NERC CIP Compliance Consulting
From The Knowledge Center
Beyond the Audit: NERC CIP-003-9 Compliance
Our compliance services are designed to help our clients meet the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards and are tailored to fit the needs and challenges of your facilities. Our in-depth knowledge of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) NERC standards and NERC CIP compliance can support your efforts to meet and exceed the regulatory standards that owners and operators must implement to protect critical electric infrastructure, especially Bulk Electric Systems (BES) from physical and cyber threats.
Our Compliance Solutions Include:
Cybersecurity Managed Services
NERC CIP Specialized Consulting
Supply Chain Cyber Risk Management
Physical Security Risk Management
NERC CIP Compliance Training Programs
New Facility Cybersecurity Design
Our Approach to NERC CIP Standards
ABS Group approaches industrial security as a risk management function. Our risk-based solutions cover every NERC CIP requirement, helping to integrate both cyber (NERC CIP 003) and physical (NERC CIP 014) security. Our team of operational technology (OT) practitioners will work with you on the facility's assessment data collection and analysis to develop and implement the programs that work best for your facility.
Our vast experience participating in external audits gives us the insight to support you through the process of complying with NERC CIP standards.
FAQs for NERC CIP-003-9 and Low Impact BES Cyber Systems
On April 1, 2026, the NERC CIP-003-9 requirements introduced in March 2023 will become enforceable, changing the playing field for low impact BES cyber systems.
Ron Fabela, Senior Technical Director, Cybersecurity for ABS Consulting, answers frequently asked questions about the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standard for low impact transmission sites and how to get started with CIP 003-9 compliance.
View the FAQs
Services to Support NERC CIP Compliance
Cybersecurity Managed Services
Our network monitoring and managed services, including NERC CIP cyber vulnerability assessment (CVA), can provide you with a comprehensive understanding of your OT networks and provide persistent monitoring for potential attacks, exceeding NERC CIP compliance. From our centralized Industrial Security Operations Center (ISOC) we provide 24/7/365 monitoring that maximizes your coverage to help ensure the protection of your business and its sensitive data. To better meet your requirements, on-premises and cloud solutions are available.
NERC CIP Specialized Consulting
Our team of highly skilled and experienced industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity consultants provides you with integrated capabilities to improve your cybersecurity maturity posture. Specialized ICS security consulting is an end-to-end service for customers, with assistance for every stage of the NERC CIP compliance process including assessing and planning, developing network protections, managing detection and incident response,
audit preparation and remediation of findings.
Supply Chain Cyber Risk Management
Defending your supply chain can be a complex, time-consuming
task. Cyber attacks target the equipment, ICS and devices required
to run your operations safely and efficiently. We offer comprehensive cybersecurity and professional services to protect your OT environment from supply chain threats and meet your NERC CIP-013 complaince requirements.
Physical Security Risk Management
Our team of engineers has deep knowledge of facility security management and NERC CIP compliance requirements, allowing them to develop and execute comprehensive plans to protect transmission stations and substations and control centers. With the performance of vulnerability analysis, the team will uncover potential threats and weaknesses and the associated risks in case of an attack.
NERC CIP Compliance Training Programs
NERC CIP compliance training programs require knowledgeable subject matter experts. ABS Group can provide comprehensive
staff training on all standards that apply to your organization with customized on-site and off-site courses. We go beyond the NERC CIP framework by educating employees on the intent behind the standards and incorporating role-based training into your programs, ultimately promoting behavioral change and good cyber hygiene, throughout the organization.
New Facility Cybersecurity Design
We provide consulting services to new facility builds through assistance with vendor capability reviews, BES cyber system categorization, risk assessments, NERC CIP standards applicability reviews, training, asset hardening and defining ESPs, Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT), System Integration Testing (SIT) and commissioning, among others, to document compliance activities that will provide facility owners and operators a head start in meeting ongoing NERC CIP compliance.
Contact Our NERC CIP Consulting Team
Need to build cyber resiliency or integrate industrial cybersecurity solutions into your existing program? We offer consulting and risk-based solutions designed to help you increase visibility and control of IT and OT cyber risks.
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At-A-Glance NERC CIP Compliance Services
Discover the comprehensive list of topics included in the NERC CIP Compliance Standards and ABS Group's correlating service offerings.
Standard
Topic
Our Services
CIP-002
Asset Identification and Classification
Facility Classification
Asset Identification
Inventory Approval
Asset Discovery and Management
CIP-003
Policy and Governance
Designation of Senior Responsible Official
Policy Creation and Maintenance
Policy Creation and Maintenance for Low-Impact Assets
FAQs for NERC CIP-003-9 Standard Regulations
Policy Management
CIP-004
Personnel and Training
Security Awareness
Background Checks
Training
Access Management
Access Review
Specialized Consulting
Configuration Monitoring Management
CIP-005
Network Security
Creation of Electronic Security Perimeters or Virtualized Equivalents
Management of Secure Interactive Remote Access
Industrial Security Operations Center (ISOC)
Network Monitoring and Alerts
Configuration Monitoring and Management
CIP-006
Physical Security of Cyber Assets
Physical Security Plans
Creation and Monitoring of Physical Security Perimeters
Specialized Consulting
CIP-007
System Security Controls
Patch Management
Management of Ports and Services
Malware Prevention
Security Event Logging
Management of Shared Accounts
Password and Credential Management
Vulnerability Management
Configuration Monitoring and Management
Asset Discovery and Management
CIP-008
Cybersecurity Incident Response
Industrial Security Operations Center (ISOC)
Network Monitoring and Alerts
Specialized Consulting
CIP-009
Recovery Plans
Continuity of Operations
Backup and Restoration
Specialized Consulting
CIP-010
Change and Vulnerability Management
Configuration Capture and Management
Change Management and Monitoring
Vulnerability Management
Management of Transient Cyber Assets
Vulnerability Management
CIP-011
Protection of BES Cyber System Information
Classification and Protection of Information
Disposal of Media
Specialized Consulting
CIP-012
Control Center Communications
Specialized Consulting
CIP-013
Supply Chain Security
Supply Chain Risk Management
CIP-014
Physical Security of Key Substations
Physical Security Risk Management
View Topics and Services
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the NERC CIP Compliance Standards?
The Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Standards are a set of mandatory standards that apply to entities that own or manage facilities that are part of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in the United States, Canada and the northern portion of Baja California, Mexico.
What are the NERC CIP Compliance Standards?
Who must comply with NERC CIP standards?
All North American covered entities must comply with NERC CIP standards, including all owners and operators of electric utilities to protect bulk electric systems. Failure to comply may result in monetary fines, sanctions or other actions. Penalties may vary from country to country.
Who must comply with NERC CIP standards?
What’s a Cybersecurity Vulnerability Assessment (CVA)?
In cybersecurity, a vulnerability is a flaw in the system's design, internal control or security procedures that can be exploited by cybercriminals. In some cases, vulnerabilities can actually be created by cyber attacks. The most common vulnerabilities include networks (flaws in hardware or software), operating systems (viruses and malware changes on behalf of administrators), humans (user negligence) and processes (controls that cause vulnerability).
A CVA is the process of identifying, classifying and prioritizing risks and vulnerabilities in your OT infrastructure, including IT/OT networks, systems, hardware, applications and other parts of the OT ecosystem. It helps to protect systems and data from unauthorized access and data breaches.
What’s a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment (CVA)?
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