EMS network security applications of the future

Changes facing the electricity supply industry are significant, and the challenges these changes pose are enormous. There are major changes to the business environment of traditional electric utilities. There are also changes in the management of the companies in that nontechnical people are taking over the leadership of traditionally technical companies to deal with the new business scenario. This raises the concern that there may be a lack of familiarity by management of the technical issues involved with the result that the quality of the product may be at risk over the long term. This article deals with the future. It describes a vision for the control center energy management systems (EMS) network security applications as a function of the current and expected changes in the electric supply industry. The objective is to present a conceptual specification. It suggests possible approaches to the problems control centers are likely to encounter in the future. This future is not far away, the thoughts and recommendations put forth should be largely in place 2 to 3 years from now, if security applications are to serve the emerging industry effectively. One of the objectives of this article is to raise the profile of some of the technical issues and promote better understanding.