, implementation challenges exist.  This session explores how utilities are solving those challenges amid an evolving regulatory landscape.

Moderator: TBA

Panelists:

Thomas Camp, Technology Business Development Manager, Verizon

Tom Guntrip, Director, Transportation Services, Southern California Edison

Chris Hickling, Director, Government Relations, Edison Electric Institute

Tackling Infrastructure Interdependencies – Priorities, Strategies, and Tactics

(Joint Session with Gas Committee)

Cyber security continues to be a high-profile risk to electric and gas sector operations. Another high-profile risk is the growing interdependency between these sectors as electric generation becomes more and more reliant on natural gas to fuel its generation fleet. During this session, sector-specific as well as collaborative approaches and priorities to mitigating shared risks will be examined. New initiatives aimed at developing a robust information exchange between the sectors will be highlighted.

Moderator: Hon. Dianne Solomon, New Jersey

Panelists:

Kimberly Denbow, Security, Operations & Engineering Services Director, American Gas Association

Paul Roberti, Executive Director, Advisory Services - Strategy, Ernst & Young

Marcus Sachs, SVP/CSO, North American Electric Reliability Corporation