Beaches Energy Services Receives the Diamond Designation for Cyber Security

STATEMENT BY:
Allen Putnam, Utilities Director, Beaches Energy Services

"Earning a Diamond-Medium designation through the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Cybersecurity Accelerator Program (CAP) is a significant accomplishment for the City and Beaches Energy Services. APPA classifies utilities serving 10,000 to 75,000 customers as “Medium,” and requires a score of 95 to 100 to achieve the Diamond designation—the highest level available under the program.

The designation demonstrates that our cybersecurity program has achieved a very high level of maturity relative to what APPA reasonably expects of a medium-sized public power utility. It is particularly meaningful because the CAP assessment evaluates both information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) and examines the utility across four critical areas: Internal Controls, Cybersecurity Governance and Training, Cyber Incident Response, and Cyber Risk Management.

For the City Manager and City Council, this recognition provides independent industry validation that cybersecurity is being treated as an essential component of reliable utility operations—not simply as an information technology function. CAP specifically states that a designation demonstrates a utility’s commitment to cyber resilience to community leaders, governing boards, suppliers, and service providers. The program’s scoring places significant emphasis on the controls and practices that protect critical infrastructure, prepare the organization to respond to cyber incidents, and manage cyber risk, with Internal Controls weighted at 30 percent and Cybersecurity Governance and Training, Cyber Incident Response, and Cyber Risk Management weighted at 20, 25, and 25 percent, respectively.

While cybersecurity threats will continue to evolve and the designation represents a milestone rather than an endpoint, achieving Diamond-Medium demonstrates that the City has established a strong, mature foundation for protecting the systems and infrastructure essential to providing safe and reliable electric service to our community."