Cumulys Community Cloud (C3)
The C3 platform is a modern solution for responsible outsourcing of operational technology. With our E-IaaS (Energy Infrastructure-as-a-Service) platform, we're bringing sector-specific cloud infrastructure to electric power industry customers for use in their OT environments.
Unlike existing public cloud offerings, C3 uses purpose-built compute resources, owned and operated by Cumulys and designed from the ground up for NERC CIP compliance. C3 is a managed service available exclusively to critical infrastructure asset owners and designed in recognition of the specific needs of these environments.
Benefits for Critical Asset Owners
Involving a third party in realtime operations is consequential. Cumulys aims to be a trustworthy and accountable partner. We earn your trust by providing:
01
Advanced Resiliency
Even for the smallest asset owners, Cumulys provides advanced infrastructure that's geodiverse and protected against hardware and software failures.
02
Strong Cybersecurity
The E-IaaS platform is equipped with modern technical and process controls to ensure protection against threats, regardless of whether customer workloads are connected to public networks.
03
Simplified Compliance
By delegating certain CIP compliance responsibilities to Cumulys, customers can reduce the scope of their internal compliance program and hold Cumulys accountable for its responsibility areas.
Benefits for OT Software Vendors
C3 provides a fast-track route to SaaS-enablement of existing OT software suites. By hosting applications in the E-IaaS platform, software vendors can partner with Cumulys to modernize their OT software delivery methods. Vendors can depend on Cumulys to maintain NERC CIP compliance for its environment and design the underlying infrastructure solution based on end users' needs. Through use of templatization and infrastructure-as-code, customer onboarding can be accelerated. And with streamlined update processes, the support burden of legacy software versions can be reduced.
The E-IaaS Platform
E-IaaS is the core of Cumulys Community Cloud. This resilient cloud infrastructure platform is built in dedicated data center environments designed and operated exclusively by Cumulys. Compute, storage, and networking resources can be dedicated to an individual customer or shared among multiple Registered Entities, but they are never made available outside the critical infrastructure community. The environment is designed for NERC CIP compliance and the low, medium, and high impact levels, and includes necessary physical and electronic controls to address both the individual BES impact level of customer workloads as well as the aggregated impact of multiple customer workloads operating out of shared facilities.
Our Approach to Compliance
Cumulys recognizes that, as a participant in the reliable operation of the bulk electric system, it is accountable for the design and operation of its technical platform and operational procedures. As such, Cumulys adopts a NERC entity registration type appropriate for the specific BES workloads present in its environment. Through the coordinated functional registration (CFR) process, Cumulys and its customers establish areas of responsibility and clearly delineate which organization handles which aspects of CIP (and other applicable rules of procedure) compliance. As a registered entity itself, Cumulys then becomes directly responsible for interacting with its applicable compliance enforcement agency, both for audits and to become liable for any applicable penalties.
Engineering-Focused Approach
Rearchitecting OT systems involves unique considerations not found in typical IT cloud migration projects. In these situations, the cloud service provider must be intimately familiar with the customer workload characteristics. With this in mind, Cumulys enters a collaborative design phase at the start of each customer engagement. During this phase, Cumulys and the customer work together to design a transition strategy and ongoing operational framework. This builds a foundation for both technical and organizational success throughout the project lifecycle. As a provider of managed services, Cumulys is deeply involved in ongoing support and maintenance of the customer environment, ensuring reliable and secure operations on day 2 and beyond.
