262 PART | III Smart Infrastructure, Smart Prices, Smart Devices include delivering utility operating benefits, grid efficiencies, and consumer benefits. Importantly, they also include "future-proofing" to accommodate new technologies and new regulatory policies, both of which continue to evolve more and more rapidly. "Smart Grid IT Challenges" describes the IT challenges faced by utilities implementing smart grid projects. These chal- lenges include the handling of imperfect data and communications--think dropped cell phone calls or corrupt data files on a computer hard drive, which are not that common, but do happen regularly--sharing of the data and communications by multiple applications, and integration of all of the software and hardware elements. "Essential Smart Grid Software Platform" describes the essential software platforms that provide the underlying infra- structure to realize desired smart grid functionality for the premises. This sec- tion presents a data integration platform and key interfaces, as well as the standards associated with those interfaces. Specific examples are smart grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) Priority Action Plan (PAP) 10 for the data model for providing energy information to consumers and Smart Energy Profile, associated with ZigBee, for sending and receiving data and control signals between smart meters and smart appliances, thermostats, and other devices. "Smart Grid Applications" elucidates some of the major software applications that provide the smart grid functions for customers, such as bill-