Trustpower Gains Deep Network Visibility with Nozomi Networks as Emphasis on NZ Cybersecurity Grows

Energy and telecom leader enhances visibility, meets voluntary Government ICS cyber security standards and improves supplier relationships with Nozomi Networks solution

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, February 4, 2020 — Nozomi Networks, Inc., the leader in OT and IoT security, today announced it has deployed its Guardian solution to New Zealand energy and telecoms giant Trustpower, delivering deep asset discovery and improved operational visibility and control over its network.

Trustpower is a leading New Zealand power, gas, broadband and phone company, and one of the largest electricity generators and retailers in the country with more than 230,000 customers, 30 hydro power stations across 19 hydroelectric power schemes, and 700 staff countrywide.

The company had already invested heavily in its security systems, focusing on areas such as prevention and firewalls, but this traditional approach offered little-to-no visibility into what was really happening in the network.

“As we continued to expand, digitise and add to our operational environment, this lack of visibility presented a major challenge,” said Marty Rickard, Delivery Manager – Operational Technology, Trustpower. “We needed a new approach to cut through the noise, gain real insights into our network and ensure we were protected from cyberattacks.”

Following a competitive bidding process, the company chose Nozomi Networks Guardian, a monitoring solution that protects control networks from cyberattacks and operational disruptions by providing complete industrial control system (ICS) visibility and security in a single solution.

Guardian was put to the test in a lab environment where it was able to capture live traffic and see virtually all devices in the network and how they communicated. The system was tested with up to five times its node capacity and was still able to deliver results, providing never-before-seen insights into Trustpower’s network and a near-complete asset register in minutes.

Now deployed across Trustpower’s operational network, Guardian provides deep asset discovery, inventory and operational visibility; automatic real-time notification of industrial events of interest, including alerts triggered by custom-designed rules and constraints; and traffic analysis for current and future investigations.

Growing Emphasis on Cybersecurity in New Zealand

The announcement comes as cybersecurity awareness and governance become a higher priority in New Zealand. The Government’s Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) recently launched a resource for company boards to help improve cybersecurity governance, following an assessment of cybersecurity resilience across 250 of New Zealand’s nationally significant organisations¹.

“Nozomi Networks has enabled us to meet New Zealand’s Voluntary Cyber Security Standards for Industrial Control Systems (VCSS-OCS),” said Matt van Deventer, Head of Technology, Trustpower. “Maintaining and exceeding these standards is a key priority for Trustpower and Nozomi Networks enables us to comfortably achieve that.”

The Nozomi Networks solution also identified anomalies in Trustpower’s extensive third-party supplier network, a common threat point for large organisations. Improving mutual security has made the whole supply chain more secure and this has helped improve third-party relationships.

“Cyber security – like cybercrime and the threat landscape – needs to continually evolve,” said Andrea Carcano, Nozomi Networks Co-founder and Chief Product Officer. “New Zealand businesses need visibility into their networks and awareness of who has access, and to what extent, to ensure they are protected. Advanced OT-IoT visibility and security technology is essential to achieve this. Trustpower recognises that and has now created a better operating environment for its business, customers and third-party suppliers.”

¹ https://www.ncsc.govt.nz/newsroom/gcsb-encourages-leaders-to-connect-with-cyber-security-governance/

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