By Todd Taylor, IT Manager
Did you know PPEC is the first Ohio cooperative to shift our IT platform to the cloud? I wanted to share some exciting news about how we're enhancing our IT infrastructure to better serve our nearly 14,000 members. I'll try not to "geek out" as I share what we've been doing this past year. Our goal is to ensure that our systems are not only reliable but also resilient and secure. Here's how we're doing it.
Why is IT important?
You expect things to work: easy account log-ins through SmartHub, your phone calls to come through, automated messaging and payments, and especially your lights to come on when you flip to switch. At PPEC, we know that keeping our systems robust is crucial so that things like this work seamlessly for our members. This starts with top-notch IT management to support our operations and member services. Electric cooperatives like ours need to modernize and stay stable, especially as we add new energy resources to our power generation portfolio. This means constantly reviewing our delivery strategies, operational models, and infrastructure to ensure smooth, timely communications and better system management.
Partnering with Aunalytics
We've teamed up with Aunalytics, a leader in advanced computing and IT innovation, to help us elevate our IT game. Their expertise allows us to provide on-demand, reliable infrastructure, security, and support while keeping costs down - especially due to their regional offices in the Midwest. Here's what they've helped us achieve:
- 24/7/365 monitoring and management: Aunalytics provides round-the-clock remote monitoring and management to ensure our systems are always performing well. They focus on server and network management, data protection, and IT security, proactively addressing any issues that arise. When potential vulnerabilities are discovered, they are "patched" immediately.
- Client-based interactive support: Their remote monitoring agent includes support, performance management, alerting, asset management, and reporting, with onsite support to resolve issues quickly.
Transition to cloud services
We're proud to be the first cooperative in Ohio to fully transition our IT operations to the cloud - aka an internet-based system. We now have no need for a bulky server room costing the co-op thousands in maintenance and upgrades every few years. This move supports our long-term goal of enhancing data sharing and storage while maintaining affordable energy prices. Here's a breakdown of the key solutions we've implemented:
- Cloud hosting: Our new cloud-based system provides a scalable and redundant platform tailored to our computing, memory, and storage needs, ensuring optimal performance for hosting critical servers, data, and applications. Employees can also now utilize our cloud phone system and take calls and receive calls on their mobile phones, accessing their accounts anywhere and improving response times.
- Immutable cloud backup: This service secures data integrity and prevents tampering or deletion, offering flexible backup scheduling and capacity adjustments as required. This is a huge protection against data loss from potential hackers.
- Disaster recovery: This safeguards us against potential site failures, like natural disasters or ransomware outbreaks, achieving an impressive 99.95% uptime through regional data centers. If our main office burned down, we could be up and running again within 24 hours.
Moving to the cloud has been a game-changer for us. Here are some benefits we've seen:
- Improved resilience: Enhanced disaster recovery capabilities ensure we can maintain business continuity even during critical infrastructure failures or cybersecurity incidents.
- Cost savings: Eliminating data transfer costs and optimizing infrastructure investments have allowed us to achieve significant cost savings while improving service reliability.
- Operational agility: With Aunalytics managing IT infrastructure components, we can focus on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day IT maintenance. This change allows me to spend the lion's share of my time leading our technical organization instead of stop-gap maintenance.
Embracing a cloud future
By embracing innovation and strategic partnerships, PPEC continues to lead in delivering reliable, cost-effective energy solutions while enhancing member security and satisfaction. We're excited about the future and the improvements these changes will bring to our community.
