Cybersecurity Framework Of The Power Sector

I. Introduction Background Power companies exist in an extremely demanding sector where the companies and their equipment are privately held. The energy sector is huge and and has the potential to positively or negatively affect the environment, public safety, and national security. The sector, and the services provided by it, are a piece of the country?s critical infrastructure. As a critical infrastructure piece, the public sector is largely involved in the businesses within the energy sector even though it is a privately owned operation.

DTL Power Headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, DTL Power provides energy services to about six million customers. Approximately half a million of those customers are natural gas

The framework is used as needed, but it is being used in companies across the U.S. a framework to protect the critical assets of the utility companies. The energy sector collaborates with private, government and educational institutions to improve the critical infrastructure protection. The cybersecurity threat to the critical infrastructures has made the government pursue various frameworks for the private industry to adhere to, because of their large percentage of ownership within the sector. The plan to implement protection to the energy sector started with various different efforts. In November of 2010 the NERC board of trustees approved the Electricity Sub Sector Coordinating Council, which created a framework to locate threats that included disastrous cyber risk that could disrupt the energy that is being supplied to consumers. The efforts by the NERC has promoted a more reliable and resilient approach of sustainability and security to the utility grid. Since the 2006 publication cyber-security has shifted to the forefront of the national security, and has directive the administration to a more robust policy initiative, which address long term goals and standards for the energy sector. There are plethora energy sector requirements, best practices, and standards based on cyber security. The creation of the standards and implementation enforces the operational and technology growth that has been seen in the sector in the past