Group items tagged

Results of an Oracle Utilities survey released this morning show that electric utilities in Canada and the US are only in the early stages of putting smart meter data good use. But they could be doing a better job of using the data they are collecting. The survey was of 151 utility executives in Canada and the United States. The study, Utility Transformations - Big Data, Bigger Opportunities: Plans and Preparedness for the Data Deluge, shows that utilities on both sides of the 49th Parallel are collecting significantly more interval data from smart meters. The frequency at which they are gathering smart meter data is 180 times more than in the past - every four hours compared to once a month. And the vast majority of them are collecting information such as outage and voltage data. Linda Jackman, group VP of industry strategy for Oracle Utilities, tells Canadian Green Tech in an interview that despite the improvement on the data collection front, utilities aren't using the data as effective as they could be. She was surprised to find utilities collecting certain types of data, but then not using that data to inform business decisions. According to the results, 78% of utilities surveyed are collecting outage data with 59% of them using, meaning nearly 20% aren't correlating outage data with customer communications as an example. For voltage data, the levels are 73% and 57%, respectively. "In outage and voltage data, the fact that everybody is not collecting that data, I think is surprising. You've rolled out a smart meter and you're not collecting outage data when it has the ability to talk to you around outage data? Why am I not collecting it? But then only 60% of them are using it once they have collected it, I think is also surprising," says Jackman. "So what we're seeing is that utilities are still in this very early stage and very formative stage of collecting the data but actually don't know what [they're] going to do with

Article highlighting the results of Oracle's recent "Water for All" study which surveyed 244 senior water utility executives and found wasteful consumer behavior to be the biggest barrier in meeting rising demand that's also driven by growing populations and climate change. The article also notes that the report found that more than a third of the executives surveyed said the risk of demand outstripping supply by 2030 is "highly likely" or "essentially certain" and that most water utilities are increasing investments to meet supply challenges, with 22 percent surveyed boosting spending by 15 percent or more in the next three years.

Article highlighting the results of Oracle's recent "Water for All" study which surveyed 244 senior water utility executives and found wasteful consumer behavior to be the biggest barrier in meeting rising demand that's also driven by growing populations and climate change. The article also notes that the report found that more than a third of the executives surveyed said the risk of demand outstripping supply by 2030 is "highly likely" or "essentially certain" and that most water utilities are increasing investments to meet supply challenges, with 22 percent surveyed boosting spending by 15 percent or more in the next three years.

"Retailers know that they need to be focused on pleasing the individual in order to be successful in what is called the "Era of the Individual - Era Of I," according to Oracle's recent survey of 300 C-level executives across a number of industries. And "I" includes employees as well as customers. But although executives across industries acknowledge the importance of the individual, just 13% of retailers gave themselves an "A" grade for these efforts (more than 50% gave themselves a "C" grade), as noted in the survey report, titled: The Era I Enterprise: Ready For Anything."

"Retailers know that they need to be focused on pleasing the individual in order to be successful in what is called the "Era of the Individual - Era Of I," according to Oracle's recent survey of 300 C-level executives across a number of industries. And "I" includes employees as well as customers. But although executives across industries acknowledge the importance of the individual, just 13% of retailers gave themselves an "A" grade for these efforts (more than 50% gave themselves a "C" grade), as noted in the survey report, titled: The Era I Enterprise: Ready For Anything."

Survey: Amping up tech spending - Internet Retailer exclusive survey results find that in the next year most online retailers will spend more on technology, with many focusing on applications that will help them acquire customers and please mobile shoppers

"It's become mission critical to understand what is going on across the enterprise and why it is happening," Morgan-Vandome explained. "To make this a reality, each different line of business user needs to get a perspective of activity impacting all divisions." Nine out of 10 C-level retail executives reported that their organization is collecting and managing an average of 98% more business information than two years ago, according to a recent survey conducted by Oracle, Redwood Shores, Calif. And the sources are ever-growing. For example, 43% of data stems from customer information, 33% from operations, and 30% sales and marketing, according to the survey.

Oracle's "Opportunity Calling: The Future of Mobile Communications - Take Two" survey.

Oracle's "Opportunity Calling - The Future of Mobile Communications" survey.

Oracle's "Opportunity Calling: The Future of Mobile Communications - Take Two" survey.

Oracle's latest market survey shows that consumers are demanding globalised experience, but need to meet the needs and expectations of its locality, and is best tailored according to personal preferences, in order to achieve "the most appropriate (good for me) " experience.

The Aug. 13 edition of Electric Light & Power includes the following article highlighting the results of Oracle Utilities', "Big Data, Bigger Opportunities: Plans and Preparedness for the Data Deluge" research study. The article includes comments from Oracle Utilities' Rodger Smith noting that the report indicates that the majority of utility executives are working to enhance their ability to glean real intelligence from smart grid data to ultimately create new opportunities to improve service reliability and deliver useful information to customers. The article also includes comments from Oracle Utilities' Brad Williams, who notes that the survey results show that there are opportunities for business improvement in utility operations.

More than half of consumers in the United States and Canada regularly use two or more channels before they make a purchase and they expect a consistent experience across all channels, according to a new survey from Oracle.

Despite Security Trepidations, Oracle Survey Reveals Strong Smartphone Affinity

Highlighting a recent Oracle survey revealing Canadian and American utility executives' outlook on smart grid benefits and opportunities for businesses in the next 10 years including comments from Brad Williams, vice president for product management, Orac

The Sept. 22 edition of RCR Wireless includes the following article highlighting the results of Oracle's "Opportunity Calling: The Future of Mobile Communications" report. The article notes that the survey was release in connection with Oracle OpenWorld

On Sept. 27, TMCNet highlighted the results of Oracle's "Opportunity Calling: The Future of Mobile Communications" report. The article notes that the survey was released at OpenWorld and provided insights into consumer perceptions and expectations of next

A new survey from Oracle shows that senior IT executives around the globe believe widely adopted standards for BSS/OSS business processes and IT architecture would save money and make their companies more efficient.

Oracle's "Opportunity Calling: The Future of Mobile Communications - Take Two" survey.

Need more proof that m-commerce is rising like a rocket? During the past year, the percentage of consumers who use their mobile phone to make online purchases has doubled - from 9% in 2010 to 18% in 2011, according to a new survey. This remarkable growth occurred even though more than two-thirds (68%) of respondents are unsure about the security of information stored or transmitted by their mobile phones.

...According to "The Connected Consumer 2012: Evolving Behavior Patterns," an Oracle survey of more than 1,000 consumers, store associates make a big difference; 40 percent of respondents said a savvy store associate can impact their final product selection more than a website. As a result, says David Dorf, Oracle's senior director of technology strategy, "a lot of retailers need to invest in their store associates, and make sure they're armed with at least as much information about their products as can be found on the web."