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Tdworld 3578 Cybersecurity3
Tdworld 3578 Cybersecurity3
Tdworld 3578 Cybersecurity3
Tdworld 3578 Cybersecurity3
Tdworld 3578 Cybersecurity3

Boone Electric Cooperative Improves Cybersecurity Posture

Dec. 21, 2015
N-Sentinel Continuous Vigilance Addresses Board of Directors Concerns About Utility Cyber Risk

N-Dimension has announced Boone Electric Cooperative (BEC) in Missouri is now using its N-Sentinel Monitoring. The Board of Directors for BEC had become increasingly concerned about the surge in cybersecurity threats targeting the utility industry. While the utility has not experienced cyber breaches, they wanted to continue to ensure their network integrity on an ongoing basis. Although the utility conducted annual security audits they were concerned that a snapshot on risks annually was inadequate to keep up with new threats evolving in the industry leaving them exposed.

BEC selected N-Sentinel Monitoring to provide continuous monitoring of traffic entering its network. With alerts and detailed insights about threats, they have significantly increased their understanding and awareness of their cyber risk level on an ongoing basis. In addition, N-Sentinel Monitoring offers actionable guidance to IT, helping BEC refine their security posture and keep pace with changes in threats over time. The N-Sentinel secure customer portal provides access to BEC’s detailed threat reports and with utility community data, they can demonstrate to their board of directors the progress they are making in threat reduction over time compared to other similar utilities.

BEC service area covers approximately 2,900 miles of distribution lines that bring reliable and secure service to over 30,000 customers in Boone County and portions of five other adjacent mid-Missouri counties (Randolph, Audain, Callaway, Howard and Monroe).

“One of the cities in our service area experienced a DoS attack and was shut down,” said Ryan Euliss, chief financial officer, BEC. “During the same period, N-Sentinel Monitoring alerted us to some unusual traffic that enabled us to take precautions. While we are not connected to the city network and did not experience an attack, it became even clearer to us and our board of directors how critical continuous cybersecurity monitoring and comprehensive threat information is to protect the utility and our customers.”

“It has become clear that hackers are becoming increasingly active and creative, and large and small utilities alike need to remain vigilant,” said Tom Ayers, CEO N-Dimension. “N-Sentinel Monitoring delivers this and was specifically developed to address the unique needs of utilities, combining monitoring, alerts, in-depth analysis and access to cybersecurity experts for guidance.”

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