Accenture, Dragos Inc., and the SANS Institute today announced a major national initiative to protect Under-Resourced U.S. Utilities against rising digital threats. Specifically, this strategic alliance targets water, electric, and natural gas providers across the United States. These essential service providers frequently lack adequate financial resources to secure their operational technology (OT) environments. Furthermore, recent cyberattacks have targeted over 100 U.S. water systems across a dozen states. Therefore, this coalition establishes critical defenses for Under-Resourced U.S. Utilities to protect public safety.
During its initial phase, the program provides software, hardware, deployment services, and specialized training free of charge. These complimentary resources will support up to 500 Under-Resourced U.S. Utilities nationwide. Together, Accenture, Dragos, and SANS commit approximately $10 million in direct funding and technology services. Additionally, Elastic supports the initiative by providing primary log storage and query engines through Elasticsearch.
Across the country, tens of thousands of small utilities face severe funding constraints and workforce shortages. Consequently, aging technology leaves distribution networks, substations, pumps, and valves vulnerable to malicious cyber intrusions. To close this gap, the partner companies launched the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation. This landmark initiative expands upon the existing Dragos Community Defense Program.
“Our work with America’s critical infrastructure operators has shown both the gravity of the cyber threats they face and a widening vulnerability gap between large operators with the resources to invest in cybersecurity and smaller utilities that often lack those means,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “Together with Dragos and SANS, we will provide under-resourced utilities with the technology, expertise and training they need to better power and protect the communities they serve.”
“Adversaries are aggressively targeting utilities, attacking the operational environments that provide life-sustaining services to millions of Americans. Yet many small operators lack the capacity to defend against these threats,” said Robert M. Lee, Chairman, CEO, and Founder of Dragos. “The Community Cyber Resilience Foundation gives the utilities that need it most access to cybersecurity resources and training at no cost.”
Eligibility Criteria and Program Benefits
Specifically, U.S.-based water, wastewater, electric, and natural gas operators with annual revenues under $100 million qualify. Notably, more than 97% of domestic utility providers fall below this financial threshold. This represents over 50,000 entities eligible to apply for critical cyber assistance.
Participating Under-Resourced U.S. Utilities receive comprehensive operational benefits, including:
- Access to the Dragos Platform for complete network visibility and threat detection.
- Expert Accenture deployment services, including platform configuration and ongoing support.
- Specialized SANS ICS/OT training to build long-term internal technical capabilities.
- Dedicated hardware funding to purchase necessary deployment equipment.
- Peer community networking to exchange operational experiences and threat intelligence.
“The best security technology in the world won’t protect a utility if its staff are not able to use it. The foundation puts training and skills in the hands of the people protecting the water, power, natural gas, and wastewater treatment systems that communities rely on,” said James Lyne, CEO, SANS.
“Strong cybersecurity depends on many technologies working together. Elastic is committed to supporting Dragos in delivering its platform at scale, helping make advanced cybersecurity capabilities accessible to utilities that could not otherwise afford them,” said Ashutosh Kulkarni, CEO, Elastic.
Strategic Foundation for Critical Infrastructure Defense
Ultimately, the Community Cyber Resilience Foundation operates as a dedicated non-profit organization. The founding entities announced this rollout during a regional utility roundtable in Ohio hosted alongside American Electric Power subsidiary Ohio Power Company. Through continuous hardware grants and training, the foundation equips Under-Resourced U.S. Utilities with sustainable protection. Consequently, this unified effort secures life-sustaining infrastructure serving over 100 million Americans.
For related updates on digital trust and cybersecurity, explore our SOC News.
News Source: Businesswire
