What You Need To Know About CIP Compliance

NERC is an organization that helps secure the American bulk electric system by setting regulations and standards in place for energy companies. Within the energy sector, these standards are mandatory for every company. They ensure fair and ethical practices within the industry and protect the nation’s power grid. One portion of these requirements is NERC’s CIP standards. NERC CIP covers information security procedures. With fines up to millions at risk for non-compliance, CIP compliance is essential to energy companies.

NERC’s CIP Compliance

NERC’s CIP plan involves 9 different standards, combined with 45 different requirements. The purpose of CIP is to keep energy companies and their electronic perimeters and critical cyber assets secure, as well as assist with: personnel, training, disaster recovery planning, and security management. All the CIP standards correspond to issues with:

·         Critical Cyber Asset Identification

·         Security Management

·         Personnel and Training

·         Electronic and Physical Security

·         Incident Reporting and Response Planning

·         Recovery Plans for Critical Cyber Assets

 

These standards are in place to help improve the security of our power system. NERC makes every effort to prepare energy companies for compliance, risk assessment and preparedness, sharing critical information, spreading awareness about key issues, and developing new standards.

What You Should Know

If you don’t follow CIP compliance, you put your company at risk of penalties including fines and sanctions. Exact amounts vary based on the violation, but they can get expensive very quickly. You will be fined for every day your company is non-CIP compliant, so a quick solution is always preferable. In order to be  CIP compliant, you need to be able to identify your critical assets and regularly perform risk analyses. NERC will update necessary policies to keep everyone on the current NERC CIP compliance standards. To be prepared for an audit, you should:

·         Develop a logical approach towards compliance

·         Formulate practical steps to achieve compliance

·         Clarify your interpretation of CIP standards

·         Decide on technologies to help you be CIP compliant

 

If you follow these steps, you are well are your way to becoming CIP compliant.

How to stay CIP Compliant

Though there are practical steps you can take to plan to keep your company  CIP compliant. The standards are complex and sometimes confusing. If you don’t have the time to guarantee your company’s compliance, you should consider our solution. Versify’s Portal Compliance is the answer to NERC’s CIP compliance standards. It is a comprehensive software that can give your business an advantage in the industry. Portal Compliance allows you to integrate with NERC standards in real time, as well as track and collect information, report incidents, and prompt necessary actions.

If you’re interested in Portal Compliance, contact us today to find out how you can be compliant with CIP.