Enhancing Cybersecurity and NERC Compliance Through Multi-Vendor Device Management

Providing cybersecurity and NERC compliance can be a daunting challenge with hacking and new attack vectors being created by bad actors or now with AI to assist in the attack daily. While maintaining NERC compliance, keeping existing devices secure, and adding new devices to the current infrastructure with vendors continuously creating new and updated devices. This paper presents a solution that allows utilities to be NERC compliant, increase cybersecurity, and manage existing infrastructure no matter which vendor. Multi-vendor Device Management focuses on automated Event and Fault File collection and Remote Engineering Access while implementing cybersecurity and compliance management in a North American utility. Investigations into available technologies for automated fault and event file collection, possible reduction of the time required for service restoration, as well as increased cybersecurity were the starting points for this utility. A requirement to secure their system with regards to the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards was also included as part of the project plan. This report is intended for any utility designing a cybersecurity strategy and better compliance for NERC with the use of a Multi-vendor Device Management system to secure infrastructure and substation devices.