Last week, rSTAR Technologies had the privilege of attending DistribuTECH® Northeast in Boston, a premier gathering of utility leaders, technologists, and innovators tackling the region’s most urgent energy challenges. From extreme weather resilience to distributed energy resource management, the conversations were bold, timely, and deeply collaborative.
As our power grids evolve and digital systems become increasingly critical, the need for robust contingency planning has never been more urgent.
rSTAR Advisor Mark Browning (former SVP & CIO of Exelon) joined a dynamic panel discussion titled “Loss of Energy Management System: Being Prepared for a Worst-Case Scenario.” Alongside Ozan Baskan (National Grid) and Gil Jakubowski (Utility Consulting Services), Mark shared practical strategies for compliance, operational recovery, and risk mitigation, drawing on decades of experience navigating complex utility challenges.
“The goal should be stable operation through a full system outage, including a secure restart, a clean EMS database and version, coordinated intertie protocols with neighboring utilities, and mitigation plans for field-level issues.”
The session sparked meaningful dialogue on EMS failure scenarios, black-start readiness, and the critical role of intelligent infrastructure in ensuring continuity. Attendees praised the session for its real-world applicability and depth.
Also on-site was rSTAR Client Partner Jason Wisdom, connecting with peers and exploring how utilities are leveraging Boomi, Bloomreach, and other platforms to modernize their ecosystems.
Beyond the sessions, local utility representatives engaged in dynamic discussions about the challenges faced in the region. Attendees shared valuable insights and practical experiences, fostering a collaborative environment and forward-thinking solutions. The exchange of ideas not only highlighted common hurdles and revealed innovative approaches that can be replicated in other regions.
Topics covered included:
Key Takeaways from DTECH Northeast:
At rSTAR Technologies, we’re proud to support this transformation, helping utilities build smarter, stronger, and more resilient control centers.
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