A recent Newton-Evans survey of 55 North American electric utilities finds that companies are even more hesitant than they were in 2016 to combine networks for operational technology with networks used for IT business processes.
Survey participants were asked, “Does your company manage operational technology (OT) protection, control, and automation Ethernet networks separate from your information technology (IT) business process Ethernet networks?” This question is one of several that were asked previously on a 2016 survey of the protective relay marketplace.
In 2019, 69% percent of North American utilities responded that they manage OT networks separately from IT business process Ethernet networks. In 2016, 55% said they manage the networks separately.
Trends toward IT/OT convergence vary by industry. There are potential benefits of sharing real-time operational data with business intelligence and/or resource planning solutions that include improvements in decision making and system automation, but expanding OT networks to include IT networks introduces new security threats as well. For industries like electric power T&D it is evident that IT/OT convergence isn’t a priority at the moment.
The Worldwide Study of the Protective Relay Marketplace in Electric Utilities: 2019-2022 measures current market sizes and contains projections on a world region basis for the next few years. More than 35 topics are covered in the utility survey portion of this study. The entire research program will define the product and market requirements which suppliers must meet in order to successfully participate in one or more of these diverse world market regions.
Newton-Evans Research Company estimates from our earlier 2016 relay market study indicate that the North American protective relay market stood at $660 million for both utility and industrial applications. It will be important for the P&C community to learn how changes in the world market conditions since 2016 will affect the outlook for 2019-2022
The new study also includes surveys of P&C consultants and relay manufacturers. The observations of both groups will be reported in the market assessment report (Volume Three).
To order the Newton-Evans report, Worldwide Study of the Protective Relay Marketplace In Electric Utilities: 2019-2022, complete this order form and send it to the address below or fax it to +1 443 218-3807:
https://www.newton-evans.com/2019ProtRelayBrochure.pdf
Send email inquiries to info@newton-evans.com or call +1 410 465 7316.
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