Powergen Deploys the Full Range of Xiscan Products & Services

With deregulation of the energy and telecoms markets, the Utilities sector has become one of the most dynamic sectors in the UK economy.

With the acquisition of TXU's retail business, Powergen has become the UK's number one electricity supplier with around 6 million gas and electricity customers and number two in energy with around 8.4 million electricity and gas accounts. The company is a part of E.ON AG - the world's largest investor-owned utility.

With such a diverse and rapidly expanding range of business activities (from operating power stations to running intensively customer-facing businesses) Powergen relies heavily on a wide range of computer systems. For most modern companies, computer security is integral to business operations. One area often overlooked, however, is the interface between data and voice (telephony) networks. Aware of the specific risks that this increasingly tight integration presents, Powergen has opted to use Xiscan to quantify and assist in the management of computer access through the telephone system.

Xiscan is a tool specifically designed to locate modems providing access to an organisation's data network.

Powergen chose to use the full range of Xiscan services. Xiscan was delivered as a preinstalled turnkey solution. Powergen used Xiscan consultants to perform production configuration in conjunction with key Powergen staff to model Powergen's telecommunications infrastructure. The result was a set of scan schedules designed around the specific operational characteristics of each of Powergen's different business units. Using these schedules, Xiscan consultants performed extensive daytime, nighttime and weekend scanning, completing over 73,000 calls over the audit period. The output was a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the state of modem connectivity throughout Powergen. Subsequently, on-site training of Powergen staff has been provided to allow them to fully understand Xiscan in a day-to-day operational capacity.

Using the full range of Xiscan services has allowed Powergen to take a proactive role in managing modem security. The initial involvement of experienced consultants has fast-tracked the normal learning process, allowing Powergen to get the most out of Xiscan from day one. In addition, one of the peripheral benefits from the Xiscan audit has been a better understanding of the voice telephony network. This has allowed Powergen to critically examine areas where there is capacity in excess of that required for business resilience, with the potential for corresponding cost savings.