At any given moment, utility companies can have anywhere from dozens to thousands of field service technicians deployed into the field, depending on the size of the utility and the projects in progress. But if their mobile devices are not equipped with robust utility cybersecurity solutions, these field teams can also make alluring targets for cybercriminals.
Bad actors may target utility technicians because today’s workers rely on connected mobile laptops to access data from geographic information systems (GIS), review customer records and service tickets, and much more. Even a single compromised laptop or tablet could have significant consequences that extend far beyond the individual employee. So, how do utilities extend enterprise-grade cybersecurity into the unpredictable, high-risk world of utility field services?
This is where Zero Trust comes into play. Zero Trust is a cybersecurity model specifically designed to secure every device, every connection and every user, regardless of whether they are in the regional office at their desk or in a remote area repairing a downed power line.
What is Zero Trust?
Think of traditional IT work like a medieval castle. You have guards at the gates verifying identities, then people have the run of the place once they get inside. With today’s distributed workforce, however, the traditional castle-and-moat model is much less effective.
Zero Trust replaces this aging methodology with a new philosophy: Never trust, always verify. To wrap up the metaphor, the guards don’t stop checking people’s permissions just because they’ve made it across the drawbridge and through the gate. Here’s what this means:
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Lowest-privilege access: Users and the devices they connect to the network will only get the permissions they need to do their work.
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Continuous authentication: The identity and security status of users on the network are constantly verified. This means that one login no longer keeps a user in the system for days on end. They will likely need to re-verify their access every few hours to continue using critical tools and information.
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Microsegmentation: Networks are divided into smaller, more easily controlled zones to limit access in the event of a security breach.
This model makes a lot of sense for utility field service technicians, who must operate in a dynamic environment and may sometimes need to connect to untrusted public networks or operate offline. In a company with a Zero Trust network architecture, devices must continually prove they are uncompromised before being granted access to sensitive data or systems.
Absolute Secure Access
Organizations seeking to build a Zero Trust environment will benefit fromPanasonic Connect's Absolute Secure Access solution, which facilitates secure, seamless connectivity across any network. Secure Access is purpose-built for teams that need to move across different Wi-Fi hotspots, cellular networks, and private LTE networks throughout the workday.
Secure Access includes capabilities like:
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Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Validates every network request using a software-defined perimeter.
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End-to-end encryption: Protects all transmitted data on any connection type.
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Absolute VPN: Provides always-on secure connectivity and can’t be deleted.
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Advanced threat detection: Identifies and mitigates risks in real time.
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Self-healing applications: Automatically restore secure configurations when they are altered without permission.
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Data prioritization: Prioritizes mission-critical traffic over less essential applications.
Essentially, Secure Access can help your IT teams maintain control of company-owned devices, regardless of where they physically operate.
How Laptops and 2-in-1s Provide Utility Cybersecurity Solutions Onboard
No one has time for a cyberattack incident that negatively impacts productivity, costs, and customer sentiment for an affected company. Endpoint devices are a critical tool in Zero Trust organizations. In traditional systems, if a laptop gets stolen, lost, or otherwise compromised, bad actors can use it as a gateway to access customer information, infrastructure data, and more.
At Panasonic Connect, we build our rugged TOUGHBOOK® laptops and 2-in-1s with not only physical durability in mind, but also cybersecurity. The enhanced connectivity capabilities of a TOUGHBOOK ensure that technicians can stay connected even in remote locations, enabling Zero Trust organizations to continuously monitor threats and authenticate users and devices.
Even if a field technician needs to operate offline, TOUGHBOOK offers a variety of security features that align with Zero Trust goals, such as:
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Biometric authentication tools like fingerprint readers, smart card readers, iris-scanning infrared cameras, and facial recognition.
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Firmware protection with secure boot capabilities and persistent endpoint defense from Absolute Security.
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Remote wipe capabilities so IT can erase data on lost or stolen devices.
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Secure deployment via our ProServices experts, allowing secure device configuration at scale.
TOUGHBOOK Total Defense
Your field teams face nonstop pressure, from the environments they work in to the cyber threats they encounter. That’s why TOUGHBOOK® devices do more than survive — they defend.
TOUGHBOOK Total Defense is Panasonic Connect’s comprehensive security stack for mobile workforces. From below-the-OS hardware validation to real-time cyber threat response, it delivers built-in protection at every layer of your rugged devices. Whether you're operating in the field, in transit, or behind secure networks, your people and your data stay protected—wherever the job takes you.
We’ll walk you through the key components of TOUGHBOOK Total Defense: TOUGHBOOK Guard, Smart Compliance, SentinelOne, and Absolute Secure Endpoint.
TOUGHBOOK Guard
With firmware-level exploits and hardware threats on the rise in the realm of cybersecurity, Panasonic Connect also offers TOUGHBOOK Guard. This next-generation, proprietary security solution safeguards your TOUGHBOOK devices at the hardware level. This provides extra protection beyond other endpoint security tools that operate at and above the operating system.
Some of the key features of TOUGHBOOK Guard include:
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Firmware-level integration to keep firmware-level threats from taking root.
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Hardware interface monitoring to detect tampering attempts and unauthorized device modifications.
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Offline operations provide continuous protection, ensuring field techs can operate even when they travel beyond the range of TOUGHBOOK’s advanced connectivity.
Smart Compliance
Smart Compliance, powered by Eclypsium, provides the security and visibility that organizations need to monitor the health and safety of the firmware on field service technicians’ endpoint devices.
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The platform has access to a comprehensive database of hardware, software, and firmware components, which allows teams to implement 360-degree protection.
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Your teams can quickly and simply implement critical security controls to protect against below-the-surface threats: asset inventory, vulnerability management, and threat detection.
SentinelOne
SentinelOne delivers unmatched resilience by combining rugged performance with autonomous cybersecurity to protect your people, data, and operations no matter where the job takes you.
Across industries where failure isn’t an option, TOUGHBOOK devices are the go-to choice for performance under pressure. SentinelOne’s Singularity™ Platform takes that reliability a step further, adding intelligent, always-on cybersecurity to protect against advanced threats, such as ransomware and zero-day attacks. With both Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) capabilities, organizations get real-time defense, rapid response, and expert oversight — even when devices are offline or out in the field.
Unstoppable Protection Against Zero-Day Threats. SentinelOne’s autonomous AI stops even the most advanced, unknown attacks instantly — no delays, no cloud dependency.
Always On. Always Secure. From patrol cars to oilfields, TOUGHBOOK® with SentinelOne keeps your mission moving — anywhere, anytime.
Faster Response. Maximum Productivity. Automated remediation and expert MDR support slash response times from days to minutes, so your team stays focused on what matters.
Smart Security Made Simple. Intuitive dashboards and automated workflows cut through the noise, delivering powerful protection without adding headcount.
Absolute Secure Endpoint
By securing devices, you will increase your IT and security efficiency, accuracy and confidence with deep asset intelligence, automated endpoint hygiene, and continuous compliance on all your endpoints and at all times. Absolute arms your team to see, understand, and control your entire endpoint inventory from a single pane of glass — including off-network machines.
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Integrated Asset Intelligence. Every TOUGHBOOK® features Absolute’s Persistence™ technology in its firmware, enabling real-time inventory tracking, hardware and software monitoring, and early detection of security risks.
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Automated Self-Healing Security. Absolute keeps endpoints protected by automatically restoring essential security measures like encryption, anti-malware, and VPN. You can also remotely freeze or wipe any TOUGHBOOK at any time, ensuring complete control and compliance.
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Effortless Compliance. Absolute keeps you audit-ready by automatically monitoring and adapting to key regulations like NIST CSF, CJIS, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI, instantly detecting and fixing compliance gaps.
Zero Trust: No Longer Optional for Utility Cybersecurity
With power demands on the rise and aging infrastructure creating continuous challenges, water and electric utility providers have never been more dependent on flexible, well-equipped field operatives. Enhancing access and capabilities for technicians out in the field brings incredible gains in productivity and responsiveness, but it also introduces serious cybersecurity risks. Traditional cybersecurity models weren’t designed to handle the vast number of connected devices and remote users deployed by modern utilities.
Zero Trust provides an answer to help utilities increase their cybersecurity, and Zero Trust works best when supported by rugged, secure endpoints like TOUGHBOOK. TOUGHBOOK and Panasonic Connect can help utility IT departments maintain control over distributed device networks before, during, and after new technology implementation, ensuring that field crews are equipped with the tools they need to get the job done without creating undue risk for their employers.
Discover how Panasonic Connect can support safe and secure field service management for your utility. Explore our rugged, field-ready utility cybersecurity solutions today.
