We believe being recognized by Gartner further validates the significant traction we are experiencing in the market with our customers, investors, partners and other analysts.
Vancouver, B.C. (PRWEB) May 14, 2014
Bit Stew Systems Inc., a world-leading provider of integrated, real-time network operations for the utility industry announces the company has been named to Gartner’s Cool Vendors in Energy & Utilities 2014 list. Bit Stew is one of four companies to be recognized this year.
Each year, Gartner identifies new “Cool Vendors” in key technology and industry sectors and publishes a series of research reports evaluating these innovative vendors, their products and services. As one of the world’s leading information technology research and advisory companies, Gartner defines a Cool Vendor as a company that provides technologies or solutions that are innovative, impactful and intriguing.
“We are very excited to be named on Gartner’s Cool Vendors list in the energy and utility space this year,” says Kevin Collins, CEO of Bit Stew Systems. “We believe being recognized by Gartner further validates the significant traction we are experiencing in the market with our customers, investors, partners and other analysts.”
The Gartner research highlights vendors whose technologies provide an innovative approach to traditional utility business processes, as well as vendors whose solutions address new challenges caused by changes in energy-provisioning business models.
Gartner Cool Vendor Research Findings - Overview
Continuing focus on providing efficient and reliable services while addressing sustainability challenges has forced utilities to deploy large numbers of smart devices. Addressing challenges in a vertical IoT environment fosters innovation and gives rise to advanced solutions in the utility sector.
- Utility consumers can use insight in power consumption as the appliance level to determine how to effectively participate in utility sponsored energy efficiency programs.
- Operational management of smart metering communication networks are usually an afterthought for utilities as they tend to manage these networks through individual tools through specific hosted services from a particular communication technology provider.
- Many OT systems are not based on IT architecture and for safety reasons require specialized rule sets when configuring sub networks for these systems and developing specific traffic filtering rules.
- Distribution grid-connected residential energy resources are causing unpredictable voltage swings and bidirectional power flows that traditional regulating devices and voltage boost devices cannot address.
Recommendations
- CIOs in utilities seeking to maximize customer benefits from AMI should assess consumption disaggregation as an enabling analytics component of a broader data-driven strategy for implementing energy efficiency and demand response programs.
- Owners and operators of utility communication networks should consider use of the real-time operational platforms with advanced analytic capabilities – especially if they want to get combined real-time insight in network performance spanning IT and OT environments.
- CISOs responsible for IT/OT security architecture must consider vendors that deliver security appliances for the industrial control and automation environments as a supplement to existing IT network security systems.
- CIOs should help business leaders find solutions that can address the disruptive effects of residential and commercial energy technologies.