Lessons for IT leaders from Monday’s massive European blackout – Computerworld


There is, he said, “some speculation that the cause may have been an ‘extremely rare atmospheric phenomenon’ or a fire on a French transmission line, but it seems officials have also not ruled out anything cyber so far. This is interesting, because the first two potential causes are physical, and the third one is digital. Our modern grids today live in both realms … and are very vulnerable in both.”

“For tech leaders, the lesson isn’t the exotic cause, but the cascade that follows it,” Annand said. “Europe has been shifting towards weather-dependent renewables, and its grid is moving away from the comforting spin of gigantic turbines.”

Now, he said, “it has to lean harder on software, SCADA links, and inverter controls. These systems are definitely improving, but the will to fund those upgrades typically spikes only after a high-visibility failure, like the one we’re seeing now.”


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