This presentation focuses on initiatives in wide-area systems, the role of synchronized measurements in improving protection of the power grid, addressing the protection challenges posed by renewable resources and hybrid ac-dc grids, utility big data, and security considerations.  Examples of System Integrity Protection Schemes, coordinated wide-area control for condition-based and response-based systems are presented. Synchrophasor based advanced applications such as near real-time fault location and damping oscillatory modes without worsening transient stability are presented. Vulnerability analysis and implemented solution for distance relaying using PMU data and some machine learning initiatives for oscillation baselining are discussed.