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equipment or a vendor association addressing the pathway: How successful has IDIS been in easing the needs of many customers. minds of utility executives in terms of the security of their investment? What steps should IDIS take in the IDIS was founded to accomplish this task by ensuring future to maximize its effectiveness? a tested and validated interoperability through certification and maintaining the definition of the Koller: We have achieved a lot of attention in the market standards and the companion specifications over both from vendors and utilities with the successful many years thus providing investment protections introduction of IDIS. Still, IDIS is a new concept, and for our customers. we have to consider that it will take some time for the market to fully comprehend the major benefits of the “As a first step, it The standardization concept doesn’t come for free: initiative. It’s crucial for us to send the right message to is essential that it needs permanent engagement by the industry. As the market: IDIS is open for all manufacturers and for the market leader, we at Landis+Gyr feel a special the latest communication technologies. It’s important our customers responsibility to drive this process, but we know to stress that IDIS is not meant to set a new standard; and the regulators full well that we can’t do it alone. We therefore work its aim is to provide customers with devices that are understand the closely together with other major players, both inside truly interoperable based on the existing standards. and outside the IDIS Association. It’s a new concept, not only for our customers, but also challenges posed for the manufacturers. Even for us at Landis+Gyr, it’s by standard- The functional part of the standards must be sometimes difficult to accept that part of our offering extended with new models which support new market is now the successful integration of a competitor’s based smart meter requirements as well as new legal requirements. devices into our solutions. interoperability.” On the communication protocol side of things, new technologies have to be considered and integrated into pathway: What security services are provided by Peter-Georg Koller the standardization framework. But the consistency of the open standards and companion specifications the framework as a whole has to be guaranteed since respectively? And how are they achieved? that will eliminate the risk of stranded investments for manufacturers and utilities alike. Koller: Security is an important issue which has already been tackled in the first IDIS package. Today, pathway: Standards and interoperability are complex we are proud to be able to say that the certified IDIS and counterintuitive topics. What can the IDIS meters are the first interoperable PLC products which Association and Landis+Gyr do to boost the level of support meter access protection, data integrity and comprehension of all the parties involved? the protection of personal data according to the key IEC 62056 standards. Together with Landis+Gyr’s Koller: As a first step, it is essential that our customers Gridstream system, we offer our customers the tool ® and the regulators understand the challenges posed to efficiently establish and maintain secure end-to- by standard-based smart meter interoperability. I feel end solutions. that we are making real progress in this area, and I have been personally involved in many workshops where I pathway: Apart from IDIS, what is the best way for could see that our message is coming across. Many Landis+Gyr to leverage its expertise on these matters big customers weren’t so concerned about standards to help the process along and inform regulators and a couple of years ago. Now they are starting to realize customers alike? the advantages of solutions based on open standards. Nevertheless, some utilities, typically those with many Koller: Landis+Gyr contributes to the foundations of a millions of metering points, are willing to invest into their robust smart metering market; the basis for this market own companion specifications to have a customized is the availability of open standards. Our constant solution based on standards. engagement for the official standardizations makes it possible that open standards to be available to the Other customers request interoperable solutions but entire industry. We also support open standards by still ask for some customization. In such cases, it’s our investing in products according to these standards. duty to make clear that customization of the existing With IDIS, we go one step further in order to achieve IDIS solution is possible but either these add-ons true interoperability. We are convinced that this will are not supported by the other IDIS providers, or the help expand the smart metering market and that all customer has to provide an economic justification stakeholders are going to profit from this initiative. for other manufacturers to invest in these add-ons. On the whole, we see that the advantages of IDIS Read more about European standardization on interoperability are being recognized more and more; page 18. we see a growing number of utilities requesting interoperability in their tenders.