The IT expert Markus Kasinger from Altheim has received the Austrian CIO award. This recognized Kasinger’s achievements as Chief Information Officer of Austria Power Grid AG, which takes care of Austria’s power grid infrastructure.
The award recognizes the work of the Innviertlers as IT manager of the network operator APG to secure Austria’s power supply. The aim is to achieve the energy transition while maintaining a secure power supply. The award was presented by the IT manager community Confare.
In a nutshell, Kasinger’s work is regarding preventing cyber attacks on our power grid (risk of blackout) and enabling the energy transition towards a CO2-neutral system through digitization and the use of IT, in addition to classic electrical engineering.
The digital spectrum ranges from a highly available, resilient IT infrastructure and the operation of an in-house security operation center to active support of the energy transition with the areas of applications and data science.
Information technology acts as an indispensable complementary discipline to electrical engineering. The dynamic digitization of APG is the basis for ensuring that the power supply in Austria remains stable in the future: APG, as the operator of the Austrian high-voltage grid, must ensure that power supply and consumption are balanced at all times. This requires, among other things, precise forecasts and simulations by IT.
Kasinger, Head of IT at APG since 2019, is delighted with the award. “My team is highly competent and highly motivated. Only together can we succeed in further developing one of the most important IT functions in the country.”
APG board members Gerhard Christiner and Thomas Karall: “A secure power supply in Austria can only be guaranteed with a strong team. APG is proud to have the winner of the award as a manager on the team. Congratulations to Markus Kasinger.”
“The award should also help to make our mission even better known, to attract the best minds, so that one day we can all be proud of a CO2-neutral and still reliable energy system in Austria,” says Markus Kasinger, who comes from Altheim. The APG network covers a route length of around 3,400 kilometers and employs 733 specialists.
