ADDISON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--N-Dimension is a market leading Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) with innovative solutions that protect smart energy networks from cyber threats, today announced Harrison Rural Electrification Association (Harrison REA) has deployed its N-Sentinel Monitoring. This managed service ensures the utility is aware of critical cybersecurity issues affecting their network and provides access to cybersecurity experts who deliver guidance on actions they can take to reduce risks.
Harrison REA has been operating since 1939 and today delivers power service to approximately 7,000 customers in West Virginia across Harrison, Doddridge, Marion, Taylor, Barbour, Upshur and Lewis Counties. When the utility began plans for rollout of an automated metering infrastructure, they determined enhancements to their cybersecurity defenses were needed to safeguard customer data from hackers. In addition, they were concerned about maintaining PCI compliance and wanted to ensure retention of their approved PCI utility status.
N-Sentinel Monitoring was installed on the utility’s corporate network to continuously monitor and alert on anomalous network traffic and potential cybersecurity issues. Harrison REA’s IT personnel access the reports via a secure web portal. A high-level overview in addition to detailed information about threats and their priority, based on level of risk is available. Guidance on remediation steps is included and N-Dimension’s cybersecurity experts review the reports on a regular basis with the utility and provide additional one-on-one guidance as needed. While the utility has not experienced any serious cybersecurity incidences, N-Sentinel Monitoring has helped identify hidden cyber risks, enabling the proper handling of those issues.
“We see an incredible number of threats hitting our utility on a daily basis - 40,000 threats from China; 18,000 from Russia; and thousands more from other countries,” said Lloyd Mason, IT Manager, Harrison REA. “If utilities really knew how much is coming at them they would be far more concerned.”
A unique feature of the N-Sentinel Monitoring service is utility community cyber intelligence. “N-Sentinel’s utility community data is an added value that gives us early warning and insights into developing cyber threat trends enabling us to take action to protect ourselves before a threat hits us,” said Mason.
“It’s a significant challenge for small to mid-size utilities to keep updated on the rapidly changing cyber threat landscape,” said Tom Ayers, CEO N-Dimension. “N-Sentinel Monitoring not only provides continuous monitoring, alerts and analysis but acts as the trusted cybersecurity expert for them, helping them understand their security risks and guiding them on what actions to take.”
About N-Dimension Solutions
N-Dimension
is a market leading Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) with
innovative solutions tailored to protect smart energy networks from
cyber attacks, improving system reliability and safeguarding critical
infrastructure, data and assets. The company’s N-Sentinel
line of services delivers vigilance, detecting and alerting on cyber
threats. It combines cloud-based security intelligence and cybersecurity
experts to deliver actionable guidance that enables utilities to take
timely, preemptive action to protect themselves against cyber threats.
Company headquarters are in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada and U.S. headquarters are located in Addison, Texas. N-Dimension is the exclusive cybersecurity partner of Hometown Connections, the utility services subsidiary of the American Public Power Association (APPA), an associate member of the APPA, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and Electricity Distributors Association (EDA).
For more information about N-Sentinel and to request a free demo, visit our website at www.n-dimension.com. Please follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn; check us out on YouTube.
