System and method for federated security in an energy management system

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing authentication of data source and integrity between applications and users in different Non Affiliated Entities/organizations while limiting access to resources between private networks of energy management devices. A Non Affiliated Entity ('NAE') is an organization, individual or group of entities that may share some information with each other but are not closely tied, such as a group of competitor utilities. In conducting their operations, two or more applications or organizations (NAEs) may not fully trust one another, but wish to share some EM data and resources. These NAEs identify users, such as EM devices, using a 'federated security' scheme that may be based on Kerberos, which allows users from one NAE to be identified to another NAE. Web service security can be combined with federated security based authentication and access control to provide for secure exchange of EM data between users of different NABs. Federation is a technology and business agreement whereby users (including non-human users such as EM devices and EM software) that are part of a single or separate organization are able to interact through a system of authentication that allows for distributed processing, data sharing and resource sharing.