Recent utility research carried out by Phoenix Forums indicates that cyber security is now at the top of European utilities’ organisational priority. With senior management investment and support in place, IT and OT convergence under way, and the threat landscape becoming increasingly unpredictable, utility cyber security teams have both the external motivators and internal support to propel their OT cyber security programmes to the next level.
“There has been a massive shift in how utilities are thinking about cyber security since we first launched this conference in January 2014” says Mandana White, Programme Director of SmartSec Europe 2016, organised by Phoenix Forums. “The question on utilities’ minds is no longer if they should be investing in OT cyber security, but how they can do so in the most cost-effective, ubiquitous, and future-proofed way. The business case is clear, the threat landscape is complex, and there is now a plethora of utility specific cyber security solutions on the market to choose from.”
Cyber security implementations
SmartSec Europe 2016 takes place on 29th & 30th November, 2016 at Hotel Casa 400 in Amsterdam, and draws together 120+ European utility cyber security experts and implementation leaders. The two-day case-study driven agenda focuses on the lessons learnt from actual implementations both on a domain specific and ubiquitous basis. Alongside the case-study agenda, there are technology innovation panel discussions, intimate roundtable breakout sessions, an evening networking reception, and a solution zone displaying state of the art utility cyber security products and support services.
“There is no other event experience like this for utility cyber security professionals in Europe” says Mandana White. “We have created a programme that goes to the heart of utilities’ implementation challenges, assembled a speaker panel of the most forward thinking and innovative cyber security minds in the industry, and created an event experience where discussions get deep and meaningful, creating tangible outcomes that will propel programmes forward.”
SmartSec Europe 2014 participants review
“There has been a massive shift in how utilities are thinking about cyber security since we first launched the conference in January 2014” |
“SmartSec Europe 2014 provided me with the information and contacts to plan my cyber security roadmap for the next 12-24 months"
Noel Comerford, Security Analyst, ESB
“Excellent conference, with very relevant topics, good presentations, and possibilities for networking"
Jorgen Fangel Jensen, Manager ICS-Infrastructure, DONG Energy
"A great opportunity to learn what is out there today and will be coming tomorrow concerning smart grid security solutions"
Steven Frere, Senior Smart Meter Communication Specialist, Eandis
Discussion topics
- Strategy and investment – understanding the impact of emerging trends such as IoT, renewables, and electric vehicles on utility infrastructure vulnerabilities, and the cyber security strategy and investment priorities that will ensure cyber resilience
- Risk management – getting to grips with how the threat landscape is evolving, the changing profile of cyber criminals, and how you can integrate your internal mitigation with external collaboration to achieve a holistic approach to smart utility cyber security
- End-to-end cyber security – evaluating the latest technologies, innovative processes and high impact policies that will establish and reinforce unbreakable end-to-end cyber security in the smart utility environment
- Domain specific cyber security – evaluating a range of embedded and bolt-on cyber security solutions that will support high levels of security and functionality in the most vulnerable parts of the grid, such as digital substations, integrated SCADA systems, AMI infrastructures
- Future applications – leveraging the potential of new technologies such as anomaly-based intrusion detection systems and quantum computing in the fight against the next wave of smart utility cyber crime
- Regulation and standards – determining how European level regulation and more robust standards are being developed to better meet the cyber security needs of next generation smart utilities
“The business case is clear, the threat landscape is complex, and there is now a plethora of utility specific cyber security solutions on the market to choose from” |
Speakers at SmartSec Europe 2016
- Aurelio Blanquet, Director, Division of Automation and Telecommunications & Chair EE-ISAC, EDP Distribuição
- Walter van Boven, Digital Grid Department Manager & Acting CIO, Alliander
- Johan Rambi, Corporate Privacy & Security Advisor, Alliander
- Kimmo Juntunen, ICT Infrastructure Manager and CISO, Caruna
- Carlos Montes Portela, OT Security Officer, Enexis
- Piotr Szarwas, Head of IT, RWE IT
- Michal Maciejewski, Utilities & Grid Solutions Manager, RWE IT
- Francois Chevalier, Head of Control Centre and Telecommunication, Sibelga
- Lhoussain Lhassani, Senior Specialist Asset Management, Stedin
- Nuno Medeiros, ICT and Smart Grids Security Officer, EDP Distribuição
- Andro Kull, IT Risk Manager, Eesti Energia
- Maurice Snoeren, Head of Section, Cyber security, DNV GL
- Michael John, Director, ENCS
- Martin Gilje Jaatun, Senior Scientist, SINTEF
- Paul Smith, Senior Scientist, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
- Bart de Wijs, Head of Cyber Security, Power Grids Division, ABB
- Andreas Hülsing, Post-Doctoral Researcher, TU Eindhoven for PQCrypto
- Philip Irschik, Senior Executive Advisor, E-Control
- Harm van den Brink, IT Architect, ElaadNL
