What’s the one technology trend that 97% of utilities are eyeing in 2016?

Great post from the Opower Blog!  Here are some of the key points:

In 2016, the watchword for utilities is cloud software. That’s according to Oracle, which reports that almost every utility in the United States — 97 percent — uses cloud-based applications already or plans to in the future.

“Technology that used to be characterized by large homegrown systems managed by internal utility staff is transforming into more nimble partnerships with outside providers,”

Here are a few quick hits from Oracle’s survey, which polled 100 American utility executives about their cloud technology investments.

• Roughly half (45 percent) of U.S. utilities use the cloud today. Another 52 percent say they’re planning on it.
• The vast majority of utility executives, 78 percent, are using or considering software-as-a-service. 
• A whopping 89 percent of the executives Oracle surveyed said they will send meter data management (MDM) data to the cloud in the next three years.
• 69 percent plan to use cloud technology for their customer information systems within three years.

A lot of utilities already are. Opower’s platform alone has processed more than 500 billion meter reads from nearly 100 utilities. Companies like FirstFuel and Enervee are helping our clients do even more with their data.

WHAT SHOULD YOUR UTILITY LOOK FOR IN A CLOUD SOFTWARE PROVIDER?

It goes without saying that new software comes with new challenges. A successful rollout depends on asking providers the right questions and nailing the details.

• In Oracle’s survey, privacy and security clocked in as utility executives’ number one concern about cloud-based applications. It’s critical that software providers prove that they’re capable of handling customer data with the utmost care and protection. And it’s up to potential buyers to grill them on it.
• System integration was another area of focus. Oracle notes that “utilities are becoming increasingly connected across their organizations, not just in terms of applications, but data as well, so there is a need to ensure that cloud technologies fit well into the broader organization.”
• Ultimately, that means understanding and choosing software not on a program-by-program basis, but at an enterprise level. Oracle found that utilities don’t have a centralized decisionmaking apparatus for cloud technologies. It’s a collaborative evaluation process, and “alignment among business and IT groups is essential to ensure the long-term value of the cloud, and that it truly serves the business needs of the utility.”