When you're in the market for a supervisory control and data acquisition - SCADA - system, the safest scoping process typically consists of three phases: project research and planning, request for proposal and vendor evaluation/selection. Click for a discussion of each.

Are you worried about smart meter tampering? Whether you can afford a new SCADA system? Consistent power quality? Click for a look at new solutions to these worries plus five others that may be nagging at you.

Web-based technologies offer exciting new capabilities in the SCADA world. But security ace Andy Bochman has his concerns. Find out why he thinks there is too much potential for human error to feel that these great functional leaps forward are not at the same time large cybersecurity steps backward.

A survey of electric utilities in the U.S. and Canada points to the likelihood of "very good growth" for EMS, SCADA, DMS and OMS between 2013 and 2015, according to Newton-Evans Research. The firm says a large percentage of utilities it surveyed are planning upgrades or retrofits for SCADA systems.

Situational intelligence (SI) is playing a major role in the rollout of smart grids around the world. This white paper from Space-Time Insights explains how SI gives users in business, operational and technical roles the ability to quickly visualize and correlate data from multiple sources to obtain a multi-dimensional view of their operations.

A DOE national lab demonstrated a new suite of cyber security software tools recently, one of which can locate and monitor conversation pathways in large computer networks. While it's not ready for deployment, the Sophia tool has received good reviews.

PowerStream is one of few North American utilities moving forward with centralized automatic switching decision-making on its distribution network. Using the Survalent SCADA software system and leveraging existing automated switches in the field on all 27.6kV feeders connected to two transformer stations, the Ontario, Canada utility is performing a two-stage trial of automated system restoration following a feeder fault that trips the feeder breaker. Get details in this case study.

A relational database is a powerful and essential tool for any utility. But it is usually NOT the best choice for time-series data, as many utilities have been discovering the hard way.

To properly budget for a SCADA solution, it is important to look at the default functionality the SCADA will provide at purchase versus custom functionality that will have to be built in at deployment. This will define the services and maintainability costs over the lifetime of the SCADA system.

When you consider the requirements for your SCADA system, the list of issues to determine is a lengthy one. Hardware, communications and infrastructure, security, standards, data management - they're all critical issues that you'll need to plan for.

It is one thing to settle on a SCADA system that you think will do the job for your utility. But with that decision made, you're only part way there. You still need to deal with some important details regarding installation, support and the contract itself.

The report on the IWSN market details the aggregation of products, equipment, components, systems, OEMs and contractor services required to automate an industrial facility, production system, production line, or process infrastructure. This report also aims to capture the market roadmap with market sizes, revenue forecasts, market dynamics, value chain, application market and product trends.

Can utilities use free spectrum to get a private, secure, encrypted, high-reliability, 30-mile wireless network with no interference and no towers? Brian Andrew, CEO of Parseous Systems, says yes. Find out why.

To help protect utility infrastructure from cyber attacks, McAfee and Intel have created a recipe for system-wide consumption - from SCADA and control systems to generation and T&D. The idea is to create layers of security using commercially available products that operate together.

New research from Accenture spotlights what actions large energy providers can take to keep their customers happy in both regulated and deregulated markets alike. (Think Internet and social media.) Click for details on Accenture's findings from 10,000 consumers in 19 countries - plus a look at just-released reports on microgrids, SCADA security, utility satellite communications and PV installations.