Converging IT and OT became the central focus of National Grid’s digital transformation

Bridging the cultural and technological gaps between IT and OT teams remains a goal for many manufacturers and industrial companies as most technology leaders see the value in combining the can-do spirit of OT with the discipline and rigor of IT.

Utility giant National Grid, which serves more than 20 million customers in New York and Massachusetts, began converging its IT and OT divisions in 2022 in hopes of boosting performance in that highly regulated market, said Adriano Antiquera, global network technical lead for National Grid, which is a winner of an Industrial Transformation Award from Smart Industry in the Utilities category.

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He said: “We saw an opportunity to drive the modernization of our IT telecom assets and services, while aligning with our OT teams on a shared strategy that would support our electric business and build a more resilient, future-ready network infrastructure. This led to a series of discussions across teams and, ultimately, executive support to develop a unified strategy in 2023.”

A tough task for any company, but even more challenging in many ways for National Grid. Not only are operations distributed across several states, different teams supported different technologies, necessitating the removal of silos and a team-based approach to formerly independent groups.

“One key challenge was establishing trust between teams that had operated independently for over a decade,” Antiquera said.

“OT primarily focused on copper and (time-division multiplexing technologies) TDM-based transport technologies and infrastructure, while IT focused on the IP-based transport and digital communications. The key was aligning our teams to focus on a collaborative approach to integrating innovative technology solutions.”

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He added: “Solving the human part of the transformation was probably the most important part of the puzzle. Breaking down silos and fostering trust between teams was essential. I also brought on a transformation manager who implemented a human-centered transformation model to guide collaboration and change management.”

After years of planning, National Grid has funding and plans in place to ramp up digital transformation efforts this year, initiatives that wouldn’t have been possible without the cultural changes of the past few years.

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“By mid-2026, we anticipate seeing tangible benefits and value from shared OT and IT standards and designs as we start to deliver new assets to modernize the network,” Antiquera said.