UtiliPoint International Set to Launch Sponsored Multi-Client Study to
Evaluate IT and Systems in the North American Natural Gas Industry
Houston, Texas—July 13, 2004—UtiliPoint International, Inc. (UtiliPoint), the utility and energy industry thought leader, has announced plans to conduct a major multi-client study to evaluate Information Technology and systems in the North American Natural Gas Industry. Following on from the recently launched and ongoing IT Benchmarking at Power Marketers multi-client study, the study will examine technologies and systems used to support natural gas operations business processes from well head to burner tip.
"Business and regulatory drivers have combined to place pressures on natural gas companies to examine and review their IT infrastructures and application portfolios," said Dr. Gary M. Vasey, Vice President of UtiliPoint'a Trading and Risk Management Practice. "Increasingly the trend we see is to integrate business and operations systems and business processes but this is a trend that is hampered by the older applications and technologies still used across the industry. This study will provide the industry with comprehensive industry benchmark data and metrics against which gas companies can evaluate themselves."
UtiliPoint's IT Benchmarking at Power Marketers multi-client study is currently on going and well subscribed. Early results suggest that the final report from the study will have wide applicability across the industry. The natural gas study now proposed by UtiliPoint will essentially round out that research providing a complete view of IT and systems at energy companies in North America. Application areas included in the newly launched study include Production and Revenue Accounting, Gas Measurement, Gas Plant Accounting, Gas Volume Management, Operations Management, Scheduling, Risk Management, Trading, Billing and Accounting. Several clients have already agreed to participate in the study. UtiliPoint is distributing study sponsorship prospectus to requesting parties who contact Dr. Vasey by e-mail at gvasey@utilipoint.com or Jon T. Brock at 505.244.7607 or via e-mail, jbrock@utilipoint.com. About UtiliPoint International, Inc. With origins dating to 1933, UtiliPoint International, Inc. is a leader in providing research-based consulting to the utility industry. UtiliPoint analysts have provided strategic business plans and studies on information technology, and its impact on utility operations. Direct experiences include work in trading/risk management, outsourcing, CIS, billing, CRM, metering, AMR, demand response, work/outage management, supply chain, ERP, call centers, rates/pricing products, and IT architectural design. The firm is also the publisher of IssueAlert™, an analysis of the utility and energy industry’s hot topics sent to over 33,000 utility and energy executives daily.