IBM Delivers New Platform to Drive Smart Utility Innovation and Operational
Efficiency
ARMONK, N.Y., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today
unveiled a new standards-based industry software platform and business partner
validation program that will enable utility companies to operate more
efficiently and accelerate the development of their smart utility solutions.
A part of the IBM Smarter Planet strategy, the new Solution Architecture for
Energy and Utilities Framework (SAFE) brings the capabilities of IBM software
to power solutions across all areas of a utility company, including plant
operations, smart meters and personal utility management.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )
IBM helps energy and utility clients implement business solutions in the areas
of generation, transmission, distribution and customer operations to help
deliver quantifiable results and support their strategic roadmap to achieve
increased innovation, agility and competitive advantage--one business project
at a time.
Energy and utility companies of all sizes seek ways to reduce their operating
costs and provide enhanced services to their customer yet their approach must
be flexible enough to allow new technologies to be added incrementally as
their requirements dictate. These companies are also faced with growing
government requirements to add new green technologies such as emissions
monitoring and smart distribution, as well as renewable energy sources (wind,
hydro, solar and biofuels).
"We're in a position to help our utility clients transform their networks more
efficiently," said Guido Bartels, General Manager of IBM's Global Energy &
Utilities industry. "The SAFE framework provides visibility, control and
automation across the utility infrastructure as well as IT assets to help
provide security and business agility as part of an intelligent network
transformation."
Houston, TX-based CenterPoint Energy explains the benefits:
"The SAFE framework allows CenterPoint Energy to establish new capabilities
while integrating and maintaining the existing functionality of its current IT
investments," said Dr. Steven Pratt, Chief Technologist, CenterPoint Energy.
IBM also announced a unique and comprehensive validation process for IBM
Business Partners providing energy and utility applications. IBM will work
with business partners to ensure their solutions are enabled on the SAFE
framework leveraging industry standards to facilitate simple integration and
deployment of solutions. Validated applications from IBM business partners
are easier and faster to implement for utility companies. IBM business
partners including ESRI, SISCO, Retriever Communications and Trilliant are
already validated on the SAFE framework:
"SAFE enables utilities to extract value from information and leverage all
data sources, especially those data sources such as facility infrastructure,
assets, customers, and workers that are location-based," said Bill Meehan,
Director of Utility Solutions at ESRI. "ESRI has unique Geographic Information
System (GIS) capabilities which extend SAFE, not only geo-enabling operations
such as asset management and mobile-workforce optimization, but also fusing
data from disparate sources."
"Retriever Communications' wireless field force solution provides mobile and
remote workers with key information to work and maintain assets through the
innovative use of technology in the field--managing increasingly sophisticated
assets requires access to real time data," said Mary Brittain-White, CEO at
Retriever Communications. "The validation of Retriever's solution on IBM's
SAFE framework provides Retriever with rich integration capability to
enterprise data and incorporated systems. Retriever brings to the utilities
sector solutions that improve the management of field resources and assets
that result in operational efficiencies and cost benefits."
"The validation of SISCO's Utility Integration Bus product for SAFE will help
utilities better manage the integration of real-time data with their business
processes by bringing support for important international standards like the
Common Information Model to the WebSphere environment," said Ralph Mackiewicz,
Vice President of Business Development for SISCO. "Using a standardized data
model like CIM with our UIB product combined with SAFE will bridge the gap
between the business and the power system, thereby enabling utilities to
leverage their real-time data to improve their operations."
"Utilities are increasingly recognizing that highly-scalable, functional, and
standards-compliant software systems are critical to take advantage of Smart
Grid technology," said Andy White, President and CEO of Trilliant. "Trilliant
is proud to be the first SAFE-validated Smart Grid network provider."
In addition IBM business partners including BPL Global, Coulomb Technologies,
eMeter, Enterprise Information Management, Itron, OSIsoft, and PowerSense have
today committed to becoming SAFE-validated.
Venture Capital firms also see SAFE as a way for their clean tech startups to
focus on innovation. "The SAFE platform will enable startups like Tendril
Networks, developers of consumer-oriented conservation technologies for the
optimization of energy use, to focus on their core competencies and accelerate
development of the smart grid," said Lee Burrows, a Partner at VantagePoint
Venture Partners. "VantagePoint sees great value in our portfolio companies
teaming with established industry leaders like IBM to bring their innovative
solutions for the most complex problems to market."
The SAFE framework is the software technology backbone that makes a wide range
of utility solutions possible by helping the client to build a standards-based
integrated platform for all of its operations across their value chain. This
new framework utilizes elements of IBM's entire software portfolio including
WebSphere, Tivoli, Rational, Lotus and Information Management products.
IBM's new framework offers technologies centered around seven key focus areas
faced by every utility:
-- Asset, device and service monitoring
-- Asset lifecycle management
-- Informed decision making
-- Improved customer experience
-- Business process automation
-- Regulatory, risk and compliance management
-- Security solutions
A key element of IBM's recently announced Smart Work initiative, the new
framework is designed to help companies optimize their business to achieve new
levels of productivity by marrying collaboration between people with the
business processes that are at the heart of every organization.
Today's announcement represents another example of IBM's portfolio of industry
solutions and frameworks. The frameworks, designed to be integrated software
platforms that match specific industry needs, enable faster business solution
deployment with lower project risk, expanded choice through a validated
ecosystem of partners, and accelerated adoption of business IT standards.
IBM is working with clients in nearly 50 Smart Grid engagements across
emerging and mature markets. More about IBM's vision to bring a new level of
intelligence to how the world works--how every person, business, organization,
government, natural system, and man-made system interacts, can be found here:
http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet
For more information on smart utilities at IBM visit:
http://www.ibm.com/energy
IBM, WebSphere, SmartSOA and the IBM e-business logo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. For a
list of additional IBM trademarks, please see
www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml
All other company, product or service names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of others. Statements concerning IBM's future development plans and
schedules are made for planning purposes only, and are subject to change or
withdrawal without notice. Reseller prices may vary.
Emily Horn Chris Rubsamen
IBM IBM
(415) 545-2634 (914) 766-1803
horne@us.ibm.com rubsamen@us.ibm.com
SOURCE IBM
Emily Horn, +1-415-545-2634, horne@us.ibm.com, or Chris Rubsamen,
+1-914-766-1803, rubsamen@us.ibm.com, both of IBM
