National Association Of Water Companies To Host Cybersecurity Symposium

The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) will host its inaugural NAWC Cybersecurity Symposium on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at the Army-Navy Club in Washington, D.C. The day-long event will bring together industry leaders, regulators and federal partners to discuss emerging threats, best practices, and innovative solutions to address today’s complex cybersecurity landscape.

With the rise in cyber threats and intense scrutiny around the security and privacy of customer data, it is more important than ever for utilities to conduct risk assessments and have preparedness plans in place. Cybersecurity and protecting consumer data is an issue that has always been important to members of NAWC. A recent NAWC safety survey found that 90.5% NAWC member companies have a comprehensive cybersecurity program or plan in place.

“Cybersecurity continues to be one of the top concerns keeping water utility executives and regulators up at night,” said NAWC President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Powelson. “The Symposium provides a forum for attendees to hear from experts about best practices for effective cybersecurity programs and guidance for how to identify and address security vulnerabilities.”
The speaker lineup features several renowned cybersecurity experts, including:

• Dr. Matthew Dunlop is the Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer for Under Armour. Dunlop is a retired Army Colonel who spent 26 years with the Army and served as the director of applied research and development for the United States Cyber Command.
• James Turgal is a managing Director in Deloitte & Touche’s Cyber Risk Services practice. He joined Deloitte after retiring in 2017 from a distinguished 22-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where his last position was serving as the C-suite level FBI executive responsible for transforming the FBI’s IT program.
• Chris Inglis is the Managing Director at Paladin. He is the former Deputy Director and senior civilian leader of the National Security Agency. Inglis acted as the Agency’s chief operating officer, responsible for guiding and directing strategies, operations, and policy.

In addition, three state public utility regulators – Commissioner Gladys Brown Dutrieuille from Pennsylvania, Commissioner Mary-Anna Holden from New Jersey, and Commissioner Eric Anderson from Idaho – will discuss the role that state commissions play in ensuring that our nation’s regulated utilities are protected from cyber-attacks. Commissioners will share best practices and highlight the steps that their state agencies have taken to address the cybersecurity issue.

Water company executives and industry experts will help lead three panels on the following topics that will provide guests with additional technical insights and actionable takeaways:

• Best Practices - What your utility needs to know to protect its operations from the most common cybersecurity threats.
• Industrial Control Systems - The soft underbelly of utility business and service operations.
• The Policy of Protection – How government and industry work together to create relevant, timely, and innovative solutions that address today’s complex cybersecurity landscape.

For more information about the event, click here.

About The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC)
The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) represents regulated water and wastewater companies, as well as ones engaging in partnerships with municipal utilities. NAWC members provide 73 million Americans with safe and reliable water service every day and have an exceptional record of compliance with federal and state health and environmental regulations. Ensuring this high standard of quality requires extraordinary amounts of capital investment. NAWC estimates that its ten largest members alone collectively invested $3B in 2018 in their water and wastewater systems. For more information, visit NAWC.org.