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Microsoft in Power and Utilities

New Devices, New Challenges

Our industry has been fortunate to experience years of durable transmission

and distribution systems, including a workforce intimately familiar with theirunique features, functions and capabilities.

Our teams have adapted practices in the eld that ensure safety and energydelivery to consumers. But as our systems have aged and our workforce

has matured, regulation and consumer

demand has inuenced utilities to em-brace the idea that the grid could be-

come smarter.

Today, change is inevitable for the utility.

Dramatic improvements in micropro-

cessor, software, and communicationstechnologies have created new devices

that empower transmission and distri-

bution grids with new innovations andcapabilities, which ultimately enable a

smarter grid. The devices can take mea-

surements, respond to commands, andreact independently or cooperatively

with other eld devices in a coordinated

manner. Such device-oriented collabo-rations now extend past the substation

to devices on feeders, to distributed re-

sources, and to consumers.

Beyond the smart grid, utilities are think-

ing about how they will approach thenew challenges posed by the advent

of a Smart Energy Ecosystem, one with

renewable power generation, two-way

network communications, smart meters,plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and the

informed and empowered consumer.

The challenge is that, when combiningthese new factors with the autonomous

behavior of consumers, it may not be enough to try to manage renewables

variability with 15-minute meter reads. Indeed, utilities may need to become

comfortable with major generation output changes in one- or ve-minute time-frames, a dynamic that could cause havoc for the unprepared organization.

Microsot Smart Energy Reerence Architecture

With the evolution of the smart grid and the advent of the Smart Energy

Ecosystem, utilities are faced with making extensive changes and investments

in current business processes and technologies. They shouldnt go it alone.

To support your transformation, Microsoft has developed the Sm

Energy Reference Architecture (SERA) to help the respective w

groups responsible for implementing the smart grid narrow the g

between operation and information technologies. Our SERA Workshocomplement this process by improving the speed to business value t

is possible through use of SERAs industry-specic reference architectuThe workshops can accomplish this because SERA includes our vision

the Smart Energy Ecosystem, one which combines, for example, outa

information with nancials, conditiobased asset management w

procurement costs, and meteri

billing with Demand Response.

SERA creates a comprehensive vof the core technologies available

utilities for enhancing their exist

architecture foundation with grea

agility, providing them with the ab

to adjust their information technolosolutions quickly in response

changing business requirements inrapidly changing new energy econo

Based as it is upon the expertise

Microsoft and the innumerable expeinvolved in its creation and revi

the use of SERA can offer a level

increased condence in its relevato the utility organization.

SERA illustrates concepts that

dramatically lower total cost

ownership (TCO) by helping utilit

leverage and extend existinvestments throughout

enterprise to deliver a platform tsupports the business initiativAnd SERA provides utilities and o

partners with the guidance they ne

to implement new solutions. Partnreceive the added benet of be

able to tailor existing solutions in alignment with SERA, to maximize th

products value to utilities.

Based on industry standards and best practices, SERA helps utilities ensuthat products and solutions they choose for their smart grid needs will w

across boundaries and provide a scalable and secure platform for a seam

and effective experience.

Microsoft Smart Energy Reference Architecture: Guiding Transformation of the Electric Grid

Smart Grid & Delive

Microsofts Smart Energy Reference Architecture offers utilities theopportunity to understand how an integrated information technology

solution is possible in implementing the smart grid.

AddressesKey Capabilities Across

Full Value ChainAs a blueprint, offers

framework for Microsoftpartners and system

integrators

Holistic DesignFacilitates data and busi-ness process integration.Architecture must neces-

sarily include security,regulatory complianceand user-experience.

Reduced RiskMinimize

implementation risksin always-on business

Reduction ofTotal Cost

of OwnershipMaximizing existing

investments withincreased integrationreduces overall imple-

mentation costs

Prescriptive ArchitectureGuidance for Utilities and

Microsoft PartnersOngoing flexibility andcapability to adapt to

changing business andoperations needs

Path to CloudThrough Azure,

Utilities have investmentprotection and power of

choice in application imple-mentation and maintenance.

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www.microsoft.com/SER

www.microsoft.com/utilitie

SERA: Principled Approach to enabling the Smart EnergyEcosystem:

Approach

Microsoft SERA is based on ve foundational pillars: Performance Oriented Infrastruc-

ture, Holistic Life-User Experience, Energy Network Optimization, Partner Enabling Rich

Application Platform, and Interoperability.

User Experience

Beyond the basic requirements to ensure interfaces provide users with access to in-

formation and services appropriate for their business group or role, SERA address the

characteristics to deliver the ultimate user experience throughout the Smart Energy

Ecosystem, including visualization, analytics, business intelligence, and reporting.

Collaboration

The Smart Energy Ecosystem drives an opportunity for people, organizations,

applications, and devices to actively participate and interact upon sets of inter-related

business processes and events. Collaboration models in Utilities are evolving and not

limited to Energy markets, Aggregation, Demand response, and Load balancing. The

various information and data exchange styles reviewed in SERA to address collaboration

requirements for Utilities include: Collaboration, Orchestration, Notication, and

Notication + Workow.

Inormation

Smart Energy Ecosystem will require a wide variety of information to be managed, ac-

cessed, and analyzed. This information will come in many forms, including logical and

physical models used to describe database schemas, message structures, and interface

denitions. SERA reviews the impact of information specic to Standards and Domain

Models, IECs Common Information Model, Metadata Management, Master Data Man-

agement, Historians, Operations Databases, Data Warehouses, Interoperability, Mes-

sages and Interfaces, and Event Cloud.

Integration

SERA recognizes the different types of utility integration, including process-centric

application integration, database-centric application, smart grid integration, and

Web integration. SERA introduces the notion of turning data into information

through Complex Event Processing which can drive business process and help utilities

manage the avalanche of new data being introduced by the new devices and business

processes of the Smart Energy Ecosystem. SERA also addresses Integration Patterns,

Service-Oriented Architectures, Enterprise Service Bus in SOAs, Applications, Network

Operations Centers, Business-to-Business Integration, Customer Integration, Power

System Grid, and Cloud Services.

Application Architecture

Application Architecture Application frameworks can be either all-encompassing or

specialized for the needs of the certain types of software development. Application

architecture implemented using modern application frameworks provide for the use of

managed code to improve application portability and security.

Security

Given the mission-critical nature of the Smart Energy Ecosystem, Security is extremely

important. SERA considers a holistic approach and design for Security, including Secure

Development and Secure Operational practices. SERA embraces industry standards

and best practices for Security.

Microsot Technology or the Smart Energy Ecosystem

Microsot believes the Smart Energy Ecosystem could be implemented end-to-end us-

ing Microsoft technologies in conjunction with solutions provided by third-party compa-

nies, including Microsoft partners. Microsoft also recognizes the use of interoperability

standards can effectively overcome any potential challenges. Microsoft offers

following services and technologies to assist Utilities in enabling the Smart Ene

Ecosystem:

Microsot SERA Workshops are customized engagements designed to assist Utili

improve the speed to business value by leveraging SERA architecture guidelines.

Workshop-to-Roadmap program is led by Microsoft industry leaders and archite

with aligning Microsoft technologies and services with Smart Grid initiatives.

Microsot BizTalk Server is Microsofts Integration and connectivity server solut

BizTalk Server allows organizations to more easily connect disparate systems. Includ

over 25 multi-platform adapters and a robust messaging infrastructure, BizTalk Se

provides connectivity between core systems both inside and outside your organizati

Microsot Ofce is the familiar productivity experience for PC, phone, and brow

that enables people to: connect and collaborate with co-authoring in Microsoft Wo

Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft OneNote; work virtually anywhere with Micro

Ofce Web Apps, the online companions to Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, aOneNote; help bring ideas to life with video, text, and image editing, new broadc

capabilities in PowerPoint, auto-previewing in Word; and, transform everyday w

data into valuable information by quickly accessing data to make real-time decisio

using the business intelligence capabilities in familiar Ofce applications.

Microsot SQL Server is a complete set of enterprise-ready technologies and to

that help people derive the most value from information at the lowest total-cost-

ownership. Enjoy high levels of performance, availability, and security; employ m

productive management and development tools; and deliver pervasive insight w

self-service business intelligence (BI).

Microsot SharePoint makes it is easier for people to work together by offering a sin

infrastructure for all your business Web sites. You can share documents with colleagu

manage projects with partners, and publish information to customers. SharePo

gives everyone access to information in databases, reports, and business applicatio

SharePoint provides a unique combination of relevance, renement, and social cues

help people nd information and contacts they need to get their jobs done.

This data sheet is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. 2011 Microsoft Corporation.

About The Microsot Worldwide Power and Utilities Group

The Microsoft Worldwide Power and Utilities Group offers platform and partner solutions that empower utilities to thrive in todays market-driven environment by optimizing their

business operations in customer care, generation, trading and risk management, transmission and distribution, regulatory compliance and enterprise services. For more information

about SERA contact your local Microsoft sales representative or visit www.microsot.com/utilities.

More utilities will see value in moving applications that run operations to the Clo

using Windows Azure. The Cloud will provide Utilities the power of choice around wh

applications to maintain on premises or which may be provided by partners in the Clo