Utilities
The utilities industry is undergoing significant changes driven by shifting power sources to green, renewable energy; implementing complex demand management methods; and fundamentally changing the business and customer management model from managing "rate payers" to establishing business relationships with customers as they become both a user and a source of energy.
IT is a critical asset in these transitions, whether it is implementing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solutions, addressing the customer management environment, or addressing other key areas in power generation, distribution, customer services arenas.
Techsoware provides Smart Grid communications technology that enables electric, gas & water utilities to optimize the use resources by automating monitoring & control processes, improving operational efficiency, and delivering the information utilities and consumers need to manage energy intelligently and cost-effectively.
Techsoware Business Domain Experts has identified below Key Issues facing currently by the industry and turns up with an approach.
Key Issues:
- Economic Impact – Credit crisis, downturn and stimulus initiatives.
- Energy Price volatility, including international dependencies coupled with demand growth.
- Optimization of existing enterprise work processes.
- Revenue and cost management.
- The Intelligent Grid / AMI.
- Green issues, non-carbon generation, DSM and Customer participation.
- Capital and resource allocation to higher value activities, reducing the roughly two thirds of existing budget allocated to embedded process support costs.
- Aging Assets and Workforce.
- IT and Operational Technology Convergence.
Approach:
- Strategy & Governance – Outline business aligned IT direction and supporting initiatives. Improve prioritization, benefits realization and demand management governance. Business driven 'right things'.
- Applications Portfolio – 3 - 5 Years roadmap of key application areas.
- Enterprise Architecture & Technology Innovation – Govern IT standards and drive IT domain architecture roadmaps from technology prospective. Guiding enterprise business actions.
- IT Benchmarks & Processes – Measure efficiency and effectiveness of IT, consolidate foundation ITIL processes (e.g. ITIL). Measuring and sustaining efficiency.
- Technology Modernization, Infrastructure & Operations – Applying best practice to optimize needs, processes, performance and cost. Best practices to achieve proficiency, efficiency and value
- Consolidate vendors to key partners.
- Apply sourcing models - (e.g. in-source, single out-source, multi-source)
- Negotiate best terms, SOWs, SLAs and price.
- Sourcing to optimize price, value and strategic resource focus
