Posted by
Chris Luongo in
As our planet becomes smarter – more interconnected, instrumented, and intelligent – organizations around the world are transforming their workplaces not only by managing their processes more efficiently, but also by unleashing the genius and creativity of the workforce itself.
Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons
It seems you can’t have a smart grid conversation these days without the issue of security creeping in. And understandably so. It’s an issue that everyone from Reuters to Treehugger to Earth2Tech have covered at length.
Rather than rehashing all the possible disaster scenarios, I think it’s worth spending time talking about real solutions and opportunities for securing the smart grid. Namely, creating a full security framework that spans not just technology, but also policy, governance, personnel and finance.
To that end IBM, IDC Research and Oncor Energy will be hosting a live webinar to talk through security and the smart grid next week, September 14th at 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. You (yes, you) are invited to join in, so register here now.
Speaking will be Oncor Energy’s manager of technology, Donny Helm; IDC’s Intelligent Grid Strategies research manager, Marcus Torchia; IBM’s CTO for Energy & Utilities, Jeffrey Katz; and IBM’s Software General Manager, Al Zollar.
Following is additional context for the webinar, quoting from the registration page:
As security standards for the Smart Grid near finalization, the grid’s control networks will start looking more like IT networks running business applications. One of the biggest advantages of this transformation is the ability to use Internet technologies for remote monitoring of energy devices, as well as managing grid assets and operations.
But this could also increase the exposure of the Grid to cyber-attacks. And the stakes are enormous. The good news is that hardened Internet security technologies and software architectural frameworks have evolved in other industries to the point where they can be used to help keep the Smart Grid secure. The key is implementing an end-to-end security architecture within the Smart Grid network that mirrors those of the world’s safest IT networks used by banks, government organizations and other high-risk industries.
As with the remainder of the utility enterprise, this security framework must encompass everything from grid and distribution management, to finance and administration, customer management, HR and procurement.
This webinar will describe the construction of a security framework based on best practices in protecting IT networks and will discuss real-world security implementations of a smart grid.
Enough pontificating about the theoretical threats. Let’s talk more about the solutions. I’m looking forward to the call.
Posted by
Adam Christensen in
Nothing is a more effective motivator for change than the desire to reduce one’s own pain and suffering, right? Assuming that is the case, then the recently released “Commuter Pain Index” provides a clear case for a better transportation system in many of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. The IBM report aims to provide insight into the emotional and economic impact of consumer commuting.
On a related note, listen to this podcast we published on traffic congestion late last year:
Audio Content
Just as in last year’s index, Minneapolis commuters seem to feel the least pain, while my fellow Angelenos continue to plumb the bottom of the index. However, comparing 2008 to 2009 reveals some interesting changes – namely, that Boston, New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago all dropped in the index, with D.C. making the most significant descent downward. That decline seems to be closely connected with recession-related factors, including gas price sensitivity and increased desire to spend time with family and friends.
The index also details transportation choices in each of the 10 surveyed cities. One thing is clear – the car still dominates. As a native Angeleno, I assumed LA would have the highest solo car ridership. No, that distinction goes to Dallas and Miami, where 76 and 78 percent of commuters, respectively, drive to work alone. Not surprisingly, at 9.4 percent, the greater New York City area has the highest train ridership by a significant margin.
And as much as the car dominates commuters’ modes of transportation, it’s even more significant for non-commuting travel. Nowhere is that true than for Dallas, where residents turn to their cars 95.5 percent of the time. Even train-friendly New York metro area turns to the car more than 80 percent of the time when they aren’t heading to or from work. I’d love to see this figure broken down further, comparing the suburbs to New York City proper, then further comparing across the five boroughs where transportation modes vary based on proximity to bus and train routes. Future studies, future studies.
Another important finding coming out of the study is the gasoline price at which consumers will actively seek alternative forms of transportation. Most seem to see $4 or $5 as tipping points for seeing alternative arrangements, as outlined in the chart below (click to enlarge).
From the press release, a few more statistics:
- - 55% say they are unlikely or very unlikely to make a driving trip of more than 50 miles from home over Labor Day Weekend.
- - 34% report that they have decided not to make a driving trip in the last month due to anticipated traffic – the same percentage as last year. These decisions have a major economic impact, as the reported destinations of these cancelled driving trips are: 25% recreation, 25% shopping, 16% entertainment, 9% eating out, 8% work, and 6% vacation.
- - More than one-fifth (21%) of daily commuters say the recession has made them change the way they get to work, with 17% of drivers in this category carpooling more frequently, 30% increasing the number of days they work from home, and 26% taking public transportation more often.
- - At the same time, lower gas prices this year have caused 23% of respondents to alter their commuting habits in a different way, with 19% of this group carpooling less now, 19% taking public transportation less often, and 17% working less often from home.
- - 27% think accurate and timely road condition information would help reduce travel stress – four points higher than last year.
- - 86% say they have been stuck in roadway traffic in the last three years. The average delay is one hour.
- - The reported trouble spots for traffic congestion remain very similar to last year, for example, I-95 in both Miami and Washington, DC, as well as the Beltway/495 in DC.
- - Only 3% of the survey respondents think roadway traffic has improved substantially, and no city in the study is significantly above that score.
In reality, the index serves to both reinforce what we already know – that commuting really bites – but also gives some added empirical data to make the case for why we need to improve our traffic and transportation systems. All of which requires new thinking for urban and suburban development, energy frameworks and transportation systems.
You can download the full Commuter Pain Index on ibm.com (pdf).
Posted by
Guest in
Following is a guest post from Dr. Michael Soman, detailing experiences from the Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative’s Medical Home Program:
Has your doctor ever e-mailed you back in 20 minutes when you shot him a note with an urgent question? Many patients at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle have had that experience — and they are also getting same-day visits with their doctors, having phone visits when that is what they want, and spending more time with their physicians when they come in for face to face visits.
Patients here are also receiving extensive health care coverage for all of their prevention, acute, and chronic illness needs.
There’s a lot of national attention on the medical home model as a way to help solve the U.S. primary care shortage, improve health outcomes, and control costs for our patients. There are now 25 medical home projects active in 17 states.
We are seeing real results from our medical home model at Group Health, which serves nearly 600,000 people in Washington and northern Idaho. Our two year pilot at a clinic of 9,200 patients provides some of the nation’s first evidence of the benefits of this new primary care model.
The September American Journal of Managed Care spells out benefits experienced by our patients as we examined areas of the patient experience, utilization and cost, clinical quality, and staff engagement.
Patients in our medical home used more e-mail (94 percent more), phone (12 percent more), and group visits and self-management support workshops to get their medical questions answered and supplement their “usual care”. We saw:
• 29 percent fewer emergency room visits
• 11 percent fewer hospitalizations (not statistically significant) for “ambulatory sensitive conditions”
• Almost two times the improvement in clinical quality compared to comparator clinics
• Only 10 percent of the doctors, nurses, and staff reported feeling “burned out” or emotionally exhausted, compared to 30 percent of staff at control clinics
With our medical home model, health care quality at Group Health has improved, patients receive much-needed screening tests, and we also help them manage chronic diseases and monitor their medications. This enables Group Health to deliver better care at no additional cost, and that’s real progress.
Dr. Michael Soman is President and Chief Medical Executive of Group Health Physicians.
