Securing the Digital Grid: From Wide-Area Communications to Substation Defense

Securing the Digital Grid: From Wide-Area Communications to Substation Defense

As the U.S. power sector accelerates its digital transformation, cybersecurity has become a cornerstone of grid reliability and resilience. With new communication technologies linking substations, control centers, and distributed energy resources, utilities must now secure not only their information networks but also the operational technology (OT) environments that keep the grid running in real time.

In this session, hosted by Guilhermme Lisboa, we bring together two of Belden’s leading experts—Arnau Vasquez and Davy Haegdorens, joined by Jon Ramirez de Olano—for an engaging, conversational discussion on how utilities can reinforce cybersecurity from the wide-area backbone to the substation edge.

The webinar will explore two complementary perspectives that together create a holistic cybersecurity framework for critical infrastructure.

Cybersecurity for Wide-Area Communications (Arnau Vasquez)

At the heart of every Bulk Electric System (BES) operation is the ability to transport operational data—such as SCADA, teleprotection, and synchrophasor traffic—securely, deterministically, and without interruption. Arnau Vasquez will discuss how MPLS-TP (Multiprotocol Label Switching – Transport Profile) provides a secure and predictable transport layer purpose-built for utility applications.

Belden’s hardened networking and transport platforms enable utilities to build reliable, compliant communication backbones that fully support NERC CIP controls. By defining clear electronic security perimeters (ESPs), enforcing network segmentation, and implementing continuous monitoring, utilities can meet CIP-005, 007, and 010 requirements while preserving deterministic performance for mission-critical applications.

Arnau will also outline how this approach aligns with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework—Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover—ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of communications across control centers and substations.

Integrated OT Cybersecurity Solution (Davy Haegdorens & Jon Ramirez de Olano)

Building on that transport foundation, Davy Haegdorens and Jon Ramirez de Olano will introduce a comprehensive OT cybersecurity architecture designed specifically for substation and control-center environments. This modular solution combines three critical pillars:

Network Access Control (NAC): Identity-driven device onboarding, policy enforcement, and segmentation that ensure only authorized assets connect to the network.
Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW): Deep OT-protocol inspection, secure boundary control, and encrypted remote access through multiple VPN options.
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): Real-time anomaly detection and event correlation to identify and contain threats before they impact operations.

Aligned with IEC 62443, IEC 62351, ISO/IEC 27001, and NIS2, the solution enables utilities to implement zero-trust architectures that unify visibility, policy control, and compliance across substations, control centers, and DER sites. Blueprint-based deployments, centralized management, and standardized configurations accelerate rollout, simplify audits, and reduce operational costs—delivering consistent protection for critical OT assets.

Why Attend

Participants will learn how to:

Build secure, deterministic MPLS-TP networks for critical grid communications.
Integrate NAC, NGFW, and IDS into a unified OT cybersecurity strategy.
Achieve real-time visibility, segmentation, and anomaly detection across all grid layers.
Simplify NERC CIP and IEC 62443 compliance through centralized policies and templates.
Prepare for zero-trust enablement and emerging cybersecurity threats.

By combining a resilient communication backbone with layered cybersecurity defenses, Belden helps utilities protect every tier of their digital grid—from transmission and control to distributed operations—ensuring reliability, compliance, and long-term confidence in the nation’s most critical infrastructure.