OREANDA-NEWS. Fujitsu, a leading provider of business, information technology, and communications solutions, today announced that John Chowdhury, Utility Practice Director, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. will guide discussions in the panel session, "IT/OT Convergence: Can't Touch This?," at UTC Telecom 2014. Attendees will benefit from panelists' first-hand experience bringing together the traditionally separate Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) groups inside utilities to gain cost efficiencies, improve system performance and increase customer satisfaction through increased collaboration.

The panel will take place on Wednesday, May 7 at 9:30AM, meeting room North 124 A, in the North Building of the Phoenix Convention Center.

When OT and IT groups are not working together closely, they may duplicate efforts or unnecessarily acquire redundant network resources. Additionally, staffing is less efficient as OT and IT staff members may have overlapping responsibilities for maintaining network communications links. This lack of organizational coordination also increases complexity, which can create hard-to-spot security vulnerabilities in the network.

There are also several industry trends today that are encouraging the integration of IT and OT. Examples include the modernization of operational technologies, the rise of IP- (Internet Protocol) enabled devices and the enhancement of mobile technologies. With these advances, technologies that historically were considered Operational are becoming more IT-like, requiring similar IT expertise and support.

"In recent years, the importance of integrating IT and OT organizations has increased," said Chowdhury. "This trend is driven by changes in technologies used, the need to meet regulatory requirements and desire to achieve operating efficiencies. I know those that attend this panel session will leave with a better understanding of the benefits to be gained through IT-OT integration."

In his role at Fujitsu, Chowdhury develops unique network integration solutions, modernization programs and network operations offerings tailored to support utilities as they adapt their communications networks to meet new demands for scalability, reliability, standards, and security. Chowdhury is recognized as a 'Who's Who in Energy' by the Dallas Business Journal. He is an active member of the GridWise Architecture Council, IEEE-Power Engineering Society, National Rural Electric Association Advisory Council and the Utilities Telecom Council.

Mr. Chowdhury is an Industry Advisor to the Tulsa University Masters of Energy Program. He is also a member of the board of directors on the UTC Smart Network Council, as well as a founding member of the Utility Innovation Council under the White House.