Cloud utility management is on many utilities’ radars, but how does it actually work? And is it right for your community? The answer depends on whether you’re moving your customer information and billing system (CIS) or other IT services to the cloud.
Unlike on-premise solutions, which require significant upkeep to maintain security, compliance and updates, cloud technology is maintained by the service provider who will also scale, patch, load balance and monitor networks to ensure availability. This frees your IT team to focus on operations and gives you the peace of mind that your systems are always available to serve customers.
Utilities need to evolve with changing customer expectations and regulatory demands to stay competitive. However, adding new capabilities to legacy IT and software systems can create technological sprawl, complexity and added costs, diverting resources from innovation and new digital capabilities. Utility Cloud helps to reduce those barriers by providing a platform that is built for rapid deployment and agility.
Utilities are also looking to improve customer experience and satisfaction. Cloud technology can help to do that by making it easier for smaller communities to interact with their utility on their preferred channels, anticipate their needs and empower them to take action. It can also simplify complex business and regulatory workflows and reduce errors from manual reporting. This can enable utilities to deliver a better customer experience, drive operational efficiency and deliver on corporate sustainability goals. cloud utility management