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Drivers
The energy and utility industries are being
driven to increase IT spending in response
to a multitude of internal and external
agents of change.
What is driving the
trend toward an optimized IT strategy and
increased spending?
Aging infrastructure is taking its
toll on profitability. The mean age of utilities
infrastructure for generation and distribution
is more than twenty-five years, some far older.
Fixed costs of replacement are soaring, and
smarter plant management is considered mandatory
to compete effectively. Enhanced IT systems
for remote telemetry and preventative/predictive
systems will play an increasing role in the
sector.
The aging workforce Particularly
in the outside plant and technical services
labor cohort, the aging workforce becomes
more expensive, and expertise grows scarce.
The workforce is continually being replaced
by a younger corps that is IT savvy. Investment
in technology for process and workforce
automation represents an opportunity to
streamline and reduce costs.
Regulation today and tomorrow Whether
today's Sarbanes-Oxley or tomorrow's carbon
cap and trade, regulatory burdens impose
costs. These costs are best met by proactive
IT strategies. The TES unified platform
philosophy is an attractive approach to
dealing with the costs imposed by an adverse
regulatory environment.
Energy costs The utility sector is
impacted by rising fuel costs; generation
efficiency must be augmented by distribution
efficiency. All these converging factors
point to the need for better system performance
via optimal IT platform strategies.
Customer service equals customer retention
In a deregulated and competitive market,
consumers with a choice of providers migrate
towards the best customer service experience.
TES call center and integrated business
intelligence strategies drive costs down
while surfacing trends in C/S issues management.
Overcoming Disparate Systems The energy
and utility market's renewed focus on efficiency
may very well start in the IT department.
This sector is typically viewed as being late
to the system integration table, whereas other
major industries have had great success in
implementing these strategies. |
