Modernizing PAC for a More Resilient Grid

As the energy transition accelerates, the protection, automation, and control systems underpinning today's grid are being pushed well beyond what they were designed to handle. Distributed energy resources, tightening cybersecurity regulations, aging infrastructure, and workforce pressures are converging — and legacy PAC architectures are increasingly a liability, not an asset. 

This white paper examines how utilities and PAC vendors can modernize securely and incrementally, building architectures that scale with the grid rather than hold it back.

• Why legacy PAC architectures are becoming operational bottlenecks — and what it costs to delay modernization in terms of cybersecurity exposure, scalability, and supply chain risk. 

• How virtualized and software-defined PAC architectures work, and what operational advantages they unlock compared to conventional hardware-dependent approaches. 

• Why cybersecurity must be a first-class design requirement in modern PAC systems — and how IEC 62443, NIS2, and the Cyber Resilience Act are reshaping architecture decisions. 

• How to approach PAC transformation within live operational environments, including phased migration strategies, mixed-vendor coexistence, and validation complexity. 

• What the shift to software-defined PAC means for vendors — including the R&D, lifecycle management, and workforce capabilities that will define competitive advantage.