Expanding the scope of services offered to public power systems, Acumen is helping municipal utilities maximize the return on their operations technology (OT) investments and optimize operations. Acumen’s technical knowledge and real-world utility expertise in IT/OT engineering provides vital support to utility personnel.
Through its alliance with Hometown Connections, Inc., Acumen. provides Operations Technology Engineering Consulting, Utility Security Consulting, and Regulatory Compliance Services to community-owned utilities to minimize the utility’s workload and risk profile.
Acumen helps utilities manage, integrate, and optimize the entire IT/OT ecosystem including SCADA, EMS, ADMS, DERMS, AMI, GIS, OMS, data historians, situational awareness, telecommunications, field equipment such as RTUs and PLCs, etc. as well as the surrounding infrastructure such as control rooms and data centers.
Ecosystem Lifecycle Support
OT solutions are big ticket items for every organization. Yet the personnel of community-owned utilities often lack the experience and resources to determine which of today’s OT solutions to purchase and how to ensure their successful design and deployment. Acumen takes the time to understand each utility’s unique requirements, mitigate risks, and evaluate solution(s) through the lens of providing “Total Ecosystem and System Development Lifecycle Support.”
Serving as an extension of utility staff working on a scheduled or ad-hoc basis, Acumen SMEs can bridge gaps in staffing and provide assistance for changes, updates, new installations, or the marrying of legacy hardware and appropriately configured software.
Deep Menu of OT Optimization Options
OT Assessments & Analysis
Any successful project begins with a thorough understanding of the utility environment and needs. Acumen offers a wide range of services for assessing the utility’s current environment, systems, and processes, developing needs/requirements documents and performing feasibility studies and cost/benefit analysis.
- Gap Analysis & Needs Assessment
- Feasibility Studies & Cost/Benefit Analysis
OT Lifecycle Advisory & Management Services
Acumen works hand-in-hand with the utility throughout all stages of the system implementation lifecycle, solving operational challenges, providing expert opinions, and transferring relevant knowledge and insights. While Acumen has extensive experience with a wide variety of operational systems from several popular vendors, Acumen remains product and vendor neutral and strives to ensure that each solution meets each utility’s specific business and operational needs.
- Architecture & System Design
- IT/OT Communication/Network Design
- Broadband Operational Support System (OSS) Design
- OT Control Room Design
- Implementation Planning & Application Support
System Implementation & Configuration
Whether a utility is deciding to buy a new system or upgrade and enhance an existing one, Acumen’s IT/OT attention focuses on integration, communication, interoperability, end-user satisfaction, and customer-driven input.
- System/Solution Implementation
- Full Stack Service (Physical or Virtual)
- Installation
- Network Configuration & Segmentation
- Database Conversion
- Data Historian Implementation
- System Integration Services
- Software Development
- Testing
- Commissioning
- Start-up/Cut-over Management
- Documentation
Sustainment & Maintenance
As a trusted partner, Acumen scales its lifecycle support, monitoring and remediation services to cost-effectively assist with protecting and ensuring reliable operations of critical assets.
- Lifecycle Support (Periodic Assessments)
- Patch & Upgrades Management
- Database/Display Updating & Building
- System Monitoring, Tuning and Expansion Support
For More Information
To learn more about the OT engineering services from Acumen, send an email to info@hometownconnections.com
About Acumen
Acumen is an engineering and management consulting firm providing pragmatic and sustainable engineering, technical, and management solutions to electric utilities and government agencies across North America, helping maintain reliable operations, meet regulatory requirements, and manage with efficiencies. Acumen assists clients with their strategic and operational challenges through regulatory compliance, operations technology, cybersecurity, and energy solutions. For more information, visit www.aesi-inc.com.
About Hometown Connections, Inc.
Hometown Connections, Inc. is a national, non-profit utility services organization specializing in the unique challenges facing community-owned utilities. For more than 20 years, our expert team has helped over 900 utilities to modernize their processes and systems. Hometown Connections works with utilities of all sizes, facilitating access to technology and services from industry-leading companies and consultants. Hometown offers solutions to develop each area of the utility business: operations, cybersecurity, business strategy, customer care, finance, and workforce. Visit www.hometownconnections.com.