GlobalSign to Host Utility Cybersecurity Summit During DistribuTECH 2018

BOSTON, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GMO GlobalSign (www.globalsign.com), a global Certificate Authority and leading provider of identity and security solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced it will hold a Utility Cybersecurity Summit during DistribuTECH, North America's largest conference for electric utilities and associated companies. DistribuTECH will take place from January 23 – January 25 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.  

GlobalSign's Utility Cybersecurity Summit will be held on Wednesday, January 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas in the Republic B and C rooms on the fourth floor.

Speakers will include GlobalSign Vice President, Product Management, IoT Solutions, Lancen LaChance; Wi-SUN Alliance President, Phil Beecher; and Intrinsic ID Senior Vice President, North America, Luis Ancajas.

The participants will address topics including how the Wi-SUN Alliance addresses challenges for wireless IoT in the smart electric grid, strong device identity in Wi-SUN's Field Area Network (FAN) using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and an overview of a joint effort by GlobalSign and Intrinsic ID offering an established method to generate private keys for supporting the on-boarding process of certificates on embedded systems.

The Utility Cybersecurity Summit will also showcase how smart meter manufacturers can leverage GlobalSign's High-Value PKI Platform for issuing Wi-SUN-compliant certificates to manufactured devices.

The schedule for the event is:

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. - Opening remarks by GlobalSign Americas General Manager, Lila Kee.

10:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Session 1: Phil Beecher will discuss how large scale IoT networks for Utility and Smart Cities are part of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), making them desirable targets to hackers and attackers. Attendees will learn how the Wi-SUN Alliance addresses the challenges for wireless IoT with built-in resilience and robust security integral to the communications network deployment.

11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Session 2: Lancen LaChance will provide a detailed overview of the Wi-SUN Alliance's FAN specifications for device certificates, explain how PKI is used to mitigate security risks, and also how device manufacturers can integrate GlobalSign-issued Wi-SUN-compliant certificates into their products.

11:45 a.m. -12:15 p.m. -  Session 3: Luis Ancajas' session will focus on the established method for securing the private keys supporting the on-boarding process of certificates on embedded systems. The talk will explain how a hardware-based root-of-trust foundation is instantiated via a software module anchored by an SRAM Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) and can be applied on any microprocessor or microcontroller.

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch and demos from GlobalSign, Renesas and more.

"Securing IoT-enabled smart meter devices continues to be a critical directive for players in the utility marketplace. GlobalSign, The Wi-SUN Alliance and Instrinic ID are working toward creating solutions that significantly improve identity and authentication in the smart meter and broader utilities industries," said LaChance. "This event will address crucial topics as the industry looks to establish standards for interoperable security for critical infrastructure that will be imperative to growing secure, trustworthy and connected ecosystems."

In October GlobalSign announced that it has been selected as the Wi-SUN Alliance's Certificate Authority (CA) to provide PKI services to its 170+ member companies.

To learn more, and to register for GlobalSign's utility cybersecurity event, visit https://www.globalsign.com/en/lp/distributech-luncheon-2018/.

About the Wi-SUN Alliance
The Wi-SUN Alliance is a global non-profit member-based association comprised of industry leading companies. Its mission is to drive the global proliferation of interoperable wireless solutions for use in smart cities, smart grids and other Internet of Things (IoT) applications using open global standards from international standards organizations, such as IEEE802, IETF, TIA, TTC and ETSI. With more than 170 members worldwide, membership of the Wi-SUN Alliance is open to all industry stakeholders and includes silicon vendors, product vendors, services providers, utilities, universities, enterprises and municipalities and local government organizations.

For more information, please visit: http://www.wi-sun.org.

About GMO GlobalSign
GlobalSign is the leading provider of trusted identity and security solutions enabling businesses, large enterprises, cloud-based service providers and IoT innovators around the world to conduct secure online communications, manage millions of verified digital identities and automate authentication and encryption. Its high-scale PKI and identity solutions support the billions of services, devices, people and things comprising the Internet of Things (IoT). The company has offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit https://www.globalsign.com.

About GMO Cloud KK
GMO Cloud K.K. (TSE: 3788) is a full-service IT infrastructure provider focused on cloud solutions. Established as a hosting company in 1996, the company has managed servers for more than 130,000 businesses and now has 6,500 sales partners throughout Japan. In February of 2011, the company launched GMO Cloud to enhance its focus on cloud-based solutions. Since 2007, the company has also grown its GlobalSign SSL security brand through offices in Belgium, U.K., U.S., China and Singapore. For more information, visit http://ir.gmocloud.com/english/.

About GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group is an Internet services industry leader, developing and operating Japan's most widely used domain, hosting & cloud, ecommerce, security, and payment solutions. The Group also comprises the world's largest online FX trading platform, as well as online advertising, Internet media, and mobile entertainment products. GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit http://www.gmo.jp/en/.

Wi-SUN Alliance Media Contact
Shannon Mayette
Phone: +1 (602) 882-4733
Email: [email protected]

GlobalSign Media Contact
Amy Krigman
Public Relations Manager
Phone: (603) 570-7091
Email: [email protected] 

SOURCE GlobalSign

Related Links

https://www.globalsign.com/en