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By Jesse Berst

Now we are back to report that Cisco has raised the stakes again, this time with the formal launch of a developer program of its own. To be more accurate, Cisco is extending its Cisco Developer Network (CDN) to fully embrace the smart grid. It is doing this after more than two years of rehearsal with early partners such as Itron and Proximetry.

The program for Cisco's Connected Grid division builds on Cisco’s broader CDN, which has been around for seven years and consists of more than 30,000 individuals from more than 700 member companies. Like most such programs, it embraces:

·         Developer tools

·         Interoperability testing and certification

·         Marketing support

·         Online support and in-person events

And, like most such programs, it has multiple tiers, with partners paying more at each tier for additional benefits. Partners at the highest tiers are required to offer 24/7 tech support for their Cisco-certified applications. Cisco provides backstop tech support to the partner with established escalation procedures.

Cisco is also building five special interest groups within the smart grid arena:

1.     Data and control centers

2.     Security

3.     IP-compatible grid devices

4.     Transmission and substation design

5.     Field area networks

To get the point of view of a developer, I talked with CDN member Ameen Hamdon, President, SUBNET Solutions, the Calgary-based maker of substation automation and management software. He described several reasons for signing on. One was the chance to leverage Cisco's security capabilities. One plus for SUBNET -- the ability to offer enhanced security to legacy equipment. Hamdon described numerous other benefits from building on top of Cisco capabilities.

Cisco says the fundamentals remain strong

I also spoke with Lionel Chocron, Cisco's Vice President, Connected Energy Networks, who assures me that momentum continues to be strong. Utilities around the world, he claims, are signing up for Cisco's concept of an interoperable, standards-based "multi-service network" -- one that can have the high bandwidth and low latency to handle multiple applications.

Chocron cited Spain's Endesa as an example of a utility that has standardized on the Cisco approach, not just in Spain, but for its Colombian subsidiary Codensa.

There's an important reason for Cisco's continued strong push into smart grid -- namely, because it is part of the larger "Internet of Things" (IoT) trend. Cisco wants to be the de facto standard for the IoT, and the smart grid is one of the first places it is building out at scale.

Of course, other companies want that role, not least of which is Silver Spring Networks. At the moment, SSN's program is bigger than Cisco's, which currently has fewer than 20 members from the smart grid space. But that number is sure to rise, which will undoubtedly push SSN to work even harder to make its own developer program exemplary -- precisely the kind of competition that will benefit both developers and utilities.

In fact, on Thursday SSN announced its new "Speed-to-Value" program that bundles technology and professional services to get utilities up and running faster than ever for applications such as distribution automation, fault locations and load control.

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Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com, the industry's oldest and largest smart grid site. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the U.S. and abroad, he also serves on advisory committees for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He often provides strategic consulting to large corporations and venture-backed startups. He is a member of the advisory boards of GridGlo and Calico Energy Services.