NiSource, one of America’s largest fully-regulated natural gas and electric utilities has joined the Asset to Vendor Network (A2V), a national cybersecurity information-sharing collaborative focused on the utility industry.
As a member of A2V, NiSource will share security data and findings with member utilities such as American Electric Power (AEP), Southern Company (Southern), and other members of the A2V Network. The shared information includes vendor cybersecurity controls assessments on companies such as Hitachi ABB Power Grids, a leading global engineering solution for power utilities in the world, and many others.
“We’re excited about NiSource’s participation in A2V,” said Alex Santos, CEO of Fortress Information Security, which operates the Asset to Vendor Network. “Their commitment to securing their supply chain for their natural gas and electric utilities will now also benefit other member utilities who provide electricity and natural gas to their customers. The ripple effect of their participation will be enormous.”
“The A2V Platform provides a superior solution to resolving our third-party risk challenges,” said NiSource Chief Information Officer Mike Rozsa. “The A2V platform provides us with the tools we need to manage third party risk, and the shared information lowers our operating cost. The A2V Network is a great group of companies, and we are proud to participate, especially in these times of change in the cybersecurity industry. We champion information sharing as the best way to improve cybersecurity while minimizing operating costs.”
Fortress provides security products and services to utilities covering all the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia. Companies in A2V have a combined total of more than 175,000 employees in over 80 operating companies and provide power to over 50 million consumers.
Those figures include NiSource’s customers, approximately 3.2 million natural gas customers in six states (Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), and over 500,000 electric customers in Indiana, under the Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands.
