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By Karen Duane Johnson

SD&I went to industry leaders to discuss the intricacies of securing critical infrastructures, including power grids, utilities and other sensitive facilities. Here’s what they had to say about pressing infrastructure issues and how they address those with specific technologies.

What are some of the concerns regarding security at critical infrastructure locations—power grids, water treatment facilities, utilities and data centers, for example?
Mike Taylor, senior director of Business  Development, AMAG Technology, Torrance, Calif.: The concerns are many and they are different for each site.  With the very real possibility of a terrorist attack on these sites, we have started to spend more time looking at their vulnerabilities. For years the U.S. has focused on theft and vandalism. We must guard against cyber attacks on data storage sites, disruptions to our critical power grids and even protect against someone poisoning our water supplies. Our focus has changed forever.

Bill Newill, president, Baran Access Solutions, Mission Viejo, Calif.: There has been an increased level of security implemented and often mandated for these facilities over the past seven years. Concerns include whether or not the security requirements are stringent enough to make a difference. Do these critical locations have flexibility in determining which technologies will best protect their facilities and can they take advantage of a ‘mix’ of technologies that will accomplish their security goals while meeting the necessary budgets to complete each project? That’s what we need to know right off the bat.

Lee Cravines, CEO, GCT Systems, Concord, Calif.: Some of my concerns are the errors made by the people responsible for monitoring security systems. In other words, the personnel who are monitoring the systems that are designed to protect high-security platforms must perform their duties well. Security systems are only as good as the security personnel who control them. Human error is the biggest threat to the success of any security system.

Bill Scott, manager, Business Development, Gallagher Security Management Systems, Sanford, Fla.: Most electric and water utilities share the same problems at their main stations as well as at their remote sites such as the need to integrate perimeter security, gate access/security, building access control, building security, IT facility and cyber security. Installing these systems requires the ability to get the data from the network of remote sites back to a central location where all sites can be monitored. Government regulations are already being implemented to require these capabilities, with serious financial penalties if incidents occur and approved security systems are not in place.

Tom Turner, vice president of Marketing, Q1 Labs Inc., Waltham, Mass.:Of paramount concern is visibility into the network and security infrastructure that surrounds bulk power systems and SCADA networks.  Visibility means the ability to monitor and correlate all information that is pertinent to the systems themselves, the networks they run on and the security devices that are in place to protect them. There is concern with threats that range from malicious to targeted penetration attacks by terrorist organizations. They are also faced with CIP and NERC compliance deadlines, so utilities need threat management and compliance validation solutions in place.

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