All Want to be the Cisco of the Smart Grid

By which they mean the dominant provider of essential, ubiquitous and lucrative hardware and software to build out the massive beast called the Smart Grid, the power distribution network analog of the ever expanding Internet. Here's how Investor's Business Daily describes the tussle to become the Smart Grid's 800 pound gorilla:

Leading the way among startups is Silver Spring. It's raised close to $200 million from venture capitalists and other investors and been dubbed by some in the green movement "the Cisco of smart grid." The catch: Cisco also aims to be the Cisco of smart grid. Networking gear leader Cisco Systems has proclaimed smart grid as its next billion-dollar business. But also looking to be the Cisco of smart grids are IBM,General Electric, AT&T and Silver Spring investor Google, among others.

Sounds like it could become the mother of all VHS vs. Betamax wars. Hope the winning vendors and formats  arrive with significant security baked in, else you-know-what will ensue.