From Zero to CIP: A Practical Introduction to NERC Compliance
Cuts through CIP-002–CIP-015 acronym soup: a working map of the standards, why they exist, common newcomer misconceptions, and how physical/cyber controls intersect in the field. No prior CIP experience required.
About the Speaker
Patrick Miller shares over 35 years of IT/OT experience through his consulting services as an independent security and regulatory advisor for the Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource sectors. He is currently the CEO and owner of Ampyx Cyber, an industrial security consulting firm based in Portland, OR USA. Patrick is also the US Coordinator for the Industrial Cybersecurity Center, or CCI (Centro de Ciberseguridad Industrial) based in Madrid, Spain and an instructor for the Cyber Information Security Leader (CISL) course through CSA CPH in Copenhangen, Denmark.
Mr. Miller is an internationally recognized public speaker on the subjects of critical infrastructure protection, process and industrial control system (ICS/OT) cybersecurity, information technology (IT) cybersecurity, regulatory compliance (leading global expert on NERC CIP), audit and privacy. He is an active volunteer and member of several critical infrastructure security working groups. Patrick has been commended with a number of professional awards for his successful work in building information sharing functions and cybersecurity programs. In addition to his energy sector experience, Mr. Miller also held key positions in the water, telecommunications, finance and insurance sectors. Patrick is currently an instructor for the SANS ICS456 training on the NERC CIP standards.
Patrick’s career started in the 1980s with deep roots in the telecommunications industry. Over several years, Mr. Miller migrated from telecom to information technology management before taking a primary focus on cybersecurity as principal security consultant for Breakwater Security Associates in 2001 where he developed and managed the energy and utility security consulting practice. He then joined PacifiCorp as a senior information security consultant where he was responsible for enterprise and industrial control system cybersecurity as well as NERC CIP regulatory compliance for the organization. Patrick left the utility after 7 years to join the regulatory strata as manager of critical infrastructure protection (CIP) audits and investigations for the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) Regional Entity under the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in their capacity as the Electric Reliability Organization delegated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Mr Miller left the regulator to reconnect with industry as director of the NERC CIP compliance consulting practice at ICF International. In 2010, Patrick founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EnergySec and became President, CEO, and chairman of the board of directors. EnergySec was contracted to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a new public-private partnership known as the National Electric Sector Cybersecurity Organization (NESCO), and Patrick was Principal Investigator of the program. After successfully ramping and transitioning the NESCO program and taking EnergySec from startup to operational, he rejoined the consulting world through The Anfield Group as a managing principal. In 2014, Patrick left the Anfield Group to form Archer Energy Solutions (later renamed to Archer International), a consulting firm focusing on industrial security. After 6+ successful years with Archer, Patrick sold his share in 2021 and formed Ampere Industrial Security (rebranded as Ampyx Cyber in 2024), the premier global security and regulatory consulting firm for industrial control systems and operational technologies.
