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• The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Program (P161) conducts research in the following areas:
  • Interoperability – The program accelerates the industry’s migration towards interoperability by making technical contributions to standards development efforts; providing training to utilities; developing reference implementations and organizing interoperability tests of developing standards; and collaborating with utilities on the demonstrations of emerging standards.
  • Telecommunications – The program provides leadership in communications standards development; provides tracking and analysis of communications technologies; develops the tools and techniques to effectively plan and design communications networks; and conducts laboratory and field tests to evaluate the performance of evolving and emerging technologies.
  • Enterprise and Grid Architecture – The program creates tools that deliver the state of the art in enterprise architecture and develops guides to help utilities with standards-based systems integration and enable greater flexibility as grid operations evolve.
  • Advanced Metering – The program leads an industry effort to develop open, interoperable advanced metering systems; develops best practice guides for the operations and maintenance of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems; and investigates approaches for maximizing the value of AMI systems.
  • Data Integration of Intelligent Field Equipment, Consumer Internet of Things (IoT) Devices, and Mobile Workforces with Utility Systems – The program is developing the requirements and advancing the standards for integrating and managing edge devices with utility systems.
  • Data Management – The program identifies and documents industry best practices for how data is acquired, validated, stored protected, and processed; and how accessibility, reliability, and timeliness is ensured to improve grid operations. The program also advances the Common Information Model (CIM) standard.
• Cyber Security (CS) Program (P183) Overview
  Cyber security has become a critical priority for electric utilities. The evolving electric sector is increasingly dependent on information technology and telecommunications infrastructures to ensure the reliability and security of the electric grid. Cyber security measures must be designed and implemented to support grid reliability. These measures must also support grid resilience against attacks by terrorists and hackers, natural disasters, and inadvertent threats such as equipment failures and user errors. The Cyber Security Program of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) focuses on addressing the emerging threats to the electric sector through multidisciplinary, collaborative research on cyber security technologies, standards, and business policies and processes.
• Research Value
  The rapid pace of change in the electric sector creates a challenging environment for asset owners and operators to monitor the activities of industry and standards organizations, develop an understanding of the security impacts of new technologies, and assess and monitor cyber security risks. EPRI employs a team of experts with comprehensive backgrounds in cyber security who address these challenges by providing insight and analyses of various security tools, architectures, guidelines, and results of testing to program participants. Participation in EPRI’s Cyber Security Program can provide:
  • Technologies which support the management of cyber incidents and increase the cyber security and resiliency of the grid
  • Guidance on developing cyber security strategies and requirements for selecting effective technologies;
  • Early identification of security gaps through laboratory assessments of security technologies; and
  • Techniques for assessing and monitoring risk;
  • Guidance on security metrics;
  • A better awareness of industry and government collaborative efforts, where members can “plug in” to current activities.
• For more information contact East: Chris Kotting, 980.219.0146; West: Annette Mosley, 972.556.6507.