In a world reliant on power and telecommunications, the energy and utilities sector plays a critical role in the stability and success of virtually all other industries. In fact, its overarching importance makes it a target for malicious actors who wish to disrupt businesses of all kinds that rely on the grid to power their operations and connect them to their customers and partners. At the same time, energy and utility companies are trying to manage aging infrastructures, growing environmental concerns, and increased regulatory scrutiny.

There is also tremendous opportunity within the industry. In the late 1980s, the competitive energy market for natural gas began to develop. Soon after, following the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the competitive market for electricity was born. In the years since then, several states and the District of Columbia have voted deregulation into law, thus creating opportunity for innovation and growth where there were previously monopolies.

Many energy and utility companies are moving to the cloud to innovate rapidly and respond to their customers’ demands for better services, increased reliability, expedited customer service, and of course, lower prices. The critical nature of these services, combined with increased scrutiny from regulators pertaining to the generation and transmission of power as well as the data and communications supporting day-to-day operations, necessitates a strategic approach to cloud security and compliance.