Cooperative IT Professionals Connect on Cybersecurity and Innovation

Each October, information technology professionals from Michigan’s electric cooperatives come together to exchange ideas and explore emerging trends. This year’s IT Conference was hosted by Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) at its Cassopolis headquarters.
The event brought together 23 staff members representing seven cooperatives:

Cherryland, HomeWorks, Great Lakes, Presque Isle, Wolverine, Cloverland, and MEC. Vendor partners including Cisco, PureStorage, Trace3, SkyHelm, and Black Hills Information Security also supported the event and shared insights on new technologies and best practices.

Discussions centered on disaster recovery, backup solutions, IT mental health, IT/OT separation, and cybersecurity awareness that highlighted how collaboration strengthens system reliability across Michigan’s cooperative network.

“This conference is about connection,” said MEC IT Infrastructure Engineer David Eckert, one of the event organizers. “When cooperative IT professionals share ideas and challenges, we strengthen not just our systems but the reliability and security of the entire cooperative network.”

Attendees also toured Hydro Aluminum, one of MEC’s largest power consumers, to see how reliable cooperative power supports advanced aluminum recycling for automotive manufacturing.

Through shared learning and collaboration, Michigan’s cooperative IT professionals continue to enhance the systems that keep members’ power and information secure.