Hughes Utilities Solutions

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In addition, the industry has also been mandated to ensure the security of the power grid, one of the key strategic components of the U.S. infrastructure.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which is overseen by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and government authorities in
Canada, mandated the security of data to and from utility generation stations and substations through a set of critical infrastructure protection (CIP) requirements, first released
in 2006. As a result, momentum is now building throughout the industry to improve the overall reliability, efficiency and cyber security of the grid.

To meet NERC-CIP requirements, outdated communications systems and infrastructure, such as multi-drop and leased lines, require an upgrade to more cost-effective, flexible and secure broadband solutions. Managed private network services, such
as Hughes Utilities Solutions, are reliable and worry-free offerings available today that help meet NERC-CIP requirements and are readily scalable in future as application requirements evolve.

Challenges Facing Utility Companies

When utilities explore upgrading communications systems and infrastructure, they must consider a number of variables, including cost, speed, consolidation, reliability, security, reach-to-remote locations, regulatory compliance, support of legacy systems, and the ability to support future applications. The following are the key challenges and requirements related to these issues.

Broadband

As illustrated in Figure 1, several different and often costly older networking technologies are typically used to serve a particular location, including dial-up, private or leased lines. This patchwork network evolved in a piecemeal manner to support individual low-bandwidth utility applications, but
is inadequate to address the NERC-CIP mandated security, efficiency and reliability requirements. Consolidation of multiple, low-speed networking services into a single, comprehensive open architecture broadband solution that
can serve multiple business systems is the key to controlling operating costs while improving performance of the smart grid.

Regulatory Compliance

The adoption of NERC-CIP requirements and meeting the timeframes for compliance are powerful drivers to update the infrastructure to support Distribution Management Systems (DMS) and SCADA systems. This means the infrastructure must provide secure connectivity, data encryption, firewall protection, intrusion detection, access logging and tracking, and the audit reports associated with these applications. Scheduled and spot audits beginning in 2009 will necessarily force the requirements for any new rollouts to be NERC-CIP compliant.

Network Reach

Many critical assets are in out-of-the way, often remote locations. Nonetheless, they must still be connected to the compliant, broadband infrastructure, and at an affordable cost. The network must deliver 100% reach.

Reliability

Compliance requirements for critical infrastructure demand a high level of reliability in grid operation. Monitoring and control systems together with the communications infrastructure must maintain a high level of reliability to ensure the health of the grid. This calls for redundancy and emergency recovery plans for both.

Legacy System Support

Complete and immediate replacement of legacy IT infrastructure is often not practical or financially viable. Rather, a migration or phased approach is more pragmatic and manageable, which means support of legacy technology is essential. In particular, support of serial protocols such as those used in SCADA systems is necessary when deploying new communications infrastructure. Needless to say, not only is legacy protocol support necessary, but any new solutions must be cost justified and be NERC-CIP compliant.

Comprehensive Utility Solutions

Hughes Utilities Solutions offers a reliable, secure, worry-free answer to help meet NERC-CIP requirements today and is designed with future-proof scalability as smart grid application requirements evolve. Developed specifically for the utility industry by Hughes, a world leader in managed network services, Hughes Utilities Solutions is a comprehensive suite of high-performance, business-grade IP networking options.
Both terrestrial and wireless broadband access technologies are available, including DSL, cable, T1, and EVDO, together with nationwide broadband satellite coverage.

Hughes Utilities Solutions

A fully managed broadband offering, Hughes Utilities Solutions creates a seamless network service by using the most efficient and cost-effective technology available at each site—whether landline or satellite. As illustrated in Figure 2, the result is a uniform, cost-efficient, secure, and highly reliable broadband service at each location that includes 24×7 operations; network management, proactive fault resolution, and field maintenance. HughesNet supports serial protocols as well as multiple applications, providing an optimum solution to accommodate OT and IT needs.

Optionally, as shown in Figure 3, a full terrestrial deployment can be complemented with a path diverse backup for extremely high availability solutions, utilizing one or both technologies provided by Hughes.

All Hughes solutions use industry standard encryption (3DES, AES) to protect data integrity.

Furthermore, Hughes offers true private network solutions that do not connect to any other public network and are therefore protected from intrusion by outside parties. A truly private network can also mitigate the need for additional costly elements, for example firewalls, which are otherwise required for NERC-CIP compliance. The HughesNet private network solution delivers instant NERC-CIP compliance with regard to secure network infrastructure.

Physical security of critical assets is also a very important requirement that is facilitated with remote sensing and surveillance equipment. Hughes technology is uniquely capable of providing on- demand streams to support high-quality video transmissions to any such remote location.

In summary, Hughes Utilities Solutions delivers a comprehensive suite of worry-free broadband networking alternatives to fully meet the demanding requirements of the utility market.

Hughes Utilities Solutions in Action

Utility companies are already taking advantage of HughesNet solutions.

For example, a Florida-based electric utility is using HughesNet broadband satellite services as part of emergency restoral efforts. In the event of power outages, quick-deploy terminals are provisioned to instantly establish secure communication links to mobile restoral command centers and their data centers to manage the recovery. Satellite solutions are the perfect quick restoral solution for disaster recovery requirements.

Hughes is providing a Midwest-based electric utility with HughesNet broadband satellite services as the primary communi- cations links at remote substations and distribution lines and as a reliable, path-diverse backup. Hughes readily accommo- dated unique installation requirements and is serving remote locations with reliable, broadband service.

Hughes is providing a Nebraska-based utility company for a Hughes Utilities Solution including HughesNet broadband satel- lite service for both primary and backup access to unmanned remote locations and their data center. The solution dramati-
cally improves network reliability and supports a host of different applications including SCADA and VoIP.

IP-based Utility Networks for the 21st Century

Today, Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs), municipals, and co-ops can leverage Hughes Utilities Solutions to help meet NERC-CIP requirements—and at the same time take advantage of the opportunity to consolidate their costly legacy networks into a forward-looking, cutting edge, IP network.

Safer, more efficient, IP-based utility networks for the 21st century delivered through Hughes Utilities Solutions will help utility companies prevent major blackouts and brownouts—and ensure readiness to better manage outage events when they do occur.

Proprietary Statement

All rights reserved. This publication and its contents are proprietary to Hughes Network Systems, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, 11717 Exploration Lane, Germantown, Maryland 20876.