Grid data management is mission critical for grid modernization. That is why Tantalus is offering TRUSync Grid Data Management (TRUSync), a revolutionary grid data management system that automates the integration of all utility data across any device, any system or even any vendor. TRUSync provides visibility, command and control across all devices and systems, including devices located behind-the-meter such as electric vehicle chargers and solar inverters.
TRUSync acts as a middleware by interconnecting systems to connected devices and managing the flow of data across the entire utility. TRUSync was purpose-built to harness the power of data and help utilities accelerate grid modernization. Today, TRUSync is included as part of all solutions offered by Tantalus and can also be purchased as a standalone solution.
TRUSync provides a mission critical cornerstone for grid modernization
TRUSync enables utilities to leverage existing investments and systems by delivering connectivity to and from systems deployed by various silos within a utility. As an alternative to historically supporting one-off integrations for each system, TRUSync synthesizes and unifies data into a central database that delivers a single version of the truth and serves the right data to the right system at the right time.
Connectivity types include one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one and many-to-many. Across devices and applications, TRUSync enables communications from:
TRUSync provides an advanced grid data fabric that holds all the utility’s grid data, whether acquired from devices or produced by applications. TRUSync is implemented as a data federation. A data federation is a software process that allows multiple, distributed databases to function as one. The TRUSync database is distributed across a series of data nodes. There is a central node that contains the present value and state of all data points known to the system. In addition, there are outlying nodes at data collection and data serving locations that contain partial copies of the data needed and cached at each location. This virtual database takes data from a range of sources and converts it to a common model. This provides a single source of data for utility applications. TRUSync uses high performance memory-resident database technology for performance. This eliminates the latency introduced by writing to and reading from a disk-based database. The distributed memory-resident databases, plus an event-driven architecture results in high-speed operation with no wasted CPU cycles.
TRUSync can use any protocol to acquire and serve data. Since devices and applications often use different protocols, TRUSync performs protocol translation. Protocols exist at the edge of the TRUSync data fabric to acquire and serve data. As soon as the data is acquired using a particular protocol, it is immediately translated into an internal data representation for transport and routing. When the data reaches the destination(s) that require the data, it is translated into the preferred protocol of the application receiving the data. For devices and applications to directly interact, they must use the same protocol and data model. TRUSync eliminates this requirement by performing data model translation. As soon as the data is acquired using a particular data model, it is immediately translated into an internal data model for transport and routing.
TGMP: A Layered Approach
One of the biggest challenges to today’s utility is cybersecurity. TRUSync was built from the ground up to run in a secure security environment. It is NERC CIP compliant for data in motion, data at rest, and even data in use. TRUSync uses state-of-the-art WireGuard secure VPN tunnels for data in motion. WireGuard uses state-of-the-art cryptography, like the Noise protocol framework, Curve25519, ChaCha20, Poly1305, BLAKE2, SipHash24, HKDF, and secure trusted constructions. It makes conservative and reasonable choices and has been reviewed by cryptographers.
Click here to download our recent Grid Data Management Webinar and learn how you can get more visibility, command and control across every device, system and vendor.
Tantalus is a technology company dedicated to helping utilities modernize their distribution grids by harnessing the power of data across all their devices and systems deployed throughout the entire distribution grid – from the substation to the EV charger located behind the meter. We offer smart grid solutions across multiple levels: intelligent connected devices, communications networks, data management, enterprise applications and analytics.
