EFC’s New Cybersecurity Committees – Explore how your company can get involved

Your organization relies on digital technologies to transform products, services and processes. As a community of innovators, your company also understands the importance of connected devices in industrial settings to optimize manufacturing, industrial processes and operational efficiencies. Maintaining the ongoing privacy and security of your machines, infrastructure and devices is more critical than ever before.

To support our industry’s cybersecurity requirements, EFC is developing three new committees. This formation comes on the heels of a new partnership that EFC has established with CIO-Strategy Council (CIO-SC), a forum for Canada’s Chief Information Officers, to address the development of standards related to Industry 4.0, cybersecurity and data governance.

What is Driving This Focus?
Recent developments have sparked new interests in cybersecurity:
• Organizations are facing cyber attacks which target networks and power grids;
• The ongoing emergence of IIoT and connected devices have become a target for hackers; and
• Recent developments in the U.S. in which an Executive order (“Securing the United States’ Bulk Power System“) has been issued to protect the power grid from cyber threats through the safeguarding of affiliated systems and supply chains.
The development of new standards and certification programs will help reduce the risk/severity of cyber attacks via IIoT devices. Once developed, the voluntary standards can be adopted by governments and industry. Federal, state and provincial governments routinely adopt thousands of voluntary standards by reference in regulations.

Get Involved and Help Influence Change

It’s important for your organization to collaborate with EFC to help shape cybersecurity standards and regulations. EFC seeks active representation from your organization to participate in these new committees.

1. Industry 4.0
Purpose: to identify existing gaps in standardization that represent barriers to digitization, and design and implement appropriate standards development strategies.
Target Participation: EFC Manufacturers involved in technological developments around digitization of the electro-technical manufacturing sector.

2. Cybersecurity for Data Governance
Purpose: to identify issues faced by different sectors of the industry; share best practices; and represent EFC membership on CIO-SC’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.
Target Participation: EFC Manufacturers and Distributor members

3. Cybersecurity for IIoT Devices
Purpose: to identify issues faced in the development of connected devices; share best practices; create a strategy to address new and existing standards; and represent EFC membership on CIO-SC’s Committee.
Target Participation: EFC Manufacturers’ Product Managers and/or IT Specialists within each product division (EFC Business Sections).

Get Involved and Help Influence Change
EFC seeks active representation from your organization to participate in this committee. Involvement from the electrical community is highly important. Contact Cherith Sinasac at csinasac@electrofed.com to learn how your company can get involved.