As the market continues to mature technologically, utilities have started shifting towards using cloud services. However, using the cloud is more complex than it seems; it is about choosing a long-term partner that truly fuels innovation without taking on large capital expenditures. Discover why Smartflex is a world-class CIS solution that is ready to empower your business on the cloud.
Utility companies are looking for new ways to focus on their business while streamlining IT platform management, optimizing costs, and adopting rapid technology cycles. As a response, Open has created Smartflex, a cutting-edge holistic CIS solution designed to naturally run on-premise or in the utility’s preferred cloud, either public or private. Utilities will not have to worry about scope issues because Smartflex offers the same range of functionality whether it’s deployed as a cloud SaaS, PaaS, or on-premise, giving utilities the freedom to choose the deployment and service model that suits their business goals.
While some providers are trying to combine different modules to respond to utilities’ requirements, Smartflex’s holistic architecture offers MDM, MWM, and CRM capabilities embedded into one solution. This reduces the need for complex integrations, which results in lower project risk and faster digital transformation. Moreover, the solution includes prebuilt interfaces to reduce integration efforts, when needed, during the implementation phase.
Smartflex helps utilities to continuously evolve, avoiding complex and costly software upgrades that cause operational disruption. Thanks to its flexible technology, Smartflex continually adds new capabilities in non-disruptive monthly releases to keep operations running smoothly, whether implemented on-premise or on the cloud. Through this continuous delivery strategy, utilities receive the features necessary to face new market demands on time, avoid technological obsolescence and enable a bimodal IT strategy to assure stability in their daily operation while facilitating business innovation. Consequently, utility companies can get one step closer to delivering non-traditional services or moving towards adjacent markets such as the telecommunications industry.
Smartflex’s flexible, robust, and rules-based architecture allows utilities to adjust the system to their particular needs, virtually eliminating the need for customizations. It also enables utilities to extend their solution securely and efficiently, providing them with the autonomy they need to implement new IT initiatives.
When deployed on the cloud, Smartflex offers a scalable platform that handles increased demands as the customer count grows over time, at a lower TCO. With a cloud-based deployment, utilities can tap into the flexibility of minimal resource constraints to expand the system as needed.
Open’s cloud portfolio also includes Smartflex Cloud Services, a set of managed service offers that help utilities run their business smoothly and boost operational agility and capability to innovate. With Smartflex Cloud Services, utilities can leave operational activities such as software support, solution updating, infrastructure maintenance, security, and system availability to be managed by Open’s domain experts in hosted, PaaS or SaaS configurations.
In this new era, it is no surprise that cloud services are here to stay. As the market advances towards a new accounting model, its adoption will be unstoppable. The remaining question is: Are you ready to start the journey towards cloud services?
