Network Perception and NAES Corporation Partner to Streamline NERC CIP Audits of Energy Industry Networks

Written by NAES Admin |
April 19, 2023

ISSAQUAH, Wash, April 18, 2023 – Network Perception, innovators of operational technology (OT) solutions that protect mission-critical assets, and NAES Corporation, the energy industry’s largest independent provider of operations, maintenance, and repair services, have announced a technical partnership making Network Perception’s best-in-class network audit technology immediately available to the fleet of NAES customers.

Hundreds of energy industry customers around the United States rely on NAES to manage network assets, including compliance with NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) requirements. Compliance with NERC CIP Reliability Standards requires electric utilities to adopt precise procedures and verify their implementation. Network Perception’s network auditing technology saves time and resources in assessing and managing compliance with the network access requirements of CIP-003, CIP-005, CIP-007, and CIP-010.

“NERC CIP standards are designed to secure the assets required for operating North America’s bulk electric system, and non-compliance can mean significant penalties and fines,” said Alan Bull, VP, Compliance and Fleet Services at NAES Corporation. “By partnering with Network Perception, our customers will have direct access to technology that proactively identifies network vulnerabilities, automates firewall compliance, and serves as an independent and verifiable source of evidence – streamlining the path to meeting NERC CIP standards.”

Network Perception’s platform, NP-View, takes essential auditing technology and makes it continuous for proactive OT network security that builds cyber resiliency. NP-View provides auditors with assessment reports and network engineers with proactive alerts to help identify potential network risk. NP-View’s read-only approach isolates the assessment team from the management systems, providing a secure barrier to prevent accidental system changes. NP-View’s comprehensive connectivity path analysis allows for the assessment of each network path and visibility into the nearest neighbors with stepping-stone analysis to identify system vulnerabilities.

“Remote access to critical infrastructure cyber assets introduces increased attack surface, as well as possible increased exposure,” said Robin Berthier, co-founder and CEO of Network Perception. “NP-View provides instant network visibility with full device-path context, allowing network auditors to identify vulnerabilities and better understand how to close any gaps.”

For more information about NP-View from Network Perception and NERC CIP compliance, visit: https://network-perception.com/solutions/nerc-cip-compliance/

About NAES Corporation

NAES is an independent services company dedicated to optimizing the performance of energy facilities across the power generation landscape. Founded in 1980, NAES and its 4,000 team members provide decades of experience in operations, maintenance, construction, engineering and technical support to build, operate and maintain both traditional and renewable energy facilities.

NAES is a wholly owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Corporation. With operations in over 80 countries covering a broad range of industries, ITOCHU ranks among the world’s largest corporations.

For more information, please go to www.naes.com.

About Network Perception

Network Perception protects industrial control systems by ensuring network access security as the first line of perimeter defense. Its monitoring software provides complete network transparency and continuous mapping to better support cybersecurity compliance and enable greater cyber resiliency. For more information, visit www.network-perception.com.

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