North Carolina's Electric Membership Cooperative Selects Encore Networks for Critical SCADA Network Upgrade

Business Wire, Jan 26, 2009

DULLES, Va. -- Encore Networks:

Deployment of Encore's Industrially Hardened (Rugged) Routers Allow for the Seamless Migration of Critical SCADA Network and Control Functions in Frame Relay and IP Networks

See Encore Networks SCADA Solutions at DistribuTECH - Booth #2417 San Diego Convention Center, February 3-5

Encore Networks today announced that the North Carolina Electric Membership Cooperative (NCEMC) has standardized on Encore's industrially hardened (rugged) router, the BANDIT[TM], for their Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) platform upgrade. The BANDIT[TM] will provide multiple NCEMC electrical cooperatives with a secure method for converting legacy SCADA protocols for transport over Frame Relay and IP networks.

SCADA networks transmit and monitor critical automated meter reading, usage, and real-time billing information while controlling the functions for power distribution. These SCADA networks must now meet Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) requirements mandated by the National Electrical Reliability Corporation (NERC).

"As is the case with all utility companies, the NCEMC cooperatives are being pushed by government regulations and industry initiatives to improve the security of their internal SCADA networks," stated Bruce Russell, Encore Networks Vice-President of Business Development. "The BANDIT meets all applicable CIP and NERC security requirements and allows utilities to better manage the increasing flow of data and control traffic from additional energy management applications."

Traditionally, utilities have monitored information from Remote Terminal Units (RTU's) using leased analog lines. With the move towards digital methods of transport, the costs to maintain these analog lines have increased. In response, utilities are seeking more cost-effective, IP-based solutions that accommodate SCADA.

The BANDIT[TM] ensures secure system data and SCADA network connections directly to a Wide Area Network (WAN) and/or Local Area Network (LAN), or commercial cellular data IP services. The BANDIT[TM] is a rugged security router with integrated firewall, terminal server, serial-to-IP conversion, legacy-protocol conversion, and VPN functionality. Its hardened construction allows for operation over the wide temperature ranges found at remote substations.

Utility customers have complete freedom to configure the BANDIT[TM] to any transmission service including Frame Relay, VSAT, cellular wireless, cable modem, DSL, fiber, microwave and dial-up. With its extensive failover capabilities, the BANDIT[TM] allows any network connection to serve as either a primary or back-up WAN service. The BANDIT[TM] supports all variants of the SCADA protocol, both bit- and byte-oriented, with encryption of all traffic and complete remote management capabilities.

"Interruptions in communications drive up our costs," said Ken Moore, Director of Field Engineering Services for NCEMC. "With the BANDIT installed at all of our power delivery points, we can take advantage of IP-based technologies allowing us to operate in a more reliable and economical way."

For more information about Encore Networks and its complete line of industrially hardened and commercial grade routers, visit www.encorenetworks.com or e-mail sales@encorenetworks.com.

About NCEMC

The NCEMC www.ncemcs.com is the nation's second largest electrical generation and transmission cooperative. Their 26 not-for-profit electrical cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable energy and related services to more than 2.5 million people in over 920,000 households and businesses. Together these NCEMC electrical cooperatives own and maintain more than 95,000 miles of power lines, by far the most of any electrical utility in North Carolina.

About Encore Networks

Encore Networks is a market leader in secure, IP Legacy Virtual Private Network (VPN) routers for converged and broadband solutions. Carriers and enterprises, both large and small, rely on Encore's innovative VPN and security solutions for wireless, satellite, and terrestrial networks that support both legacy devices and Internet Protocol (IP) routing standards. Encore's industrially hardened (rugged) routers are Smart Grid enabled and designed for mission critical applications in harsh environments with wide temperature ranges found in utility substations, industrial plant floors, mobile transportation, construction sites and point-of-sale. Encore's advanced signaling and voice inter-working solutions support circuit-to-packet migration of voice services, on premises or in the central office.