Energy Magazine August 2022 | Page 56

Geopolitics and the Future of 5G

For electricity suppliers , most respondents said that they will protect their systems because of cloud systems ( 30 %) and private 5G implementation ( 23 %) over the next three years , while oil and gas respondents highlighted protecting their systems because of cloud systems ( 30 %) and regulatory compliance ( 22 %).
Two key recommendations are listed . For organisations whose posture regarding cyber security is ad hoc and reactive in ICS / OT , it is necessary to establish a system that can understand what happened in their ICS / OT environment and analyse the cause of the incident .
Proactive organisations that have regularly reviewed and updated IT and OT cyber security should plan their cyber security strategy assuming that cloud and 5G will be incorporated into their infrastructure .
Smart metering and grid digitisation spur security focus Geopolitics and the energy transition do not paint the whole picture either – the ever-increasing focus on new technologies is also a primary cyber security issue .
The move toward Advanced Metering Infrastructure ( AMI ) is becoming the quintessential driver for connected electricity metres , which are expected to reach an installed base of 1.3bn by 2027 .
This growth is prompting utilities and energy suppliers to revisit their digital security agendas and device management operations , ABI Research added .
56 August 2022