Smart Substation Management

An electrical substation management system maintains, and activates a backup device (290) with, a backup configuration file (280) if a primary device becomes inactive. Peer-to-peer communication may be used in an embodiment so that primary devices (210) communicate with other devices (210, 260, 290) so configured. A master device, such as a substation computer (260), in an embodiment may monitor status of all connected devices (210, 260, 290), while a primary device (210) or a backup device (290) may monitor primary device or IED status and select a backup device (290) for activation if a primary device (210) changes status, and/or retain backup configuration files (280).