IBM

The quality of service a utility provides hinges on the health of its network and the assets that reside on the network. Many utilities, however, are relying on an aging infrastructure and, as a result, are facing the following challenges:

• Large, distributed electricity/gas/water networks are aging and vulnerable to security attacks. To ensure service is continuously available, utilities require an intelligent, end-to-end asset lifecycle management solution that can anticipate failures and identify physical and system security risks.
• Increasing regulatory pressure requires proactive monitoring network-wide to identify assets at risk of failure, so that maintenance and deployment can occur on a proactive basis—before a failure occurs.
• Need for real-time data capture and integration. Data from all assets must be captured in real-time and integrated into the business applications that provide comprehensive information regarding network performance and status.
• SCADA-compliance. New technologies designed to improve network security, monitor assets, and identify problems must be SCADA-compliant.

The IBM and Cisco Asset Lifecycle Management Solution

The joint IBM and Cisco Asset Lifecycle Management Solution delivers a secure, reliable and SCADA-compliant IP-enabled network infrastructure designed to proactively monitor the real-time performance of their transmission and distribution network assets and seamlessly integrate that information into enterprise applications.

By leveraging an IP-enabled network infrastructure, including optical and wireless solutions, the utility can deploy dedicated high-speed connections to its substations. Network devices monitor the status and performance of network assets and relay the information back to the enterprise. That information is automatically disseminated to related applications including data mining and analytics tools. This allows the utility to identify assets that exhibit degenerating performance, so they can anticipate faults before they happen.

Proactive End-to End Asset Monitoring For Greater Reliability

The IBM and Cisco Asset Lifecycle Management Solution provides utilities with the proactive end-to-end network monitoring they need to dramatically improve asset reliability, network utilization, and resource predictability. Utilities can expect to realize the following benefits:

• IP-enabled SCADA network proactively monitors all assets for real-time insight into operational performance:
  • Maximizing asset performance and asset life
  • Anticipating asset faults before they happen
  • Providing data required to support network upgrade requests
• Integration with data mining and analytics tools helps prioritize required asset maintenance and replacement, simultaneously lowering costs and improving network reliability
• Video surveillance of sub-station identifies security risks, assists with fault diagnosis, and enhances collaboration with field personnel, significantly improving infrastructure security and reliability.

Contact your local IBM or Cisco representative to learn how you can implement an IBM and Cisco Asset Lifecycle Management Solution.

Learn more about other IBM and Cisco Utilities Network Revitalization Solutions including Mobile Workforce Management and Advanced Meter Management.