Enhancing Utility Grid Security with Modern IBN Solutions
Gayla Arrindell
Published: October 30, 2025
When it comes to critical utilities infrastructure, security isn’t optional – and it isn’t just about cyber defenses. Back in 2013, the infamous Metcalf sniper attack in Northern California revealed just how vulnerable even hardened substations could be when a shooter cut fiber optic cables, then disabled key equipment by firing into a bank of transformers. The incident affected nearby data centers and became a case study for the need to implement more robust and resilient security measures.
Today, utilities providers are facing an additional challenge: protecting grids from physical and cyber threats while modernizing networks to handle a new wave of intelligent devices and data.
As operators transition from manual systems to advanced interoperable security technologies, reliable connectivity is more important than ever — and fiber plays a key role in powering the next generation of security devices, serving as a platform for security while facilitating the utilities industry’s digital transformation.
Reinventing grid security
For decades, utilities focused primarily on keeping physical sites safe with fences surrounding substations and cameras to deter trespassers, vandals or bad actors. But modern security measures have evolved to incorporate intelligent, connected systems that can detect, analyze, and respond to potential threats before they escalate.
Security cameras are no longer passive recorders — they play an active role in defense by using AI-driven analytics to recognize faces, detect motion, and can even predict potential security threats. LiDAR systems, which use lasers to create detailed 3D maps, can detect intrusions or anomalies far beyond the range of a traditional camera. Drones equipped with fiber-connected controls are expanding remote monitoring capabilities even further, and developments in AI continue to help security professionals evolve their approach from reactive to predictive.
However, these new technologies come with a catch: they generate massive volumes of data that must be transmitted, stored, and analyzed in real time. Intelligent devices require robust networks that can span vast, remote distances.
The fiber advantage
This is where fiber can play a transformational role. Devices today capture video data in 4K and 8K resolution, which takes up enormous bandwidth. Fiber offers virtually unlimited capacity and the ability to connect devices miles apart without signal degradation.
Additionally, unlike copper, which degrades over distance, fiber can transmit data over hundreds of kilometers with speed and reliability. It’s also inherently more secure: While copper can be physically tapped by bad actors, fiber signals are much harder to intercept without detection.
Corning’s intelligent solutions — like Fiber to the Edge (FTTE) and FiberVision™ platforms — enable utilities to extend connectivity and power to remote security devices, even in harsh environments. Preterminated fiber systems simplify deployment and eliminate the need for highly skilled labor in the field. Meanwhile, by analyzing fluctuations in natural light refraction and backscatter, distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) offers the ability to turn the fiber itself into a vast network of intelligent sensors capable of detecting movement along fences or perimeters.
Collaboration is key to modern grid security
For utilities providers, security considerations aren’t just about choosing the right devices — but also how to connect and power them. Without the right connectivity, these devices can’t do their job.
As a result, IT and OT departments within the sector are beginning to converge. Historically, the security side of a utility might report to a facilities manager, while IT focused on the network. Now, the two worlds are merging, and visual intelligence depends on both sides working together.
Looking ahead, as utilities embrace an intelligent, proactive approach to security, fiber is emerging as the essential enabler, supporting higher data volumes, longer distances, and more resilient systems — and building networks that can evolve with the next generation of devices is key to unlocking the future of grid security.
