Evolving Role of IT in the Utility Industry

As more and more utilities implement data intensive projects - AMI, Smart Grid, Advanced Services Delivery - there are new and large demands on the utility to put in place IT resources to ensure that the utility gets the maximum return on its investments. It's not just the question of having enough servers or storage or staff to handle the data deluge. It's more importantly the strategic vision on how all of these data streams be converted to actionable intelligence that can be used across the business. The old model of considering any technology investment to be simply an IT project will not work in this new environment. 

The operational groups within the utility need the flexibility and control to select the best systems to meet their needs - one cannot have one large monolithic system handle the need for every group. That will lead to massive delays while the data pile up and result in compromises that will eventually reduce the value of the system for every group and the company as a whole. What is needed is an approach in which each operational group - say the group that manages all of the demand-side programs [energy efficiency, conservation, DR, renewables, DG] - can have a system that meets their tracking, management, reporting and analytics requirements. At the same time, there should be an overall strategy that lays down the requirements or standards that each group should meet to ensure that data and analytics can be shared across the business groups. The IT group can provide valuable guidance to the individual groups. Along with that, if staff are cross-trained from the business groups with the IT and vice versa, then the utility will have a growing team of staff who understand the standards that IT wants to implement while the IT understands the requirements of the business groups.

This will ensure that each business group can quickly get their needs met while helping the utility as a whole to get full value for its investment in technology and infrastructure.