SA Power Networks Enhances OT Cloud Security with F5 NGINXaaS
South Australian electricity distributor SA Power Networks extended its core IT/OT infrastructure to the cloud using F5 NGINXaaS for Azure to securely manage growing volumes of renewable energy data. The deployment meets strict compliance requirements while easing management of the utility’s operational technology (OT) cloud infrastructure.
Business Challenge
The energy landscape in Australia is changing dramatically, and SA Power Networks (SAPN) is leading the change. As South Australia’s sole electricity distributor, SAPN serves 1.7 million people across 915,000 homes and businesses. The Government of South Australia aims to reach 100% net renewable energy generation by 2027. To support this goal, SA Power Networks is adapting its power distribution infrastructure to handle more renewable energy—which currently meets 71% of energy demand—while transitioning to a more digitized and automated grid.
By early 2025, SAPN had connected 370,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and 48,000 home batteries to its network. As a result, 39% of its customers—comprising 44% of households and 20% of businesses—were using solar power. This represents the highest percentage of solar adoption in Australia's National Electricity Market.
These shifts are changing the organization’s network from a simple, one-way power delivery system into a complex network where energy flows bidirectionally and is generated by distributed energy resources at customers’ homes and businesses. Managing this dynamic network became increasingly challenging. Each new solar installation added another stream of critical operational data that needed to be securely managed and processed. Pressure to maintain both performance and security was mounting.
Encryption requirements were particularly challenging. The IEEE 2030.5 standard, which governs communications between the power grid and consumer devices, mandates support for a specific encryption cipher. To modernize, the SA Power Networks OT team needed to keep existing services running with strict security and compliance. At the same time, they wanted to reduce the infrastructure management workload. Their experience with F5 BIG-IP solutions in existing on-premises systems had set high standards for security and control that needed to be maintained as they moved toward cloud-based systems.
Solution
SA Power Networks conducted an extensive evaluation of available solutions that could deliver robust security capabilities while supporting a cloud transformation strategy. Several traditional options were explored but ultimately fell short, unable to support the specific encryption requirements mandated by IEEE 2030.5.
Fortunately, NGINXaaS for Azure emerged as a compelling option. F5 NGINX is a comprehensive offering for app delivery, optimization, and security in distributed environments. NGINXaaS for Azure is a fully-managed, cloud-native solution that integrates advanced NGINX app and API connectivity services with the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.
The SA Power Networks team was particularly impressed by the robust reverse proxy capabilities of NGINX, which could be configured to support the crucial encryption cipher. This capability ensured SA Power Networks could maintain the highest security standards while efficiently managing growing data streams. The cloud-native architecture of NGINXaaS for Azure provided the ideal combination of operational efficiency and security, empowering the IT team to concentrate on renewable energy integration while reducing infrastructure management overhead.
The NGINXaaS for Azure cloud deployment process followed a structured approach, where initial feasibility and functionality were tested in development with rigorous quality assurance to ensure the solution met all standards. With F5 NGINXaaS for Azure playing a key role, SA Power Networks implemented specific requirements and standards in the CER integration layer. Then the fully developed solution was successfully deployed into live production environments for users.
Results
Secure and integrate data at scale
The solution’s scalable architecture enables SAPN to effectively integrate, secure, and manage the growing volume of telemetry data from PV inverters and third-party aggregators. NGINX handles client requests based on IP addresses, addressing a critical requirement in the integration process. This helps SAPN to efficiently handle the massive volume of real-time telemetry data flowing from thousands of distributed energy points.
The system scales seamlessly as more solar installations come online, consistently maintaining high performance and security. By complying with IEEE 2030.5 and establishing a scalable foundation for future growth, the solution helps SAPN solidify its position at the forefront of grid modernization.
Increase operational efficiency
The managed service model of NGINXaaS for Azure helps SAPN eliminate infrastructure complexity, reducing management tasks while providing agility and freeing teams to focus on innovation.
Enhance security for IEEE 2030.5 compliance
Support for the advanced encryption required by IEEE 2030.5 fortifies security for SAPN data, protecting grid-to-device communications and maintaining regulatory compliance. By seamlessly combining cutting-edge encryption with operational efficiency, NGINXaaS for Azure establishes a resilient foundation for SAPN’s expanding renewable energy network.
- Modernize with a scalable, cloud-native architecture
- Secure and integrate data at scale
- Increase efficiency with a managed service
- Enhance security for IEEE 2030.5 compliance
- Large-scale telemetry integration
- Complex security and encryption requirements
- Infrastructure management constraints
- Multi-environment deployment demands
- Compliance with the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Essential 8