Dragos expands Community Defense Program to Canada for small utility providers

Dragos Inc. expanded its Community Defense Program to Canada, making Operational technology (OT) cybersecurity software available to small utility providers. The program targets organizations with annual revenues under approximately $140 million CAN, which often lack sufficient resources to safeguard their operational environments.

The initiative includes the Dragos Platform and Neighborhood Keeper, focusing on providing tools for threat detection, asset visibility, incident response, and training. Small utilities are essential for delivering services like water and electricity but often struggle against cyber threats from various adversaries, including ransomware gangs and state-sponsored groups.

Dragos launched the program in the U.S. in December 2023 and has collaborated with Elastic to enhance its scalability. Robert M. Lee, CEO of Dragos, emphasized the importance of this support for smaller utilities, while Elastic's CEO, Ashutosh Kulkarni, noted the initiative's role in strengthening OT security for these organizations.

The program also offers access to OT-CERT services, which include incident response support and threat intelligence sharing. With a growing global membership, OT-CERT aims to address cybersecurity skill shortages and foster collaboration among industrial organizations. Interested parties can apply to join the Community Defense Program through Dragos's website.