In a strategic move to bolster the security and efficiency of its expanding private cellular network, Evergy, a major energy provider serving 1.7 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, has selected OneLayer’s platform to manage and secure its operational technology (OT) assets. The deal marks a significant step in Evergy’s efforts to modernize its infrastructure, leveraging advanced private LTE networks to connect a vast array of devices crucial to its operations.
As Evergy prepares for the full-scale deployment of its Ericsson-powered private LTE networks, it will rely on OneLayer’s Bridge platform to automate and secure the management of its rapidly growing ecosystem of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, smart meters, and other OT devices. These networks are poised to support tens of thousands of connected devices, up from the current thousands, as Evergy accelerates its digital transformation initiatives.
J.J. Stutler, Manager of Wireless Engineering & Operations at Evergy, emphasized the critical nature of this initiative. “With this widespread rollout, we needed a way to manage the growing number of OT devices using our private cellular network,” Stutler noted. “We required automation and delegation of various device onboarding steps to different Evergy teams, alongside complete visibility to all devices at all times. OneLayer did all of that, in addition to providing operations and security frameworks for our private LTE networks and connected devices.”
Stutler went on to highlight that the OneLayer platform is central to Evergy’s goal of delivering reliable power while simultaneously advancing its sustainability initiatives.
Operational Efficiency Meets Enhanced Security
OneLayer’s Bridge platform is engineered to address two major pain points for companies like Evergy: operational complexity and security. By automating the onboarding and management of connected devices, OneLayer enables Evergy to streamline operations across its various teams, while maintaining full visibility of its network infrastructure.
The automation provided by OneLayer’s asset management capabilities is expected to yield substantial savings for Evergy, reducing manual workloads and enhancing the scalability of its network. This is particularly important as the number of connected devices grows, making manual device management increasingly untenable. With OneLayer, Evergy gains real-time insights into device performance, the ability to compare vendors at scale, and even the flexibility to adjust network quality dynamically depending on device groupings or situational needs.
But operational efficiency is only part of the story. Security remains paramount for Evergy, given its role in managing critical national infrastructure. To meet this need, OneLayer’s platform integrates end-to-end zero-trust security protocols that extend Evergy’s existing security frameworks to its private LTE network. This includes segmentation standards, anomaly detection, geofencing, and real-time threat mitigation, all essential to minimizing Evergy’s attack surface and ensuring swift resolution of potential security threats.
Visionary Partnership for the Future
For OneLayer, this partnership marks a significant endorsement of its capabilities in the emerging private LTE market. Dave Mor, CEO of OneLayer, expressed his admiration for Evergy’s approach: “OneLayer sees Evergy’s team as visionaries, professionals, mission-oriented, and focused on their business needs. OneLayer is here to support Evergy’s journey to success.”
Mor also emphasized the importance of OneLayer’s collaboration with LTE vendors like Ericsson, ensuring that Evergy benefits from continuous support and future-proofed solutions. “Our maintenance of strong relationships with private LTE vendors, like Ericsson and CPE vendors ensures continuous support for upgraded products and enhanced capabilities,” Mor added, reinforcing OneLayer’s commitment to staying at the cutting edge of LTE technology.
As Evergy embarks on this next phase of its digital and operational transformation, its partnership with OneLayer serves as a model for how critical infrastructure providers can leverage private LTE technology to not only improve operational performance but also secure the future of essential services in an increasingly connected world.
