Overview
This Electric Cooperative in Kentucky is a not-for-profit generation and transmission electric utility. The cooperative’s vital mission is to safely generate and transmit competitive, reliable power to its owner-member distribution cooperatives, which serve more than 1 million Kentuckians.
Challenge
Due to time constraints and limited resources, the cooperative needed additional support to keep up with software upgrades needed for their network. The time-consuming and error-prone process was causing strain on their day-to-day projects. With only eight employees in the OT department already focusing on critical network designs, maintenance, and capital projects, there was limited time available to keep up with the upgrades. Additionally, when they attempted to utilize their manufacturers’ support, the upgrades took over a year to complete and were not finished.
Solution
The cooperative subscribed to both flexOPS™ Node Update & Change Management and flexOPS NMS Upgrade Services. These two services together cover both the network elements that form their critical network and the software and servers that manage those devices.
As part of these subscriptions, a customized approach to planning and executing these upgrades will occur over the course of three years. The NMS Upgrade Services include remote quarterly upgrades performed by qualified LightRiver Engineers, and the Node Update & Change Management provides an annual update to network elements to ensure the network has the latest features and security patches.
Solution Benefits
Node Update & Change Management
- Remote annual software update for network nodes software/firmware performed by experienced LightRiver Engineers
- Impact analysis performed prior to updates to manage risks
- Work performed following customer change management practices
- Updates scheduled within customer-set maintenance windows
- Node software or firmware updated to the latest accepted/tested versions
NMS Upgrade Service
- Remote quarterly upgrades performed by qualified LightRiver Engineers
- Quarterly remote vendor EMS/NMS software updates
- Annual major version upgrades
- Application of patches/security updates
- Vendor approved Hypervisor and OS updates
Result
LightRiver’s flexOPS services now provide the cooperative with regular software updates across their network, freeing up their engineers to focus on their network priorities. By outsourcing LightRiver to complete these time-consuming upgrades, they can reduce operational risk and minimize downtime. According to the Telecom Supervisor, “LightRiver’s partnership has empowered us to scale seamlessly and meet growing energy demands, making them an invaluable ally in our mission to deliver sustainable, reliable power.” This 3-year program adds further value to an ongoing relationship between LightRiver & this Electric Cooperative in Kentucky.
Future Opportunities for Network
- Uncover Network Upgrade or Expansion Opportunities
- Identify areas for improved efficiencies within the Network
- Implement Network Health monitor with LightRiver Software Solutions
