Utilities and Energy

Brand Communications have been a significant supplier to the Utility Market place for the past 30 years, longer than most of their customers!

Brand has delivered 30,000 Utility Engineers with reliable mobile communications ensuring timely delivery of jobs and critical data such a maps and plans.

Brand secures and encrypts all the traffic between the engineer’s device and the central computing platform. It also fully manages the remote device taking responsibility for all OTA updates, new application installs, device config changes and asset management and conformance.

Brand deliveres 24*7*365 support to Utilities, not just for Brand’s own solutions, but all IT infrastructure, acting as a true partner and taking a full supportive and holistic view to everything.

Scada, System Control and Biomethane Off-Take Sites

Gas Off-Take sites are pivotal to the gas industry’s infrastructure, serving as critical junctions where gas either exits the main supply lines or where Biomethane is introduced from local sources, including farm waste, into the National Grid. Often located in rural areas where communication infrastructure is limited, these sites face unique connectivity challenges.

To address this, Brand’s advanced embedded system integrates multiple diverse communication bearers of any type but often includes 4G mobile connections along with satellite communications from providers such as Arqiva or Starlink with the Brand platform fully controlling and managing each bearer channel. This system dynamically switches between bearers based on their viability, ensuring reliable network access for essential functions. It supports network connectivity for Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), Modbus sensor networks, increasing IoT sensors, Gas Day files, and site CCTV security. Additionally, Brand has developed a sophisticated dashboard for the Control Room that provides real-time visibility of WAN viability, allowing operators to monitor and manage network performance effectively. This comprehensive approach ensures robust, uninterrupted connectivity crucial for the efficient operation and security of Gas Off-Take sites.

Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and Cloud Computing

Critical gas infrastructure encompasses the crucial components and systems for the production, processing, transportation, storage, and distribution of natural and Biomethane gas. This infrastructure is essential not just for the energy sector but also for national security, economic stability, and public safety. Safeguarding these systems is a top priority due to the significant consequences that disruptions—whether from natural disasters, technical failures, or deliberate cyberattacks—can have.

Brand has been at the forefront of Cloud Transformation projects, migrating on-premises IT systems and SCADA control systems to both public and hybrid cloud platforms. This shift has involved rigorous assessment and validation by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), ensuring that Brand’s platforms meet the highest security standards. Given the diverse threats facing critical national infrastructure, including potential attacks from state actors, Brand’s extreme security measures have successfully protected UK platforms for over 25 years.

Brand’s approach to security includes end-to-end data encryption, both within the cloud and across cloud virtual private clouds (VPCs) and hybrid configurations. Their architecture is designed to thwart man-in-the-middle attacks, a claim supported by numerous penetration tests conducted as part of ongoing security validation. This robust, multi-layered security framework ensures that critical gas infrastructure remains resilient against evolving cyber threats.

Field Engineers and Job Dispatch

Field service engineers are indispensable in the utility market, as they ensure the ongoing maintenance, repair, and enhancement of essential services such as electricity, water, gas, and telecommunications. Their work is crucial for maintaining the operational integrity of these infrastructures and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.

A key aspect of their role requires secure and reliable links between field operation devices, tablets, phones or sensors and central systems, which is essential for protecting sensitive data and communications, communications that must be reliable and available 24*7. The engineers utilize advanced Brand Communications encryption, security, authentication, monitoring and tracking technologies to oversee the status and performance of theior remote communications and infrastructure components in real-time. This includes implementing rigorous security measures to prevent unauthorized access and ensure the reliability of services. By addressing issues promptly and maintaining secure, reliable connections, field service engineers help safeguard the continuity and efficiency of critical utility services.

ESRI Mapping

To Support the Field engineer workforce, the Brand Mobile Device Manager automatically deploys the ESRI maps for each region to the engineers in those regions and multiple maps to those who are based near regional boundaries. This automatic platform ensures engineers always have access to the latest maps and asset overlays in the field on their devices. This information is essential for accurate repair work and for health and safety considerations.

National Critical Infrastructure

National critical infrastructure encompasses the essential systems and assets that are crucial for a country’s functioning and security, including energy grids, water supply networks, transportation systems, and communication networks. Securing these assets is vital because their disruption can have profound impacts on public safety, economic stability, and national security. As technology evolves, so do the threats against these infrastructures, making it imperative for governments and organizations to adopt comprehensive strategies for protection and resilience. This involves not only advanced cybersecurity measures but also coordinated responses to physical threats and natural disasters, ensuring that these critical systems remain operational and resilient in the face of various challenges.

Brand experts in cybersecurity for critical infrastructure are increasingly emphasizing the importance of diversity in communication strategies, SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) reporting, and deployment and management capabilities. By integrating diverse communication channels, organizations can enhance their ability to detect, respond to, and mitigate threats more effectively. This approach ensures that information about potential risks is disseminated quickly and accurately across various platforms, which is crucial for maintaining situational awareness and coordinating responses.

In terms of SIEM reporting, the focus is on creating comprehensive, adaptive reporting systems that can handle complex and voluminous data from multiple sources. This diversity in reporting capabilities helps in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities more efficiently, offering a clearer picture of potential threats and system health.

Furthermore, diverse deployment and management capabilities allow organizations to tailor their cybersecurity measures to the unique needs of their critical infrastructure. This includes implementing scalable solutions that can adapt to evolving threats and integrating advanced technologies to enhance overall security posture. By adopting a multifaceted approach, organizations can better protect their critical assets and ensure resilience against a wide range of cyber threats.

Utilities and Energy