Greenbird Delivers Data Integration Solutions to Danish Utilities
A partnership between Norwegian IT company, Greenbird and one of Denmark’s largest IT companies, KMD, is bringing greater access to high-quality data and improved data sharing to Danish utilities’ consortium, VISUE. This will enable members of the consortium to deliver the rapid innovation necessary in a dynamic energy landscape.
Innovation is now a core part of utility business as they keep pace with a fast-changing sector. This level of innovation is only possible when good-quality data is easily accessible and shared within organizations and between different participants in the market.
This means that a future-proof solution must be flexible, scalable and enable real-time visibility of the grid and energy ecosystem.
Utilihive: A modern platform for data integration
VISUE chose the KMD / Greenbird partnership to deliver a data integration solution to the five Distribution System Operators (DSOs) in the VISUE consortium, using Greenbird’s Utilihive digital integration hub. It will connect and unify the IT landscapes of its members, giving them a holistic view of their networks.
Utilihive will deliver improved access to high-quality data and greater data sharing within the consortium. This will vastly increase the opportunities for innovation both within participating utilities and between VISUE’s members. It will enable the creation of new services, new directions for business development and achieve even higher levels of operational efficiency.
Jon Terje Heggen, Greenbird’s VP Partner Development said,
“We have been working with our partner, KMD to understand and address the specific client challenges and opportunities at VISUE. With the Utilihive integration platform in place, data silos can be broken down more data can be made available to market participants. Utilities that will have access to the platform can benefit from advanced insights from their own data and operations, but also combined and shared resources across the consortium. This level of unified data access will help turn data into knowledge and enable new innovation and service for its clients.”
Data Integration for a Rapidly Changing Energy Sector
VISUE highlighted two primary considerations when choosing its data integration platform. Firstly, the solution had to be future proof to handle the demands of a rapidly changing industry. As Denmark is a leader in the energy transition, its utilities are at the forefront of these changes.
Secondly, it needed to be industry specific with suppliers having an in-depth knowledge of the utilities sector and the IT systems commonly used in the industry.
"We started the tender process because we needed an industry specific and future-oriented solution to help the companies with their responsibility for safe operations over the next decade. VISUE and the ownership group have from the start had a strong focus on the quality of the solution and the supplier's understanding of both the energy and supply sector and our specific needs. KMD has proven that they have heavy experience and insight into the industry, and at the same time KMD excels at being able to ensure a strong connection between the systems, which is important in light of the future we face," says CEO Claus Lund from VISUE.
Utilihive: A Future-Proof Solution for Utilities
Utilihive is a domain-specific, integration Platform as a Service. It streamlines utility integrations so energy data can be rapidly put to work for innovation and operational efficiencies. Utilihive uses pre-built connectors which means that integrations can be rapidly up and running with no lengthy coding process.
Low-code configuration features are used to customize integrations where needed.
New integrations can be connected in just a few days, accelerating the delivery of new applications and software, fast-forwarding utilities’ innovation.
Applications are loosely coupled in a central hub. When a new software is on-boarded it is a straightforward process. It can also be removed without affecting other integrations or applications, delivering flexibility and scope for rapid innovation.
This flexible and elastic approach enables scalability and delivers the future focus that was a deciding factor for VISUE’s choice of the Greenbird/KMD partnership.
"A thorough prior work has been carried out by VISUE, something which testifies to a group of owners with a clear vision of the role of network companies in the green transition and high ambitions for future IT solutions. VISUE knows what the future holds and they have not compromised their demands on the technical and business capabilities of the solution." says Tine Anneberg, who is responsible for the customer in KMD's energy vertical.
Utilihive: Designed for the Utilities Sector
Utilihive was designed specifically for multi-utilities and uses built-in accelerators and out-of-the-box integrations to help accelerate integration projects with new and legacy systems commonly use in the sector.
VISUE will use Utilihive as the integration platform for the consortium’s various Headend Systems, Workforce Management Systems, Network Information Systems/GIS, Billing Systems and Meter Data Repository. VISUE will use Utilihive’s pre-configured connectors to KMD’s Elements Customer Service and Billing System and EnergyKey Meter Data Management solution.
Utilihive will open up access to data from these key operational processes and systems and will also improve visibility of master data and market processes.
Utilihive: Improved Visibility of Grid Operations
Utilihive’s utility-specific accelerators will bring real-time visibility of operations to VISUE’s member organizations.
Utilihive Smart Meter Operations Center (SMOC) will provide real-time, end-to-end monitoring of Grid Operations, bringing analysis, insights and improved visibility to Grid Operators and Operational Teams.
Visibility of Smart Meter Infrastructure with access to real time events and alarms will be provided by Utilihive MonAMI, Greenbird’s distribution grid and AMI monitoring solution.
Utilihive Heartbeat will bring IT staff end-to-end monitoring of all data flows, ensuring high-quality deliverability and system performance across the enterprise and consortium.
Greenbird – as a subcontractor to KMD - was awarded the contract in a highly competitive field with both national and international players. The contract with VISUE concerns five network companies in the ownership group and amounts to a three-digit million value.
About Greenbird Integration Technology
Greenbird is the leading provider of big data integration technology for the utilities sector and industrial IoT. Greenbird's flagship solution, Utilihive, simplifies data integration and big energy data management to help utilities achieve the SDGs faster by accelerating the transition to green energy. From its headquarters in Oslo, Norway, Greenbird enables digital transformation in the utilities sector and drives the energy revolution. Read more at Utilihive.
About KMD
KMD is one of the largest Danish IT companies and develops and provides software and service solutions for the municipal, state and business segments in Denmark as well as selected segments in Scandinavia. The KMD Group has subsidiaries in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Poland. KMD has over 1,500 Danish and international customers from the public and private sectors, of which approximately 800 Are Danish and foreign companies. The KMD Group has an annual turnover of around DKK 4.8 billion and more than 3,000 employees. KMD is a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, a global leader in integration of IT and networking technologies. Read more on www.kmd.net.
About VISUE
VISUE represents a wide range of the Danish utilities sector through a large group of owners and a number of downstream companies. Today, the owner and purchaser companies cover a total of 1.78 million purchase points in Denmark. VISUE's vision is to create value for both utilities, their customers and society as a whole. Using the best professional skills and innovative solutions, they ensure the monitoring and safe operation of the companies' systems and services. All the time with a focus on matching both individual and common needs across the supply industry. Read more at www.visue.net.
