The information and operations systems of utilities are coming under pressure as new smart grid assets (i.e., smart meters, distribution automation devices) converge upon utility territories nationwide. Leading utilities are scrambling to build the supporting information and operation systems in parallel with device deployment, a trend GTM Research expects to drive $8.2 billion in U.S. utility enterprise spending between 2011 and 2015.
GTM Research’s latest report, The Smart Utility Enterprise 2011-2015, is the most in-depth analysis to date on this critical smart grid segment and aims to provide utility managers with strategic planning insights. The report features analysis on the market’s leading technologies, including service-oriented architecture middleware, enterprise information management, and cyber security, as well as application software for customer management and grid optimization. The report also offers competitive profiles of more than 35 companies serving the market.
“Smart grid rollouts will fail without an enterprise architecture roadmap,” says Chet Geschickter, GTM Research Senior Analyst and the report’s author. “The gap between existing systems and smart grid futures is alarmingly large. The need for utilities to adopt robust enterprise technology is urgent. Point-to-point integration between legacy systems is a smart grid dead-end; the industry needs to back up and renovate its IT foundation before moving forward with building the smart grid.”
According to GTM Research, the total available smart grid enterprise market in the U.S. will be $1.3 billion in 2011, with that figure forecasted to hit $1.8 billion per year by 2015. This scaling activity has attracted a collection of vendors from startups, such as Ecologic Analytics, to established conglomerates, such as ABB, IBM, GE, Oracle, and Siemens.
“The pace of market activity is quickening as major vendors jockey to provide a complete enterprise value proposition,” said Geschickter. “M&A activity, such as ABB acquiring Ventyx last year, is now being followed by a round of product rationalization and harmonization, where vendors, and the utilities they serve, are evaluating smart grid requirements. Products need to integrate together but also deliver performance, reliability, and cyber security. Our Smart Utility Enterprise 2011-2015 report is an integrated examination of these requirements focused on helping utility planners make the most intelligent smart grid decisions.”
For more information on this research report and to purchase, visit http://www.greentechmedia.com/research/report/smart-utility-enterprise-technologies-and-strategies-2011.