I attended the 34^th Annual LDG Gas Forum – Mid-Continent event in Chicago, IL, last week, where 350+ leaders in the natural gas industry came together to discuss the latest trends.  Executives that work for midstream, pipeline, transportation, utility, LNG, and supply chain organizations attended to learn about the current state of the industry, discuss current trends, and forecast opportunities.

Here are the top 3 noteworthy takeaways that I took away from networking conversations and the event’s comprehensive agenda: 

1. There were a lot of presentations that referenced the importance of business agility and being able to adapt quickly to all the volatility the industry deals with today. The natural gas industry and their partners need to be able to stay resilient and prepared for every type of incident, including weather events, wild pricing swings, when a supply source goes down unexpectedly, etc.
2. Several sessions referenced the importance of “supply chain alternatives” in their presentations. Organizations are prioritizing finding new partnerships with third-party organizations so they can keep driving business forward even for the times when their primary partners have issues and can’t help them deliver.
3. The industry has turned to innovative technology to find more operational efficiencies. For example, “virtual pipelines”, where delivery of gas is completed via truck or trailer, have started to be utilized by utility companies to keep a community’s power uninterrupted while their facility has repairs made.  Emissions monitoring were also highlighted on stage, with automated leak alerts on their way to becoming the norm across the natural gas industry.

As the week progressed, it also became apparent that you’d be hard pressed to find an industry that relies more heavily on third-party contractors.  From consultants to supply chain workers to drivers to laborers, the energy industry is fueled by partnerships and third parties.

The event was a winner on every level, but I did have one conversation that surprised me… 

During a networking reception, I spoke with someone who worked closely with power utility organizations.  Picking his brain, I asked how large of an emphasis cybersecurity currently was for utility leadership teams.  He told me that it was indeed a big discussion topic, but progress towards securing their plants was slower than it should be, primarily because of budget.

He mostly worked with smaller utilities and referenced a narrative that many within the power industry believe it’s much more likely a “large” utility be targeted.  That (scary) narrative has apparently kept many organizations from moving faster to secure their plants and facilities.

We at SecZetta know that organizations of all sizes are actively being targeted by cybercriminals, because we see it happen…every…single…day. And because these criminals know that the easiest way into your organization is often via third-party access (according to Opus & Ponemon Institute, 51% of organizations have experienced a data breach caused by a third-party)…the truth of the matter is you’re only as secure as your third-party partners.

If you’re in the energy industry and would like to find out how SecZetta can help with the lifecycle management of your third-party non-employees, schedule a demo or take a self-guided product tour that showcases how we work with organizations with sizable supply chains.