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Smart metering and smart grids are the future of the energy industry. They’re the gateway to better data - data that will enable consumers to make better decisions about their energy consumption. And, while consumers benefit from more detailed information about the cost and the amount of energy they’re consuming, producers and suppliers also reap the rewards of smarter infrastructure. The data from smart meters and grids provides them with the sort of information that allows them to tailor their products for the market and provide better services and choices for consumers. Our latest case study shows how ElectraLink turned to HP to help it evolve its infrastructure ahead of an influx of huge volumes of smart meter data.
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Paving the way to the future of the energy industry
Business Value Exchange Presents HP Enterprise Services Case Studies
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ElectraLink, the company that provides an auditable messaging system to exchange the structured data that underpins all domestic electricity supply market processes, turned to HP to help it evolve its infrastructure.
The number of digital records that will be produced by smart meters each year.
The Challenge
59 energy providers use ElectraLink’s Data Transfer Service (DTS) and five of the big six suppliers use DTS Data Analytics.
Business Value Exchange Presents HP Enterprise Services Case Studies
Smart metering and smart grids are the future of the energy industry. But installing smart meters isn’t enough - to engage consumers and make them think about the way they use energy, they need to be given better data.
For the consumers, the data from smart meters can offer detailed information about the cost and the amount of energy they’re consuming. For producers and suppliers, they provide the sort of data that enables them to tailor their products for the market and provide better services and choices for consumers.
Since 1998, ElectraLink has been providing secure data transfer services for the utilities industry. And, for the UK energy industry, it has been supplying an auditable messaging system to exchange the structured data that underpins all domestic electricity supply market processes.
ElectraLink captures and analyses this data to improve market transparency and enable providers and suppliers to make informed business decisions.
But for all this to happen, and to support the UK government’s nationwide rollout of smart meters between 2014 to 2019, ElectraLink needed to evolve the infrastructure, including its Data Transfer Network (DTN).
“It’s hugely important to the prosperity of
this country that we’re able to make smart
choices about the way all of us use ener-
gies. You can’t control what you can’t
measure.”
Craig Wilson, Managing Director, HP Enterprise Services UK&I
Business Value Exchange Presents HP Enterprise Services Case Studies
The Solution
ElectraLink turned to HP to help it build its DTN and the infrastructure to sup-port it. The influx of smart meters means a huge increase in the volume of data ElectraLink has to manage, with a predicted 85 billion digital records set to be produced each year. HP already has experience of delivering infrastruc-ture that could handle that amount of data for other business areas - like the financial services industry - so knew exactly how to help ElectraLink.
HP set to work designing, building and managing a scalable new DTN, utilising a managed cloud environment. It introduced a Virtual Private Cloud to improve the DTN’s flexibility and scalability, while also using HP Applications Management Services to support a dynamic service delivery model.
“We look to organisations like HP to take tech-
nology that had been developed in other indus-
tries where this volume of data has been
around for many years, and to look at ways of
developing that technology to bring value to
the energy industry.”
Stuart Lacey, Chief Executive of ElectraLink
ElectraLink’s Core NeedsElectraLink needed its Data Transfer Network to be:
Reliable Cost efficientSecure
Business Value Exchange Presents HP Enterprise Services Case Studies
The Outcome
Cost efficient - Even though the overall traffic volumes have doubled, the cost of ElectraLink’s DTS during 2010-2014 is half the comparable cost for the period 1999-2003.
HP made sure that the new DTN was scalable and flexible, something that was essential given the growing amount of data ElectraLink is set to handle when the government’s roll-out of smart meters truly takes hold. The DTN was also built with security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness in mind.
Integrated advanced security systems ensure customer data remains confi-dential and protects the system from external threats. And the dynamic ser-vice delivery model, supported by HP Applications Management Services, ena-bled ElectraLink to move IT budgets away from maintenance and towards innovation.
How the New DTN Helped ElectraLink
Scalability - The Virtual Private Cloud that’s part of ElectraLink’s IT infrastructure will improve the flexibility and scalability of the DTN.
A shift in investment - HP Applications Management Services supports a dynamic service delivery model, enabling ElectraLink to focus on innovation rather than maintenance.
£
Business Value Exchange Presents HP Enterprise Services Case Studies
“Our customers rely on the DTN for reli-
able, secure, cost-e�ective delivery of
their data to other market participants.
The cost of ElectraLink’s regulated data
transfer service for the period 2010-2014
is already half the comparable cost for the
period 1999-2003, with overall tra�c vol-
umes doubling over the period.”
Stuart Lacey, , Chief Executive, ElectraLink
HP made sure that the new DTN was scalable and flexible, something that was essential given the growing amount of data ElectraLink is set to handle when the government’s roll-out of smart meters truly takes hold. The DTN was also built with security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness in mind.
Integrated advanced security systems ensure customer data remains confi-dential and protects the system from external threats. And the dynamic ser-vice delivery model, supported by HP Applications Management Services, ena-bled ElectraLink to move IT budgets away from maintenance and towards innovation.
Business Value Exchange Presents HP Enterprise Services Case Studies
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Business Value Exchange Presents HP Enterprise Services Case Studies
