View all smarter energy solutions
IBM Intelligent Utility Network (IUN) Communications Services
Developing a communications network that will enable a smarter grid
In an ever challenging business and regulatory environment, utilities require a robust and secure end-to-end communications network to interconnect with its grid participants and provide the intelligence to continuously balance a more complex and dynamic supply-demand equation and ensure secure delivery of electricity. As your grid transitions over time from a one-way energy supply chain to that of a participatory electricity network, IBM can help you plan, design and implement a scalable and secure utility communications network.
An end-to-end smart grid communications network
Developing and enabling pervasive smart grid communications can be challenging. To help support your smart grid operations, IBM Intelligent Utility Network (IUN) Communications Services focus on network scalability and security—enabling you to gain better visibility over your electricity grid, its intelligent devices and its participants in order to improve efficiency, reliability, security, and customer satisfaction. Designed to interconnect your grid participants across instrumented elements, IUN Communication Services can enable the intelligence needed to balance the dynamic supply and demand of energy delivery.
Our solution helps drive pervasive communications, based on your specific requirements for current and future utility operations. As part of the IBM Intelligent Utility Network Solution for smarter grids, the IBM IUN Communications Services offering can help your utility with strategy, development and deployment of a secure and scalable communications network. IBM offers a consultative and technology-neutral approach to help develop the appropriate communications network strategy to support your utility’s operations. Our design, integration and deployment services are supported by a strong and growing partner ecosystem and reference architecture. IBM’s smart grid network consultants, architects, and project managers focus on solving complex communications networking challenges unique to utilities and leverage project delivery methods, accelerators and tools to help expedite delivery and mitigate project risk. This offering is further supported by our software, hardware and services capabilities in network monitoring, security and asset management.
Enables smart grid functionality and improves utility operations
IBM IUN communications network services are designed to help you:
- Design, develop and implement a secure and scalable communications network that can be utilized across your smart grid projects to realize project benefits and reduce communications costs.
- Realize an end-to-end view of the communications network which enables you to optimize service levels.
- Better consolidate and manage security, network monitoring and management functions, asset lifecycle and to meet regulatory requirements.
Talk the talk with a smart communications solution
IBM IUN Communications Services include:
- Utility-wide smart grid communications strategy and assessment:
- Business, security, regulatory, implementation, future-state functional and non-functional requirements.
- Technology assessment.
- Vendor landscape.
- Solution approach and conceptual architecture.
- Smart grid communications architecture and design
- Blueprint.
- Component and high-level security architecture.
- Test plan.
- Implementation roadmap.
- Security test plan.
- Installation and configuration requirements.
- Detailed design.
- Test cases and plans, including security.
- Implementation planning, integration and deployment
- Project management.
- Vendor management.
- Prototype and pilots.
- Build and test.
- Integration and deployment plan.
- Solution implementation.
- Address business impact.
- Administration and maintenance procedures.
- Staff training.