Project Highlight
Cyber Services Life Cycle Collaboration Protects Campus Operations
For energy infrastructure expansion projects, the security and resilience of operational technology (OT) networks are critical. For OT systems, software-defined networking (SDN) offers unmatched security, situational awareness, reliability, and performance. SEL Cyber Services brings deep expertise in secure network design, life cycle services, and third-party integration, making them effective collaborators along the pathway to cyber maturity.
Challenge
As part of a broader microgrid deployment, the utilities team at the University of Notre Dame realized it would need a network solution to provide network visibility, centralized access management, and robust threat monitoring. Their existing infrastructure lacked full documentation and integration across systems, creating blind spots and security risks. The Notre Dame utilities team sought a partner who could not only design and optimize their new microgrid network but also provide ongoing cybersecurity support.Solution
SEL Cyber Services began with a front-end engineering design study, uncovering undocumented areas of the network and providing a comprehensive topology map. From there, Cyber Services designed and implemented a secure OT SDN architecture, leveraging the existing third-party systems Notre Dame utilities already had without disrupting operations. After working with Cyber Services directly, the university utilities team opted to add additional life cycle services support for continuous monitoring, system health checks, incident response support, and security awareness training. Cyber Services also deployed a Nozomi Networks asset visibility and risk management platform across three buildings, aggregating traffic into a central sensor for proactive threat detection.Results
With OT SDN, the University of Notre Dame now benefits from a resilient, scalable cybersecurity framework. The ongoing life cycle services from SEL ensure the university utility team is equipped to detect and respond to threats, maintain network health, and integrate future upgrades seamlessly. This collaboration has fostered a culture of continuous improvement and cyber maturity, with Notre Dame utilities adopting the Blueframe Device Management and Automation (DMA) solution and expanding the role of Cyber Services across campus operations.Customer ProfileCustomer: University of Notre DameLocation: Notre Dame, INIndustry: EducationApplication: Network Security