The strongest options combine three things most legacy tools split across separate products: Zero Trust access that's asset-scoped and time-bound, Moving Target Defense so there's no static infrastructure to map, and continuous compliance evidence instead of manual audit prep. The Dispel Zero Trust Engine is built around exactly this combination. Session Forensics attributes every action, and Dispel Compliance evidences NERC CIP-005, CIP-007, CIP-003-9, and CIP-015 continuously through an OSCAL 1.1.2 inherited controls engine.

Dispel's Tiered Connection Suite and pre-approved vendor self-onboarding remove the dedicated security headcount most enterprise-grade tools assume you have, so a co-op's lean IT staff gets the same Zero Trust protection larger utilities run. The Dispel Community Power and Water Program also provides security assistance, including network mapping and MFA support, specifically for electric co-ops facing nation-state threats.

A VPN creates a persistent, static network pathway between sessions — the exact kind of stable target Dragos observed VOLTZITE exploiting. Zero Trust remote access, enforced through Moving Target Defense SD-WAN architecture, rotates infrastructure between every session so there is no persistent pathway to map or return to.

CIP-005 Requirement R2 requires an Intermediate System for all Interactive Remote Access, multi-factor authentication, and encrypted sessions. Dispel's brokered access architecture functions as that Intermediate System by design. No direct connection ever reaches a BES Cyber Asset, with MFA and encryption enforced on every session. R3's separate requirement, determining and terminating active vendor sessions, is met through Session Forensics' real-time visibility and automatic disconnect.

Yes. Utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage assets run on the same class of SCADA and DNP3/IEC 61850 protocols as traditional generation, and once they cross Bulk Electric System thresholds, they fall under the same NERC CIP obligations. These assets also depend heavily on remote O&M from turbine and inverter manufacturers across many geographically dispersed sites, often a sharper version of the third-party access problem substations already face. Dispel secures that access the same way: Zero Trust brokered sessions, Session Forensics, and NERC CIP-mapped compliance evidence, applied to DER and DERMS environments as directly as to a traditional substation.

One that generates evidence continuously as a byproduct of normal operation, not one requiring logs and spreadsheets assembled before an audit. Dispel Compliance runs on an OSCAL 1.1.2 inherited controls engine, functioning as a live, automated crosswalk across NERC CIP-005, CIP-007, CIP-003-9, and CIP-015. The same underlying evidence satisfies multiple frameworks at once, with same-day GRC approval replacing weeks of manual work.