Summary
ICT aids utility companies by providing digital technologies that offer opportunities for transformation. ICT systems play a critical role in reducing risks, and improving efficiency of utility companies. Kables report shows that ICT led digital technologies are creating industrial revolution within utilities. With an increased focus on improving their customer experience, utility companies are embracing the disruptive technologies of cloud and mobility
Key Findings
Utility companies are looking to increase their investments in software and services in 2015, compared to 2014, to evolve their services at par with the industrialized nature of global economy.
While utility companies are investing in business intelligence solutions to analyze large volumes of operational data and improve their responsiveness in the evolving industry, mobility investments are aimed at enhancing their real-time operations and to streamline their business processes.
As customer services form the core of their operations, utility companies are focusing on call center and customer relationship management services to cut costs and meet the increasing customer expectations.
Synopsis
ICT investment trends in utilities presents the findings from a survey of 135 utility companies regarding their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) investment trends. The survey investigates how utility companies currently allocate their ICT budgets across the core areas of enterprise ICT expenditure: hardware, software, IT services, communications, and consulting.
The report illustrates the core technologies banks are investing in, including business intelligence, security products, and mobility. Understand the approach adopted by utility companies to purchase technology and get a better insight into ICT vendors and services providers when pitching their solutions to utility companies. The report focuses on utility companies ICT expenditure trends for specific business areas and technologies, identifying the top three IT projects, and understanding the business challenges faced by organizations.
In particular, it provides an in-depth analysis of the following:
How ICT budgets are set to change in 2015 in terms of their overall size
Allocation across the core elements of IT spend, including hardware, software, services, communications, and consulting
Distribution of ICT money in areas such as the networks, applications, service desk, and data centers
Which ICT functions utility companies are interested in outsourcing
Utility companies investment priorities based on their budget allocations across core technology categories such as business intelligence, security products, and mobility.
Factors that are influencing utility companies investments in each technology category
How utility companies IT budgets are currently allocated across various segments within a technology category
Utility companies distribution of their ICT budget across various segments within a technology category
Vendor satisfaction ratings for various core and advanced technology categories
Insight into utility companies preferred buying approaches
Business and IT objectives that utility companies are looking to achieve through their IT investment strategies
Factors that are influencing utility companies decisions to select an ICT provider
Reasons To Buy
Understand how the utility companies ICT landscape is set to change in 2015 to prioritize your target market
Comprehend how ICT money are being allocated by utility companies in specific geographies and size bands to improve your market penetration
Make effective business decisions by recognizing the opportunities within each of the core areas of ICT spend (hardware, software, IT services, telecommunications, and consulting)
Realign your sales initiatives by understanding the current strategic objectives of utility companies
Enhance your market segmentation with the included, detailed breakdown of opportunities within selected technology categories (business intelligence, security products, and mobility)
Prioritize your focus areas by understanding which factors are influencing utility companies decisions when selecting an ICT provider
Understand the changes in customers priorities and identify the business and IT objectives that utility companies are looking to achieve through their ICT investment strategies
Table Of Contents
1 Trends in ICT budgets
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Survey demographics
1.3 ICT budget changes
1.4 ICT budget allocation by core technology area
1.4.1 Hardware budget breakdown
1.4.2 Software budget breakdowns
1.4.3 Third party IT services expenditure
1.4.4 Cloud computing budget
1.5 ICT budget allocation by function
1.6 Outsourced IT functions
2 ICT investment priorities and vendor satisfaction
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1 Business intelligence
2.1.2 Security products
2.1.3 Mobility
3 ICT procurement trends
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Business objectives and IT objectives influencing IT investment strategy
3.3 ICT provider selection
4 Sector-specific trends
4.1 Introduction
4.2 IT expenditure plans for specific technology areas
4.3 Technology areas receiving the largest investments
4.4 Business challenges
5 Summary
5.1 Utility companies are increasing their investments in ICT to ensure increased efficiency and profitability
6 Appendix
6.1 Definitions
6.2 Further reading
6.3 Contact the authors
List Of Tables
List Of Figures
Figure 1: Utility companies - ICT survey geographic breakdown
Figure 2: Utility companies - ICT survey breakdown by size band (number of employees)
Figure 3: Recent and expected ICT budget changes among utility companies
Figure 4: Utility companies (external) ICT budget allocation, 2014 and 2015
Figure 5: Utility companies average hardware budget allocation
Figure 6: Average allocation of software budgets in utility companies
Figure 7: Utility companies average IT services budget allocation
Figure 8: Utility companies average cloud computing budget allocation by technology
Figure 9: Utility companies average cloud computing budget allocation by implementation type
Figure 10: Utility companies ICT budget allocation by function, 2014 and 2015
Figure 11: Outsourced IT functions - utility companies current and future outsourcing priorities
Figure 12: Business intelligence - Utility companies current and future investment priorities
Figure 13: Business intelligence - selected primary provider and vendor satisfaction among utility companies
Figure 14: Security products - utility companies current and future investment priorities
Figure 15: Security products - selected primary provider and vendor satisfaction among utility companies
Figure 16: Mobility - utility companies current and future investment priorities
Figure 17: Mobility - selected primary provider and vendor satisfaction among utility companies
Figure 18: Business objectives and IT objectives which influence utility companies IT investment strategy
Figure 19: Factors influencing utility companies decision to choose an ICT provider
Figure 20: IT expenditure plans in 2015 compared to 2014, for specific technology areas within utility companies
Figure 21: Top three IT projects in 2015 for utility companies
Figure 22: Importance of the following business challenges for Utility companies
