Overview
As a result of SIS’ Operate and Maintain services, a regional water agency in Australia was able to implement a Cyber Security Management System (CSMS) that provides the organisational rigour to ensure infrastructure is resilient to escalating cyber threats.
Challenge
The availability and delivery of quality water and wastewater is essential for the community. Its provision relies heavily on Operational Technology (OT), including ICS / SCADA, to control and monitor water treatment plants and associated services, in what are typically geographically diverse locations. The increased level of business reliance on infrastructure and associated information systems for continuity of service, to manage and deliver water services to meet increasing public demand, means that if these systems are not secured, cyber adversaries could disrupt or disable the provision of essential services.
It is also important to ensure that operators of OT (ICS / SCADA) infrastructure have the capability to ensure their continued and safe operation, and from a privacy standpoint, organisations must take reasonable steps to protect the personal information they hold from misuse and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
As a result of SIS’ Operate and Maintain services, a regional water agency in Australia was able to implement a Cyber Security Management System (CSMS) that provides the organisational rigour to ensure infrastructure is resilient to escalating cyber threats, and the right security controls are in place to mitigate risk, and optimise operational efficiency by maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and availability of critical infrastructure.
Solution
SIS successfully developed a comprehensive CSMS for a major regional water agency that defines the purpose, direction, principles and basic rules for the foundation, implementation, operation and maintenance of cyber security, that meets organisational, legal and regulatory requirements.
The CSMS addresses people, process, and technology, and aims to continually improve security management within the water agency’s corporate governance structure, representing executive management endorsement of the agreed approach for security management within the organisation. The CSMS ultimately ensures security risks are managed effectively, the agency can contribute to innovation and increased productivity, while maintaining a secure operating environment.
Building a sustainable organisation-wide security capability has been achieved via establishment of the CSMS, with effective security processes that standardise security operations (between IT and OT groups), continually improves operational procedures, and minimises the impact of cyber security risk with effective incident management and business continuity strategies.
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