Our services > Critical infrastructure ​> Smart grid field analysis

Smart grid field analysis

Smart solutions to monitor, manage, troubleshoot and defend smart grids

​Billions of dollars in global investments for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and distribution automation (DA) are bringing smart energy grids and smart cities to life. Smart grid systems extend intelligent devices across a large field area network (FAN)—beyond traditional protective zones—where they are heavily targeted by malicious actors and form a large attack surface into critical energy systems.  
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    Problem

    Lack of situational awareness and visibility is a significant challenge to maintaining smart grid security, managing system performance, troubleshooting FAN problems and validating system controls and behavior.  
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    Solution

    Our field analysis services unburden utility operators by applying experience-driven knowledge to efficiently investigate and resolve operational problems, validate system features and security controls, troubleshoot smart grid application failures, discover misconfigured devices and tune system radio frequency (RF) coverage.  
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    Leveraging our patented SecureSmart™ product suite, we provide utility customers with actionable intelligence and field support via real-time, ground-truth, objective artifacts for problem remediation. SecureSmart provides unprecedented visibility into customers’ smart grid and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks—and it can be quickly and inexpensively deployed to support field analyses and assessments. 

    The picture below shows a conceptual deployment of our SecureSmart Monitoring Infrastructure to deliver independent probe-based monitoring for FANs.

    Our smart grid field analysis consulting services

    • End-to-end system testing for features, functions and performance compliance—“fit for purpose” testing 
    • SCADA and field traffic profiling and analysis 
    • Service impact assessments for multi-service FANs 
    • Security program evaluation, risk analysis and vulnerability assessment 
    • Validation of requirements compliance for vendor claims, wireless security and privacy controls 
    • Field network troubleshooting, including resolution of failures in meter read, communications and service restoration 
    • RF plan optimization for access points, relays and collectors ​

    We deploy expert analysts and engineers in the field with state-of-the-art tools to efficiently and comprehensively investigate field network behavior and system operation. We trace issues through multiple layers and systems, document objective artifacts, drive toward discovery of root cause and provide practical remediation recommendations. 

    For system validation, we design thorough, efficient test plans based on customer requirements and conduct fit-for-purpose testing to produce results that are traceable to business and technical needs. Our SecureSmart solution accelerates our smart grid field analysis services with mobile, passive field sensors that are quickly deployed in vehicles or taken to locations of interest. Intelligent analytics help abstract a sea of packet communication into higher level views of network operation.   ​
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    Resources

    Research, services and products of interest

    Research

    Services

    Products

    ​​​​SecureSmart™ solution line:​
    • Continuous monitoring as a service (CMaaS): real-time cyber defense for critical infrastructure, field area networks, energy systems and smart cities
    • Cyber emissions monitor: anomaly detection based on non-intrusive monitoring of unintentional RF emissions
    • EnergyDefender: comprehensive critical infrastructure and industrial control systems defense
    • Jolt: protection against sophisticated power grid attacks via intelligent telemetry defense
    • ProtocolPatroller: industry’s first ICS cybersecurity monitoring and anomaly detection solution for protocol protection
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