Las Vegas Sun

April 25, 2024

Server banks are shown Wednesday, May 20, 2015, inside a data center at AEP headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. Like most big utilities, AEP's power plants, substations and other vital equipment are managed by a network that is separated from the company's business software with layers of authentication and is not accessible via the Internet. Creating that separation, and making sure that separation is maintained, is among the most important things utilities can do to protect the grid's physical assets.

John Minchillo / AP

Server banks are shown Wednesday, May 20, 2015, inside a data center at AEP headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. Like most big utilities, AEP's power plants, substations and other vital equipment are managed by a network that is separated from the company's business software with layers of authentication and is not accessible via the Internet. Creating that separation, and making sure that separation is maintained, is among the most important things utilities can do to protect the grid's physical assets.