POWER January 2016 - 15

plug-and-play-concept are a big step toward
grid resiliency; however, they can
never be a standardized product. Just like
regular power transformers, they need to
fit the operator's needs and connections.
Siemens' ability to design, manufacture,
transport, and install power transformers
as well as perform service and monitor
equipment operation leads to mobile resiliency
units that are tailor-made for operators,
giving them a chance to react rapidly
in case of an emergency. It typically can
take more than a week to restore the grid
to a normal lineup utilizing conventional
units, but these transformers are designed
to be moved, installed, and energized in
less than 36 hours.
-Richard Boyd is vice president, transformers
for Siemens USA.
New College Program
Focuses on Cybersecurity
for the Utility Industry
Thomas Edison State College, located in
Trenton, N.J., has created an online program
through which students can obtain
a graduate certificate in cybersecurity
with a focus on utility environments.
The instruction is designed to help close
a growing cybersecurity skills gap and
meet workplace shortages, specifically
for utilities.
The 15-credit graduate certificate in
Cybersecurity-Critical
Infrastructure
was developed in collaboration with the
Utilities Telecom Council (UTC), a global
trade association representing utilities
and critical infrastructure companies in
the electric, gas, and water industries.
The program is designed to help utility
employees advance as cybersecurity
professionals and to prepare information
technology (IT) professionals to transition
into the utility industry as cybersecurity
professionals.
" To provide electricity, water, gas and
other essential services, utilities run a
variety of specialized systems and networks.
A compromise of these networks
may cause kinetic, real-world impacts, "
said Nadya Bartol, cybersecurity strategist
and vice president of Industry Affairs
at UTC.
Cybersecurity Skills Gap Exists
Recent surveys underscore the skills gap
and workplace shortages in cybersecurity
in the U.S. and around the world. For example,
the 2015 Global Information Security
Workforce Study, an international
survey of nearly 14,000 information security
professionals published by (ISC)2 Inc.,
estimates that the shortfall in the global
January 2016 | POWER
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information security workforce will reach
1.5 million by 2020.
In addition, 86% of respondents to
ISACA's 2015 Global Cybersecurity Status
Report, which surveyed more than 3,400
ISACA members, identified a cybersecurity
skills gap, and 92% of respondents planning
to hire more cybersecurity professionals
said they expect to have difficulty
finding skilled candidates.
" We are facing a serious shortage of cybersecurity
practitioners that understand
how to secure these networks, " Bartol
said.
Designed for Working Adults
The college's new cybersecurity certificate
was created with UTC and top cybersecurity
professionals working for utilities
today. The program's online courses enable
working professionals to complete
the certificate in less than a year, without
sacrificing their careers or personal responsibilities.
The 15 credits earned with
the certificate can be applied to the college's
Master of Science in Applied Science
and Technology degree program, which is
also offered completely online.
" This new program is built around the
needs of working adults and will help us
equip existing utility personnel as well
as individuals with IT experience in other
industries with the knowledge and skills
needed to become cybersecurity professionals
to begin mitigating this shortage, "
said Bartol.
To help UTC member utilities maximize
their tuition assistance programs and benefit
from a specialized service model, the
college has established a corporate partnership
with the organization.
" What makes this program unique is
that it blends both information technology
and operational technology and focuses
specifically on critical infrastructure
companies, including those focused on
energy, water, gas and transportation, "
said Dr. John O. Aje, dean of the School of
Applied Science and Technology at Thomas
Edison State College. " Our goal is to help
the utility industry meet workplace shortages
of cybersecurity experts and provide
a convenient option for IT professionals
interested in shifting into the cybersecurity
space in utilities. "
To learn more about the program, visit
bit.ly/CyberTESC. ■
-Joseph Guzzardo, associate vice president
for marketing and communications at
Thomas Edison State College.
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POWER January 2016

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