Increasing numbers of digital IoT devices, including smart meters, fault current indicators, and power quality regulators, are augmenting the data and value within utility operations. The advantages of integrating IT/OT are becoming evident to utilities. Smart meter data serves outage management purposes, while real-time asset performance data enhances asset management strategies. Real-time information on DERs facilitates heightened real-time control.
Modern utilities are recognizing that confining OT within a sandbox hinders technological innovation. However, the fusion of OT/IT introduces fresh security challenges that utilities must address. The gravity of a breach in utility control systems demands significant attention. An assault on utility OT systems has ramifications beyond business disruption, potentially escalating into a national emergency due to citizens losing vital access to utility services.
Solving OT/IT Integration
At Greenbird, we've tackled the OT/IT integration challenge by harnessing data diodes (also known as "unidirectional security gateways") within our digital integration platform, Utilihive. By integrating Greenbird protocols with data diodes, data exchange between OT and IT systems occurs seamlessly through Utilihive, ensuring robust security.
This is accomplished through the secure, unidirectional nature of data diodes, establishing a one-way communication path that safeguards information flow.
Utilihive enables utilities to achieve smooth OT/IT integration, offering real-time connectivity while effectively managing security risks. With Utilihive, real-time communication between OT and IT systems becomes a reality. Utilities gain the capacity to maintain a highly connected, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure.
Key Advantages
The OT domain can benefit from this integration with a more efficient, scalable, managed and secured infrastructure onto which numerous applications can be layered including predictive maintenance as well as remote asset monitoring and management. Benefits on the IT side include secure real-time communication with the enterprise’s assets while retaining the requisite efficiency for creating, scaling, maintaining and securing the infrastructure.
