Burlington Electric Department Selects RuggedCom for Smart Grid Implementation

CONCORD, ON, Jan. 10, 2012 /CNW/ - RuggedCom Inc. ("RuggedCom") (TSX:RCM), a leading designer and manufacturer of industrial strength networks for mission-critical applications in harsh environments, has been selected as a supplier for the smart grid deployment at Burlington Electric Department (BED) in Burlington, Vermont.

RuggedCom's communication solution will consist of wireline devices from the RuggedSwitch® and RuggedBackbone™ families of products, complemented by RuggedCom's network management software, RuggedNMS, and RuggedSolutions' CrossBow security software. The solution will support BED's objective of improving and enhancing their SCADA network.

Upon the installation of new fiber throughout the city, the RuggedSwitch® and RuggedBackbone™ devices will be located in the substation, recloser & capacitor bank enclosures, as well as in BED's primary and backup SCADA control centers. These Ethernet switches will allow device polling and reporting, configuration updates and record retrieval. The gigabit capacity of this Ethernet network will allow BED to add future services like video, VOIP or other SCADA related data.

RuggedNMS™ is a network management tool that will be used to monitor the health and status of BED's fiber network and Ethernet switches. RuggedNMS™ will also allow BED to gather network performance information, manage device configurations and provide bulk upload of software and firmware to the RuggedCom network devices.

CrossBow™ will provide BED with simplified, secure access management to all intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) on their network. BED's engineering staff can access any IED on the network through the centrally administered CrossBow™ server and its use of strong authentication methodologies for ensuring user credentials. Once the software validates a user, it provides one click access to any IED the user is authorized to access. CrossBow™ meets NERC CIP cyber security standards and shields the user from having to know firewall, switch and IED passwords and also maintains a complete set of access records that allows it to generate automated reports.

The integration of the communications solution will be supported by RuggedCom's professional services team. The scope of work will include pre-project engineering, Ethernet device configuration, network performance maximization and training.

"Burlington Electric Department has taken advantage of RuggedCom's broad portfolio of distribution and substation automation products to efficiently implement an advanced smart grid communications network," said Jim Slinowsky, Vice President of Marketing for RuggedCom.

About RuggedCom Inc.
RuggedCom is a leading provider of utility grade communications networking solutions designed for mission-critical applications in harsh environments. RuggedCom's pioneering leadership in developing technologies and products for the electric power industry delivered the world's first IEC 61850-3 compliant Ethernet switch suitable for electric utility substation environments, the world's first IEEE 1613 Class 2 error free communication devices, the world's fastest network fault recovery and the world's first fully managed IP67 rated Ethernet switch.   RuggedCom's technology solutions include Ethernet switches, network routers, wireless devices, serial servers, media converters, software and professional services. RuggedCom's products are expressly designed for use in challenging environments such as those found in electric power substations and smartgrids.

For more information, visit www.ruggedcom.com or follow us on Twitter: @RuggedCom.

About Burlington Electric Department
Burlington Electric Department is the municipal utility for the city of Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1905 and serves 16,000 residential and 3,600 commercial customers. The utility has a strong commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energy. Because of strong energy efficiency programs the city of Burlington is using only 2 percent more electricity than it did in 1989, the year before the voters approved an energy efficiency bond. BED is a 50 percent owner of the 50 megawatt McNeil Wood Chip Generating Station in Burlington's Intervale.

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