Energy & Utilities

Business units worked with different policies and processes. Without reliable inventory and usage data, duplicate software, underused systems and licence obligations could not be identified in time.

Technology assets and the software lifecycle were brought into a common management model. Usage, contract and licence data were validated to identify unnecessary spend and compliance risks. Savings and cost avoidance exceeding USD 14 million in total were reported. This figure is not cash savings alone; it includes avoided licence obligations. Central visibility accelerated purchasing and reuse decisions.

Around a dozen security solutions were in use, but risks could not be monitored in a single view. The fragmented setup increased management, licence and skills burden.

The security architecture was assessed and identity, device, privileged access, event monitoring and automated response processes were integrated. Continuous risk review and action validation were set up with specialist support. Licence costs fell and average availability reached 99.7% including maintenance. The organization stated that it avoided the investment in eight data centers and additional operations staff that an in-house growth scenario would have required. This is avoided investment, not savings from closing existing facilities.

Existing monitoring and response capabilities had to be strengthened against growing threats. Beyond new tools, the right architecture, capacity and analyst workflows were needed.

Lessons from earlier implementations were reviewed and architecture, fault tolerance and capacity planning were redesigned. Central event correlation, behaviour analytics and response automation were introduced. Potential threat detection improved fivefold; average detection time reached 10 minutes, triage 30 minutes and response 70 minutes. The financial value lies in more productive use of analyst time and in limiting the impact of incidents on critical services.

Closed systems built for specific tasks made it difficult to improve operational processes and add new digital capabilities. In critical processes, security, usability and cost had to be addressed together.

Working back from business goals, technology investments and architectural direction were set. The organization moved from closed systems to a platform approach based on reusable capabilities; workflow automation, a data platform and user-centred tools were developed. In the first year the end-user usability score rose from 37 to 82. A potential annualized improvement of USD 15 million was identified in one critical process. This financial value is an opportunity, not disclosed as realized savings.

An infrastructure operator managed many sites through a central SCADA system. But systems that were running were not necessarily secure. Vulnerabilities in industrial control devices, external connections and third-party access were not visible enough, and it was hard for a small OT team to monitor all sites continuously.

In a pilot assessment with OT security specialists, the device inventory was mapped, communicating systems were identified and control device vulnerabilities were brought to light. The investment decision was then based on concrete findings rather than assumptions.

A central OT visibility and threat monitoring solution that used the existing network architecture made it possible to monitor 200 sites from a single sensor. A one-person OT team began tracking assets, network activity, vulnerabilities and anomalies from a shared view.

By limiting the need to build a separate security setup at every site, this approach kept investment and operating effort under control while extending the area a small team can manage. Readiness for industrial security standards became part of daily operations.

An electricity distribution operator wanted to improve the security and reliability of its industrial control networks. Monitoring and managing the networks took operations staff time, and investigating issues required field team visits.

An industrial network visibility and security monitoring solution strengthened oversight of control systems. The same setup, while monitoring cyber threats, also made operational issues easier to understand and systems easier to manage.

Administrative workload related to industrial control systems fell by 10 to 12 hours per week. The number of maintenance vehicle trips to the field was also reduced.

The time gained gave the technical team more capacity for maintenance and improvement work. Fewer field interventions limited travel, staffing and response load. The security investment became value that also supports the efficiency of daily operations.

A large energy company's IT operations were run by many service providers. Visibility and traceability of services were limited. Hundreds of enterprise application environments and critical production applications were managed within a complex support structure.

The fragmented service model made it hard to track performance and responsibilities as well as cost.

Application and infrastructure services were consolidated into a common service management model. Service levels, responsibilities and governance reporting were clarified. The model was designed in line with references such as ITIL, COBIT, ISO 20000-1 and ISO 27001.

The transition was completed in three months. By the third year, IT operations costs were 45% lower than the starting level. Consolidating enterprise application environments reduced critical incidents by 40%.

Simplifying the service model allowed costs to be managed in a more controlled way. Fewer critical incidents eased the support and response load; consolidation, governance and process improvements together created sustainable operational value.

An infrastructure operator needed a new operating model when its existing IT service contract ended. The goal was to reduce cost, improve support quality and align infrastructure with the business plan.

The critical requirement was that daily operations would not be disrupted while the service provider changed.

Needs were assessed and a phased transition plan prepared. ITIL practices, an ITSM solution, standard technical documentation, a continuous service desk and self-service channels for users were introduced. Three separate computer rooms were consolidated into a single data center.

Support services achieved 30% cost savings. The first-time resolution rate rose from 18% to a monthly average of 45% within three months. All service level targets defined for the stabilization period were met.

Resolving more requests at first contact reduced rework and handovers between support teams. With a simpler infrastructure and more efficient use of support capacity, cost and service quality improved together.

An organization managing critical metering and billing infrastructure had to change its IT service provider. The new contract had to be prepared quickly, but writing the technical scope was not enough.

Who approves changes, who owns which risks and which outputs the provider will deliver had to be clearly defined.

COBIT 5 was used as the common reference from bid evaluation to contract management. Process requirements, expected capability levels and deliverables were defined. A RACI responsibility matrix wrote the duties of the organization and the provider into the contract.

Issuing the tender, evaluating responses and signing the contract were completed in five months. A shared process language clarified requirements and reduced the risk of differing interpretations. The same structure continued to be used for governance and continuous improvement throughout the contract.

Defining scope, responsibilities and acceptance criteria from the start created a stronger basis for managing extra work, contract disputes and coordination costs. The purchasing decision went beyond price comparison and became manageable in terms of service quality, risk and long-term value.