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Intel IoT PartnershipVoice
Intelligent Solutions – Better Together
Post written by
Russ Banham for Cisco and Intel
The internet of things (IoT) and cloud technologies represent both an opportunity and a challenge for utilities.
By adopting cloud-based web security, utilities have seized on a new opportunity to harden their defenses against a high number of security breaches. Fifty-six percent of the security professionals in utilities say they use cloud-based web security, compared with 36 percent of the respondents in other industries, Cisco reported earlier this year.
But with the ability of the cloud to connect more things in more places on the IoT, the technology also opens up new points of attack. To solve this complex issue and make the most of the IoT, utilities need to rethink where and how to deploy security.
This fresh approach can be seen in the Cisco IoT System, which combines Cisco’s networking expertise with Intel’s distributed computing technology. The result is a “fog computing” solution that spreads security across the grid.
Cloud Adoption Despite Concerns
Like other industries, utilities are adopting the IoT and cloud to analyze disparate sources of data to boost efficiency. For the utility industry, the ability to acquire and process smart grid data presents bottom-line value in addition to benefiting consumers and the environment.
Research conducted by Zpryme for Oracle Utilities found that 45 percent of utilities currently use the cloud and 52 percent plan to do so. Despite relatively high levels of adoption, the research also found persistent concerns about privacy, control and security.
As utilities implement smart grids and modernize in other ways, information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) will become more interdependent. Network security historically has not been an issue for OT staff, which has focused on keeping substations and other stand-alone equipment running. But in the networked environment of the smart grid, everything changes.
When diverse equipment is connected to the internet, these devices and the network with which they communicate become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Consequently, OT staff must now appreciate and address the nuanced security needs of the smart grid.
New Solutions For New Challenges
In building smart grids, utilities may also confront bandwidth bottlenecks and communication delays caused by the vast number of devices generating data. Traditional cloud architecture is not designed for this kind of use because it relies heavily on centralized processing with an assumption of sufficient bandwidth from the edge devices to cloud servers. Delays are common as data transits from edge devices to cloud servers.
Many smart grid applications, such as a fault detection, isolation and service restoration (FLISR) or Volt/VAR optimization (VVO), cannot wait for data from sensors to travel to the cloud, and then wait for applications to assess and respond. Delays are longer if the data is running over a cellular connection with limited bandwidth. As the IoT introduces millions of devices and latency-sensitive transactions, the traditional cloud approach will become even more strained.
The challenges of data overload and low latency response are addressed by fog computing. Fog computing allows applications to execute within the IoT network, providing the intelligence to analyze data locally and generate actions like closing a switch. By giving the routers and switches on the outskirts of networks the ability to handle computational tasks, organizations also reduce the amount of data that needs to be sent to the cloud for processing, analysis and storage.
As sensors become ubiquitous in the grid, the utility faces escalating risk from both external and internal attack. To confront this risk, utilities need to distribute security across the grid by smartening up the edge devices and using the network as a sensor and enforcer of security policy. This way, if a hacker gains access to an endpoint, the hacker gets no further because the network notices the intrusion and shuts down access.
A Comprehensive Solution
To assist utilities with this new approach, Cisco combined its network security expertise with the Intel edge and cloud security technologies. The result is the Cisco IoT System, a comprehensive set of products that both senses breaches and enforces defensive policies, limiting damage from rogue devices, malware and user error.
The Cisco-Intel partnership draws from each company’s key strengths. The Intel IoT Platform, for instance, provides end-to-end security and management to enhance security for industrial processes. Meanwhile, the Cisco ISA 3000 Industrial Security Appliance, which is powered by an Intel Atom processor, provides the industry’s widest range of OT-specific threat management.
With more intelligence and decision-making being added to the edge of the IoT network with fog computing, customers can build on secure, distributed compute and storage capabilities to solve problems once deemed insurmountable.
