Utility Mulls Big Data and Security of the Grid

As utilities attempt to harness the power of Big Data to integrate information about supply and demand, ensuring the security of the grid remains "the biggest obstacle," Mark Goff, a systems engineer with Tennessee Valley Authority, told CIO Journal.

The Authority, which services 9 million customers, could improve energy efficiency and better predict transformer blowouts by pooling data from the grid with maintenance information and weather data.

But Mr. Goff says he’s two years from putting such a system in place because the convergence of data creates a potential opening for hackers. "Security is without a doubt the biggest obstacle," Mr. Goff said. "If somehow you got into [the industrial system] you could turn off protection systems and shut the grid down." A single analytical platform could create a gateway between the more secure data systems that control power distribution and less secure corporate networks, Mr. Goff said.

Joel Schectman

Full Story: http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2013/02/13/utility-mulls-big-data-and-security-of-the-grid/