Over the past several years, cloud-based solutions have become pervasive across multiple industries and consumer markets—are utilities ready to do the same and open up to cloud-based solutions? Even with the benefits of the cloud and SaaS, many utilities are still hesitant to move forward with them. What can be done to help the industry move forward? How can these solutions truly help utilities?

Categories of Cloud Computing Stacks

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To help you better understand the role of cloud and SaaS solutions in the utility industry, Zpryme has created an update and outlook report, The Cloud, SaaS and Utilities. Leveraging its first-hand knowledge of cloud-based computing efforts, along with its global utility industry work, Zpryme delivers detailed information about:

  • The development of cloud-based and SaaS solutions
  • The roles the cloud and SaaS play in utilities
  • Top utility focus areas for these solutions
  • Challenges facing utilities and the marketplace
  • Activities of key players and solutions in this market

The report explores these changes on a global level.

Key Highlights

  • Many municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives struggle to find the funding, technology and technological expertise needed to effectively deploy large-scale smart grid efforts.
  • Smart meters and meter data management (MDM) top the list for both municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives as key candidates for cloud and SaaS solutions. Outage management systems (OMS) and SCADA come in second for munis and coops, respectively. Many other areas are also considered viable candidates for SaaS solutions, including volt/VAR optimization and big data analytics.
  • Even with the benefits of cloud and SaaS solutions, many utilities are still hesitant to move forward with the solutions. Zpryme found that 57% of municipal utilities and 51% of rural electric cooperatives aren’t considering SaaS and the cloud for areas including MDM, OMS and SCADA.
  • By and large utilities haven’t moved to the cloud due to concerns about security and lack of control as utilities are typically risk-averse because of the sensitivity of their data.
  • Although many utilities are easing into it, cloud computing is beginning to accelerate and will become the default method of IT delivery moving into the future. In the coming years, Zpryme expects to see growth in areas such as meter data management, outage management, and customer operations applications.

Organizations Discussed

  • Amazon
  • Baltimore Gas and Electric Company
  • C3 Energy
  • Central Lincoln People’s Utility District
  • GE
  • Google
  • Holly Springs, Mississippi
  • Landis+Gyr
  • Leesburg, Florida
  • Microsoft
  • Norcross, Georgia
  • Oracle
  • RWE Deutschland AG
  • com
  • Siemens
  • Skiatook, Oklahoma

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