A UNS helps utilities separate vital grid control data from valuable analytical data.
Break down silos with a scalable, common data infrastructure across services.
Successful adoption requires strong IT/OT collaboration and change management.
A UNS helps utilities separate vital grid control data from valuable analytical data.
Break down silos with a scalable, common data infrastructure across services.
Successful adoption requires strong IT/OT collaboration and change management.
When people talk about Unified Namespace (and we sure do), it's nearly always about manufacturing. Makes sense, because it's great at connecting machines, streamlining production data, and boosting efficiency in a contained environment. But what about utilities? How does a UNS apply to the vast networks that deliver our electricity, gas, and water?
As it turns out, the landscape might be different, but the need for a smart, unified approach to data is just as critical, if not more so. For utilities, UNS is becoming a key enabler for building smarter, more resilient, and future-ready infrastructure. In this blog, we'll explain why and how.
A utility's “setup” isn't contained within four walls like a factory. It spreads out over whole regions. Thousands of kilometres of cables and pipes, lots of substations, and more and more smart devices like Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and sensors. All of them manage essential services for millions of people.
This spread-out nature means utilities work with all sorts of data. There's the vital real-time operational data, usually managed by SCADA systems. These are the workhorses that have kept grids stable for years, making sure the lights stay on and services keep flowing.
Then, you've got the newer, "smarter" devices out in the field. They generate heaps of extra, useful data, like how equipment is holding up, local usage trends, and small operational details that all add up.
All this new data creates a specific problem. Modern RTUs and sensors can tell you a lot more, but trying to push every bit of that information through an old-school SCADA system can simply swamp it. These systems were built for control, not to be giant databases storing every detail from across the entire network, and certainly not for complex analytics.
Unified Namespace offers a practical answer here. It allows utilities to set up a separate data stream:
This split means the SCADA system can get on with its main job, while no important information gets lost or overlooked.
Implementing a Unified Namespace in a utility company takes more than just installing new systems. In the end, it's all about how different teams work together with data. In most utility companies, operations are spread out and the IT and OT teams tend to work in their own areas. A UNS project has the potential to bring these worlds much closer.
It makes sense when you think about it. Field crews install and look after equipment, OT engineers keep daily operations stable, IT teams manage data systems and cloud platforms, and data analysts search for useful patterns. A UNS means all these groups need to be on board and talking to each other. Data that used to stay in one department now becomes useful to others. This naturally means new ways of communicating and different daily routines.
Good change management is key here. You can't just teach people how to use new software and leave it at that. You have to make sure everyone understands what the project is trying to achieve, keep communication lines open, and help teams get comfortable with new ways of using data. For a UNS to really stick and deliver real benefits, getting this human side right is essential.
The way a utility works is very different from a factory: networks are spread far and wide, and they have a duty to provide essential services to the public. However, the basic ideas behind Unified Namespace still bring clear benefits. Both industries want to create one reliable place for data, help their people make better decisions faster, and build a flexible system that can adapt to future needs.
Utility companies are dealing with big shifts: the move to renewable energy, higher customer expectations, and the constant need to run more efficiently. UNS gives them a practical way to get past old data problems, make the most of their smart infrastructure, and build a more intelligent and responsive utility for the years to come.
