Putting the word “smart” in front of the name of any machine or technology instantly creates a buzzword. Such is the case with the so-called smart grid, which is a conglomeration of existing technologies and technologies under development that will, many hope, ameliorate the various threats that face the United States’ aging power grid. Seeking to ride the wave of excitement (and to cash in on some of the profits) of the smart grid, Cisco Systems recently announced its CGR 2010 and CGS 2520 router and switch products designed to aid utility companies in delivering power to homes and businesses.

The current power grid in the United States (as well as that of other countries, also) faces serious threats from aging infrastructure, malicious entities seeking to cause chaos, and from dwindling energy supply relative to ever-increasing demand. The smart grid is the answer of government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, and various businesses and utilities to these growing threats. When implemented, the smart grid is expected to increase energy efficiency through better monitoring, control, distribution, and reliance on renewable energy sources.

Enter Cisco Systems, which announced on May 25 its Connected Grid Router (CGR) 2010 and Connected Grid Switch (CGS) 2520 products. The company has expressed a growing interest in the smart grid, and the roll-out of these new switch and router products are a result of that interest. According to the U.K.’s Register (“Cisco taps into smart grid money machine”), “there's a chance that every utility pole could end up having a router or switch on it in rural areas, and the electrical grid buried in urban areas will need a similarly large number of IP devices to provide telemetry.” Such a situation makes clear why the prospect of a smart grid has captured the attention of companies like Cisco.

The CGR 2010 (which is slated for release in July) and CGS 2520 (August) are designed to implement the kind of IP-based infrastructure needed to allow the smart grid to monitor and govern the flow of energy. The new products follow the pattern of existing Cisco devices, but they add support for standards and protocols associated with power utilities, according to Computer World (“Cisco unveils new router and switch for smart grids”). In addition to supporting software standards, the devices are also designed to hold their own in the kinds of conditions associated with exposure to the elements and to the electromagnetic emissions of power substations. Computer World describes Cisco’s Connected Grid products as supporting “standards for utility substation environments, including the ability to withstand a broad range of temperatures.” In addition, the devices can operate in the presence of a certain level of electromagnetic interference and power surges. The Register cites the products as being able to “operate in temperatures ranging from –40 to 140 F° (–40 to 60 C°).”

With these new products, Cisco is riding the wave of interest in the smart grid, which is largely driven by government agencies. According to eWeek (“Cisco Rolls Out Switch, Router for Smart Grid Efforts”), work on the smart grid could be the source of over 280,000 jobs, as estimated by the Gridwise Alliance. In light of steady unemployment around 10% (according to government figures) in the United States, the potential job-creating power of the smart grid is an attractive characteristic that could potentially increase the speed of its development and implementation—a situation that could greatly benefit companies like Cisco. On the other hand, the smart grid will not come into existence on its own; it will require a significant financial investment, which will mostly be on the part of utilities and government agencies (which are virtually indistinguishable entities). Thus, job creation in the smart grid sector may well be balanced by job losses in other sectors as taxes or deficit spending is increased to cover the costs.

Regardless of the peripheral benefits of the smart grid, however, Cisco is clearly betting on its implementation in the near future. The company’s Connected Grid products are its first offerings to the end of achieving a foothold in a market it estimates as being valued at as much as $20 billion annually for several years, according to Computer World.

The battle between HP and Cisco continues on as HP takes a jab at Cisco's products being too slow and an energy hog in comparison to the 3Com equipment that recently replaced all of the Cisco gear in HP's Houston data center. 

HP recently acquired 3com and did not take long to begin replacing its Cisco gear from its data center in Houston with 3Com equipment. This symbolically ends the Cisco-HP partnership between the two companies which was formed several years ago, but started to see it pull apart when Cisco jumped into the server market.

With the push for more efficient energy distribution, the Smart Grid has quickly transformed from the hottest buzzword to a global reality. While the Smart Grid promises to deliver many benefits, it is essential to secure this critical infrastructure now, before it's too late.

So what exactly is the Smart Grid? The Smart Grid provides a much-needed update to our electric grid by connecting local power distribution with the national infrastructure, effectively changing the way electricity is delivered. The Smart Grid's energy delivery network is best described as a two-way flow of electricity and information that is capable of monitoring everything from power plants to customers' individual appliances. The Smart Grid leverages the benefits of distributed computing and fault-tolerant communication to deliver real-time information and enable the near-instantaneous balance of supply and demand at the device level.

A critical part of the Smart Grid is the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), or smart meter network, which acts as both a distribution and endpoint for communication and sensor nodes. Smart meters include a wireless network interface and mesh networking software, which allow utility companies to update the software running the devices automatically and allows them to shut off a customer's electricity over the network, known in the industry as remote disconnect.

NASA has 5 existing or planned wide area networks that provide a variety of communication services. Driven by the need to control costs and keeping up with improvements in communications technology, NASA is now planning to consolidate these networks in a program known as I3P or IT Infrastructure Integration Program. There is also a need to enhance effectiveness and seamless services. This plan for consolidation also comes because of a need to provide a communications link between external and internal networks and ensure that this link is consistent and secure.

It happens in a moment – playing with my mobile before going into a meeting; I put it down for a moment and suddenly my host is standing in front of me. Two hours later I’m desperately searching for my phone. Rush back to reception but it’s not there. Here I am in Dubai and my phone is gone! I need to call my provider to block it but the provider’s number is in the phone. I have visions of my wife calling and suddenly panicking that the Somali pirates have got me – like the time I forgot to call from Dublin and she’s waiting for the ransom demand – still living that one down but that’s what happens when you go on a business trip to Dublin the week before Christmas!

My host comes up with all kinds of useful suggestions about who I should call but since my whole life is in that stupid thing I can’t remember any numbers. All my contacts, email addresses – like I said my life is in that stupid thing!

SuperComputing 2009 is an international conference for high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis. This year it will take place between November 14th and 20th in Portland Oregon, at their Convention Center.