Black and Veatch (B&V) recently released a report that details power utilities’ need to migrate away from frame relay services as technology continues to make them obsolete.
Currently a majority of utilities use frame relay services for local area network connections, which provide an affordable means to maintain these networks over a large service area. With new technology being favored by telecommunication companies, utilities will eventually need to adapt to changing networking technology.
B&V states that utility companies would benefit from adapting their network infrastructures to allow for new technology. They also state that these new network infrastructures are more scalable and flexible, which could save on long-term costs.
Director of Utility Communications for B&V David Hulinsky notes that few utilities will have the capability to completely overhaul networks at a single point. According to him a more viable solution would be gradual migration and phasing out older technology as it becomes inefficient.
Companies can utilize B&V’s experience in designing and providing a framework for network infrastructures thanks to the network assessments they offer. These assessments include the evaluation of current network capabilities, documentation of application requirements, network and security requirement evaluation and interviewing key stakeholders of the utility.
“Our experience in planning, design and implementation of these complex projects puts utilities on the right track toward ensuring that their network infrastructure will support all of their needs now and well into the future,” Hulinsky said.
