Evergy, an electricity provider with 1.7 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, has picked the OneLayer Bridge platform to improve efficiency and security of its private cellular networks. The electricity provider employs Ericsson’s private LTE technology and recently completed testing to begin a comprehensive rollout for operational use.

The implementation of OneLayer‘s platform is projected to result in substantial savings for Evergy in the areas of asset management, operations and network management.

The OneLayer platform will manage and secure devices in Evergy’s facilities and across their electricity grid in the US. The provider’s private LTE cellular networks currently use thousands of devices including IoT sensors, smart meters, OT and other cellular devices. In the next few years, the number of devices is planned to scale to the tens of thousands.

OneLayer’s asset management capabilities automate device onboarding, provisioning, profiling, classifying and activation. It enables delegating onboarding steps to different teams, allowing Evergy to scale their network by creating autonomy for different Evergy teams, alongside maintaining oversight of what devices are onboarded. Visibility and tracking of every individual device connected to the network – even non-cellular devices connected via cellular routers – enable Evergy to assess performance and uptime of devices and routers, conduct vendor comparisons at scale and adjust Quality of Service (QoS) dynamically for different groups of devices or situations.

“With this widespread rollout, we needed a way to manage the growing number of OT devices using our private cellular network,” said JJ Stutler, Manager, Wireless Engineering & Operations at Evergy. “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. With OneLayer, Evergy is now better equipped to deliver reliable power to customers and fulfil the potential of its strategic sustainability transformation plan for its customers and stakeholders.”

“OneLayer sees Evergy’s team as visionaries, professionals, mission-oriented, and focused on their business needs,” said Dave Mor, OneLayer CEO. “OneLayer is here to support Evergy’s journey to success. Our maintenance of strong relationships with private LTE vendors, like Ericsson and CPE vendors ensures continuous support for upgraded products and enhanced capabilities. This approach allows Evergy to benefit not only from existing efficiencies but also to stay prepared for evolving challenges and opportunities in the private LTE landscape.”