Analysing Integration and Information Security: Enterprise Service Bus Solution for Smart Grid

摘要

Electricity is the lifeline of modern society. Without major improvements and new technology, the current electric grid cannot meet the future demand for safe, reliable, sustainable, and affordable electricity. A proposed solution is the Smart Grid that utilises advanced information and communication technologies (ICT). The Smart Grid will help to change the ways electricity is produced and consumed. This thesis focuses on two important areas in the Smart Grid: the integration of existing and new information systems, and the information security of the integration solutions.The Smart Grids and Energy Markets (SGEM) is a project for extensive research on the future of electric energy. As part of the SGEM project, this thesis focuses on the integration of information systems within the distribution domain. Earlier research suggests that concepts such as Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), and Common Information Model (CIM) are essential for a successful Smart Grid integration. The goal of this work was to study these topics and to provide an integration component to be used in a concrete demonstration environment.The theoretical background section consists of research on various integration architectures and their characteristics, and provides details of their functionality and performance. The integration landscape includes an introduction to the Smart Grid, the electricity distribution domain and related information systems, and the most important standards in the field. An introduction is provided to Microsoft BizTalk Server, the integration platform used in this project. Information security is a key aspect that cross-cuts the entire work. A specific section for related information security aspects is included for each of the discussed topics.The experimental part of this work started from an example ICT architecture and three use cases as described previously within the SGEM project. The use cases are analysed in detail using a data flow approach to define the specific integration and information security requirements. A BizTalk based demonstration environment was designed and implemented. It will serve as a foundation for future work and allow for the integration of other parts of the example architecture.The main result of this work is that, although SOA, ESB, and CIM are beneficial concepts, they are no silver bullet for integration issues. Further, they fundamentally change the approach to information security; this is particularly true for service-orientation. BizTalk offers a viable platform for integration, but, as an ESB, has certain limitations that must be carefully considered. A guideline for implementing the said concepts is offered to aid future integration work. It can be used to lower the barriers for collaboration between experts in the fields of electricity, integration, and information security. Co-operation of the foresaid parties is crucial for building secure, reliable, and efficient integration that will meet the needs of the Smart Grid.