Duke Energy powering ahead by unifying its technology infrastructure, OT networks

Duke Energy is one of America’s largest energy holding companies, but after series of mergers in recent years, the utility serving 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky needed a communications technology makeover to transform what was a patchwork of different telecom architectures, technologies, and support philosophies.

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Duke also is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner power generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage, and needed to consolidate comms systems, so the utility transitioned from outdated serial technology to industry-standard IP tech.

This project led to standardized designs and improved efficiency, said Ken Smith, lead telecom architect at Duke Energy, who joined Bryan Fullenkamp, IT network architect at Duke, and John Kuklinski, lead portfolio management specialist-grid solutions development there, in a chat with Smart Industry.

Duke Energy has won its Industrial Transformation Award in the Utilities category.

“This foundational transformation positions Duke Energy to deliver a smarter, more resilient energy future for the communities we serve,” Smith told Smart Industry.

Kuklinski added: “Migrating from serial-based technology to Ethernet/IP was a complex process that demanded new processes and skill sets. We provided extensive training and change management to ensure all stakeholders were aligned and prepared for the transition.”

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Smith also said that, by migrating from serial to IP technology and expanding Duke Energy’s private network infrastructure, the utility created a telecom lifecycle management program, providing huge uplift. This program ensures investments continue to deliver value over time.

Fullenkamp also added that implementing Cisco’s DMVPN technology was a critical component of Duke Energy’s project, as the Cisco tech enabled secure, scalable, and resilient communications between multiple sites.

“This solution met our reliability and resiliency requirements for the new telecommunications architecture. This also greatly reduces the operational support time.”

Anytime such profound organizational and technological changes are made, collaboration across departments and from leadership is essential, the three Duke Energy reps emphasized.

This transition away from “legacy” systems required collaboration across internal teams and with key vendors was essential to the success of our transformation, Smith emphasized.

“Executive sponsorship played a pivotal role in reducing friction and driving the project forward. Their support ensured alignment and momentum across the organization,” he said.

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Also, Fullenkamp added, “our hardware partners and commercial carriers provided the necessary technology and support, with DMVPN technology enabling automatic, resilient routing and robust connectivity across our network.”

“Commercial carrier partners ensured robust connectivity solutions where private infrastructure was unavailable,” Smith pointed out. “This provided a level of resiliency that far exceeded our legacy serial communications networks.”