When was the last time you thought about your utilities company? Maybe a power outage? A water cutback notification? Utilities companies are challenged to deliver critical consumer services while under global pressure to conserve resources.
IoT has benefitted utilities companies to help meet these demands with intelligent meters and grids, delivering better operational processes and faster levels of service. But IoT security continues to be a challenge, as any malicious activity could cause major problems to mission-critical infrastructure.
Austin-based Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) uses IoT to provide convenient water and energy services to over 20 counties in Texas. With a smart infrastructure and field engineers using devices to access critical information, chief security officer Larry Whiteside made security a top priority – they had to put a system in place that would protect their devices and network from malware and exploit-based threats.
Traditional perimeter methods weren’t effective at catching malware that originated from inside or bypassed filters through user interaction (such as phishing attacks), so he decided to evaluate next-generation endpoint protection platforms. After testing multiple products, Whiteside chose SentinelOne’s Endpoint Protection Platform because it protected against more forms of malware than other vendors, and gave detailed forensics pinpointing where the threat was mitigated. With the move to SentinelOne, Whiteside was able to consolidate security tools and save 50%.
“The system allows us to see exactly where the malware is located, but it also offers deeper insights into what the malware is attempting to change and attack, and whether it was able to prevent or remediate the attack,” he explains. “This information makes the forensic team a lot smarter about identifying devices that may be showing signs of malware. It gives them greater insight and helps them get to the bottom of alerts and other issues.”
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