When it comes to smart grid security, Trilliant says think VPN

The subject of a new white paper from smart grid player Trilliant is a bit technical for yours truly BUT it does cover an issue that is increasingly on the minds of utility companies and government agencies that are deploying smart grid solutions: how do you keep the data and the applications secure?

The approach being advocated by Trilliant is application domain provision, which is basically the practice of of segment different tiers of the communications networks running smart grid applications into multiple virtual domains. The theory is that each of these domains can then be configured to ensure end-to-end security and application performance.

As I mentioned, Trilliant has published a white paper outlining these concepts (warning, you have to register to get it) AND it has scheduled a related web seminar on March 30, 2010, at 10 a.m. Pacific time. More details on the topics being covered are at this registration link.