FERC Touts Virtualization and Cloud Services for Better Resiliency
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is keenly interested in the benefits of virtualization and cloud services to help modernize the nation’s bulk power system and improve its resiliency. As a matter of fact, the organization just issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to find out if these technologies could be utilized to enhance performance without compromising security. Any feedback received may be used to modify NERC’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability standards. Yes, that’s a virtual alphabet soup of acronyms!
What is Virtualization and Why Does It Matter?
Virtualization is defined as the process of creating virtual versions of computer hardware to minimize the amount of physical computer hardware resources needed to perform various functions. Although it sounds like ‘techno-babble,’ the concept is probably necessary in order to migrate certain operational functions of the power grid to the cloud.
However, as you can probably tell, this idea is both an opportunity and a threat. On the one hand, it could help evolve the grid into a more flexible and adaptable entity, the benefits of which would range from enhanced productivity to better analytics to an increased ability to accommodate renewable energy sources. On the other hand, if virtualization enhancements are not done properly, it is guaranteed to negatively impact cybersecurity.
No matter how you slice it, virtualization is not going to be easy. I suppose this is why FERC issued the NOI to gather industry feedback – there are many pros and cons. In my estimation this is definitely a tough call. Failure to move forward could indicate a failure to adopt performance-enhancing technology. But moving forward could literally enable a cyber-disaster.
I will be interesting to read the NOI feedback and see how this plays out. I’m hard-pressed to come up with another scenario that has such clear and equal pros and cons. Virtualization could be the next big thing. Or, it could lead to the next apocalypse. Glad I’m not making the decision, that’s for sure!
