Remote - October 2011 - (Page 8)

Feature Article Smart, Connected Remote Sites Mahesh Patel Director, Product Management – Wireless Solutions Sixnet Today’s utilities have a highly productive and efficient business environment that is very competitive and needs to comply with many stringent regulatory requirements to prevent situations that would cause a facility to be down for even a small amount of time. A slight failure of equipment translates into immediate consequences from both a financial and safety perspective. These pressures move utilities towards building high-availability smart sites that help minimize unscheduled down time and allow for shorter time to repair. A direct result of this trend is the need for the site to have remote access to equipment. To help facilitate this access, these utilities are converting their networks to become IP-enabled, but with the many benefits that come with this, the move to IP networks also adds a level of complexity as it becomes increasingly more important to securely connect these critical industrial infrastructures. For the most part, remote sites with critical equipment are located in places that are difficult to access due to long distances or harsh conditions. Accessing critical information such as health and operational data at these sites can be both time-consuming and costly. Additionally, given today’s aging industrial infrastructures, monitoring and controlling the data within these sites is more critical than ever. In fact, we are beginning to witness the consequences of not updating and maintaining these outdated networks, as demonstrated by recent explosions at gas pipelines and blackouts in major cities as parts of the electrical grids going down. Keeping a closer eye on these infrastructures is necessary not only to prevent loss of revenue, but also, and more importantly, loss of life. Unfortunately, however, communicating with these remote sites to proactively prevent equipment degradation is far from an easy task, and may even require a four-hour helicopter ride. In order to proactively monitor and control remotely-located assets, users must be able to access local sensor data, and the most cost-effective and intelligent way to do this is through cellular automation. Cellular automation is the concept of providing Remote Terminal Units (RTU) with cellular connectivity to facilitate access to data in hard-to-reach locations. Cellular connectivity provides fast and easy access to monitor and control business-critical applications at remote sites. This flexibility however, also requires a level of responsibility that mandates enhanced security requirements as well. In some cases, this is new ground for many users, as data security is something that many customers did not focus on in past since they were using direct circuit connections via modem banks. These types of connections did not require the same stringent security standards that a cellular connection over an IP network does. Therefore, as customers migrate towards IP networking, and data security is mandated, sourcing and implementing new technologies to support the increasing security demands becomes necessary. In addition to addressing more stringent security requirements, industrial users also have the added complexity of having multiple devices to manage and implement for an effective remote monitoring and control solution over IP. The challenge facing many customers is that, on top of their existing RTU’s, they must also figure out which of many products they will require. It may be necessary to have a device for cellular connectivity, a Modbus gateway, and a Security (VPN) device, which is costly to deploy and complicated to administer and maintain. A cellular automation solution dramatically simplifies this task by integrating automation, routing, security and cellular technologies into one hardened package. A built-in Modbus gateway easily interfaces with existing RTUs and PLCs and provides realtime access to data from pumps, valves, reclosers, transformers, capacitor banks and meters. For industrial applications such as water/wastewater, oil and gas, renewable and electrical power, accessing this data and keeping network links up and running is critical. More stringent security requirements, such as EPA and NERC, must also be supported as the network continues to evolve. Additionally, an integrated firewall that provides stateful packet inspections, as well as filtering of IPs via access control lists or NAT, is needed to avoid new threats. More specifically, it is necessary to have integrated user firewall configuration rules that restrict the type and duration of access to authorized individual, user-based permissions and encryption of data to provide adequate security for business-critical applications. Short Messaging Service (SMS) based solutions are another lower-cost alternative that some companies have chosen to implement. Although this approach may be effective and easy to use, it has inherent risks. Texts are a powerful means of attack because the devices that receive them generally cannot refuse them or the commands encoded in them. The problem is that users are unable to block unwanted texts, which means that they are unable to prevent someone from sending commands through text messaging and throwing off the device. Other approaches are modem-only equipment solutions. This type of solution is where a cellular modem is added to existing equipment. While this approach does provide the ease of cellular connectivity, the lack of security options on most cellular modems leaves the network 8 www.RemoteMagazine.com http://www.infowebcom.com/newsletters_form.php http://www.RemoteMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Remote - October 2011

Remote - October/November 2011
KEMA Named a Seaport-Enhanced Prime Contractor for the US Navy
Opto 22 Releases iOS App for Automation and Control System
Powering Advanced AMR/AMI Networks
Smart, Connected Remote Sites
Minnesota D.O.T. Makes a Right Turn - To a Flexible Monitoring Solution
Reducing Industrial Energy Consumption: Monitoring is the Key
Shacking up in the Artic
AFCON Software and Electronics Released Pulse V1.50 with New Event Manager Add-On
Digi Launches New 3G iDigi Development Kit
Hikvision Launches 650 TVL CCD Day/Night Camera
VYCON Introduces Hybrid VDC XEB Energy Storage System
Crenlo Adds NEMA Wall-Mount Enclosures to Product Lineup
Industry News
Calendar of Events

Remote - October 2011