Maintaining substation security in an intelligent grid

SUBNET Solutions Inc | Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The advent of smart grid technologies holds promise for unprecedented data delivery that will help utilities operate more efficiently than ever, but the same conveniences that will enable these changes - remote access and wireless communications - will also give rise to new vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit.

To address this problem, AGT International has worked with Finnish company Emtele to create a substation security package that is touted to let utilities benefit from the smart grid without worrying over compromised data.

"'This solution enables those in charge of regional electricity distribution to leverage a central command and control center to effectively secure remote sites, which are vulnerable to security breaches," said Paul Hucq, head of sales at AGT International. "This reduces outages and maintains access to electricity, which is good news for customers and businesses alike."

SUBNET has also developed solutions for substation security, including its Unified Asset Monitoring Information system, which helps utilities drive system analytics from substation data, evaluate system and asset health and notify grid personnel when changes occur in grid functions. The solution also allows utilities to limit access to data on a per-user authorization system, further keeping data in the right hands. 

Tags: Substation Cyber Security