Largest US Electric Grid Organization Addresses COVID-19
Krieg On a related issue , how has your information technology infrastructure worked so far to support employees working remotely ?
We have had to re-imagine some of our processes , but we were positioned well from the outset . We have a 24 / 7 technology operation center — essentially , it ’ s “ the grid that runs the grid .” We don ’ t usually spread this team into another geographic location , but when the pandemic required social distancing , we needed to move some employees elsewhere . As luck would have it , the back-up space we normally would move them into had been turned into our third control room . So we had to stand up another room , transport all the necessary equipment , and make sure our operators were safe and functioning .
A challenge particular to our technology infrastructure is that while software and updates may be executed remotely , fixes to hardware require a personal touch . So we were very thoughtful and focused regarding our planning — how many visits can we consolidate ? This thought process enhanced our efficiency and effectiveness and is a lesson that we will take beyond the pandemic .
These were process-oriented challenges , however . As far as our technology infrastructure itself goes , we were prepared through our business continuity plan to engage employees remotely , and it worked . In fact , the first day the majority of our staff worked from home , March 13 , was simply a test of the plan . Over that weekend , however , the CDC revised its guidelines , and we made the decision to continue that stance until it was safe to return to campus .
Krieg Consolidated Edison in New York has reported increases in vendors targeted by ransomware and higher email intrusion attempts during the pandemic . With telecommuting and other factors , did the nature or level of cybersecurity threats change for PJM ?
Asthana There is definitely an elevated threat environment for cybersecurity . We are seeing people using this crisis to try and break into systems , which is typical — attacks tend to increase during times of potential vulnerability . All of us have to be really vigilant about all of that . That requires collaboration between industry and government . Our government partners have been fantastic in sharing real-time information as well as best practices . It will continue to be an area of focus .
We were well positioned with our workforce , because everyone uses PJM-issued devices that allow us to manage all security controls . We did not need to rush to put anything out there which we were not able to
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