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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

"The last thing you want to do is miss part of the action because you're waiting in line to get something to eat," says Oracle's senior VP of hospitality, Mike Webster. "So our cloud infrastructure is a key component of how we deliver concessions." Oracle's onus during an event like this, Webster says, is "efficiently and conveniently delivering concessions during the event." How does Oracle use the cloud to help make sure there are no problems? For one thing, if you order an item from your seat and the nearest stand is low or out of it, Oracle's system alerts the app to source the item from a different stand. Think of it like the Internet of Things -- all the devices, from your phone to the systems at each food stand -- are talking to each other. Oracle's system is in just over half of the NFL stadiums in America, and most of the hotels around the stadium also use Oracle's platform for their reservations.

"The last thing you want to do is miss part of the action because you're waiting in line to get something to eat," says Oracle's senior VP of hospitality, Mike Webster. "So our cloud infrastructure is a key component of how we deliver concessions." Oracle's onus during an event like this, Webster says, is "efficiently and conveniently delivering concessions during the event." How does Oracle use the cloud to help make sure there are no problems? For one thing, if you order an item from your seat and the nearest stand is low or out of it, Oracle's system alerts the app to source the item from a different stand. Think of it like the Internet of Things -- all the devices, from your phone to the systems at each food stand -- are talking to each other. Oracle's system is in just over half of the NFL stadiums in America, and most of the hotels around the stadium also use Oracle's platform for their reservations.

As the East Coast prepared for Superstorm Sandy, the American Red Cross's new cloud platform allowed users in the storm's path to read customized preparedness warnings and shelter information, based on their location, as they checked the organization's homepage. And when Americans reached into their pockets after the storm, a scalable ecommerce platform allowed the organization to handle as many as 75,000 concurrent donations - the most ever. The American Red Cross is merging its 400-500 chapter websites, under a new cloud platform, from Oracle Corp. , that allows the organization to scale up its capacity when a disaster strikes and users are clamoring for preparedness information, Craig Oldham, vice president of digital engagement told CIO Journal. The platform, which the Red Cross began rolling out in August, was already implemented by half its chapters by the time the storm struck. The ability to scale up allowed the Red Cross to handle a peak of more than 500,000 page views per minute, during a NBC telethon to draw donations for the relief effort in early November...

The November 7 issue of Campus Technology includes an article highlighting the announcement that University of Akron in Ohio began implementing Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition and Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise Performance Management, both hosted on Oracle Cloud Solutions for Education and Research. The article notes that the new technology is part of the university's Vision 2020 strategic plan to increase enrollment, improve the learning experience, and increase funding. The article also notes that East-West University (EWU) has implemented Oracle's PeopleSoft Campus Solutions to help automate administrative processes and improve information management. The article includes comment from Susan Rzyczycki, assistant vice president applications services, University of Akron, who notes that the Oracle Cloud Solutions for Education and Research provided the university with an additional option for its strategic planning needs--while also preserving internal capabilities to focus on core competencies. The article also includes comment from Farid I. Muhammad, director of title III, East-West University, who notes that by selecting the Optimized Campus implementation model for Oracle's PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, the university receive the benefits of Oracle's complete, integrated solutions that enable higher education institutions to adapt to the changing needs and demands of all their constituents, at an affordable cost.

The March 27 edition of Delta Initiative includes the following article on Oracle's announcement of the new cloud-based student information system, Oracle Student Cloud. The article includes comments from a blog post by Cole Clark, global vice president for education and research, Oracle, who notes that Oracle Student Cloud will have the student, and the student's success, at the foundation of the development effort. Additionally, the new system will leverage all of Oracle's assets in its portfolio, like IP, development talent, and implementation experience.

The March 27 edition of Delta Initiative includes the following article on Oracle's announcement of the new cloud-based student information system, Oracle Student Cloud. The article includes comments from a blog post by Cole Clark, global vice president for education and research, Oracle, who notes that Oracle Student Cloud will have the student, and the student's success, at the foundation of the development effort. Additionally, the new system will leverage all of Oracle's assets in its portfolio, like IP, development talent, and implementation experience.

I am with Jon at the Oracle Industry Connect this week. Of course I have enjoyed connecting with those I know, but I must admit it is also enjoyable meeting people from other industries like life sciences, healthcare, financial services, insurance and education. Sometimes I forget that there are industries other than hospitality. I have enjoyed meeting these people from other industries, but it is amazing how they all want to really know what the hotel industry is all about. When your business is about where people eat, drink and sleep I guess it does sound a bit more intriguing than the banking industry. It has been an enjoyable two days and no matter how often we interact with others in the industry, nothing beats face to face. There was a great crowd from the hospitality space with a lot of the higher ups from the industry attending. It was nice seeing so many making time to come to this event. I thank Oracle for inviting me and after the events Hospitality Upgrade put on last week I am very thankful I just get to attend, not having to speak nonstop. Thank you, Jon, for making this week's Siegel Sez easier as I sit in my hotel room in Washington, D.C., at 5:30 in the morning trying to be creative after a night of eating and drinking at the Smithsonian Castle.

I am with Jon at the Oracle Industry Connect this week. Of course I have enjoyed connecting with those I know, but I must admit it is also enjoyable meeting people from other industries like life sciences, healthcare, financial services, insurance and education. Sometimes I forget that there are industries other than hospitality. I have enjoyed meeting these people from other industries, but it is amazing how they all want to really know what the hotel industry is all about. When your business is about where people eat, drink and sleep I guess it does sound a bit more intriguing than the banking industry. It has been an enjoyable two days and no matter how often we interact with others in the industry, nothing beats face to face. There was a great crowd from the hospitality space with a lot of the higher ups from the industry attending. It was nice seeing so many making time to come to this event. I thank Oracle for inviting me and after the events Hospitality Upgrade put on last week I am very thankful I just get to attend, not having to speak nonstop. Thank you, Jon, for making this week's Siegel Sez easier as I sit in my hotel room in Washington, D.C., at 5:30 in the morning trying to be creative after a night of eating and drinking at the Smithsonian Castle.

The forthcoming week, because Mobile World Congress 2016 will be taking place in Barcelona is arguably the most intensive one for Telecom Signaling Community members, many of whom will be in attendance. It is why the lead story this week is my recommendation that while at the event you schedule not just some but ample time to visit community sponsor Oracle's booth. As noted in the posting, the Oracle theme of the NOW Economy could not be timelier. In addition, along with the chance to see first-hand the importance of telecom signaling as a core enabler of NOW and more importantly the future, this is are a rare opportunity to speak directly with SMEs about industry trends and challenges.

The forthcoming week, because Mobile World Congress 2016 will be taking place in Barcelona is arguably the most intensive one for Telecom Signaling Community members, many of whom will be in attendance. It is why the lead story this week is my recommendation that while at the event you schedule not just some but ample time to visit community sponsor Oracle's booth. As noted in the posting, the Oracle theme of the NOW Economy could not be timelier. In addition, along with the chance to see first-hand the importance of telecom signaling as a core enabler of NOW and more importantly the future, this is are a rare opportunity to speak directly with SMEs about industry trends and challenges.

Tony Kontzer's article on Ovation Brands - including a quote from CIO Patrick Benson - was called out in the editor's note at the beginning of the special report. "Those who have gone beyond testing the waters are finding there is no looking back. In Tony Kontzer's cover story, Ovation Brands CIO Patrick Benson recounts how the chain restaurant operator was faced with an outdated IT infrastructure and needed help fast; it found it in software as a service. "The major difference in the journey has been the warp speed at which we were really able to do this. It wasn't artificial or forced. It's just an organically faster process," Benson said. "We used to wait a day or two just to get the previous day's performance information. That stuff now becomes real-time."

Tony Kontzer's article on Ovation Brands - including a quote from CIO Patrick Benson - was called out in the editor's note at the beginning of the special report. "Those who have gone beyond testing the waters are finding there is no looking back. In Tony Kontzer's cover story, Ovation Brands CIO Patrick Benson recounts how the chain restaurant operator was faced with an outdated IT infrastructure and needed help fast; it found it in software as a service. "The major difference in the journey has been the warp speed at which we were really able to do this. It wasn't artificial or forced. It's just an organically faster process," Benson said. "We used to wait a day or two just to get the previous day's performance information. That stuff now becomes real-time."

The May 2013 edition of Business Officer includes an article highlighting the increase in institutions moving to responsibility center management (RCM). The article highlights several universities using RCM including the University of Florida who abandoned their traditional incremental budgeting in 2011 because it lacked transparency and didn't provide the incentives or resources to grow, change, or shrink programs. The article includes comment based off the interview with Matthew Fajack, vice president and chief financial officer and Sheri Austin, assistant vice president and director of university budgets. Matthew noted the university achieved its goal on the transparency side allowing people to now understand their costs and where revenues come from. Sheri further explained that RCM isn't the culprit in dwindling budgets but rather state appropriations that prompted budget cuts. The article notes that since RCM was implemented, all of the responsibility centers at the university have been able to meet the budget or, come very close.

The April 28 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education includes the following article highlighting the open-source software market in higher education, with a focus on the Kuali Foundation.  The article includes comment based on an interview with Mark Armstrong, vice president for higher education product development, Oracle, who notes that when building an ERP-scale product via open-source, it is really difficult to sustain long term.  Additionally, the article further discusses that Oracle remains a big supporter of community-sourced projects and that Kuali has produced interesting and creative work, challenging the notion that the ERP marketplace lacks competition and that for-profit vendors mercilessly bilk colleges.

The April 28 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education includes the following article highlighting the open-source software market in higher education, with a focus on the Kuali Foundation.  The article includes comment based on an interview with Mark Armstrong, vice president for higher education product development, Oracle, who notes that when building an ERP-scale product via open-source, it is really difficult to sustain long term.  Additionally, the article further discusses that Oracle remains a big supporter of community-sourced projects and that Kuali has produced interesting and creative work, challenging the notion that the ERP marketplace lacks competition and that for-profit vendors mercilessly bilk colleges.

For its part, Oracle Hospitality will build on the foundation that Micros established in the hotel and F&B industries. Mike Webster, SVP and general manager, Oracle Retail and Hospitality, told Hotel Business that the integration has been going quite well (Oracle acquired Micros in 2014), and that combining the companies into Oracle Hospitality will allow customers to get the best of both worlds: "We're preserving the intimacy and domain expertise that Micros had built and combining that with the scale and global reach of Oracle." Oracle's platform for the hospitality industry offers comprehensive and integrated software, cloud offerings and hardware solutions for hotels, casinos, table and quick-service restaurants, sports and entertainment venues, and cruise operations from small independents to large global chains. Webster noted that the company has several short-term priorities: a seamless transition for customers, an organizational structure based on business segments; and integration of Micros with Oracle's technology.

For its part, Oracle Hospitality will build on the foundation that Micros established in the hotel and F&B industries. Mike Webster, SVP and general manager, Oracle Retail and Hospitality, told Hotel Business that the integration has been going quite well (Oracle acquired Micros in 2014), and that combining the companies into Oracle Hospitality will allow customers to get the best of both worlds: "We're preserving the intimacy and domain expertise that Micros had built and combining that with the scale and global reach of Oracle." Oracle's platform for the hospitality industry offers comprehensive and integrated software, cloud offerings and hardware solutions for hotels, casinos, table and quick-service restaurants, sports and entertainment venues, and cruise operations from small independents to large global chains. Webster noted that the company has several short-term priorities: a seamless transition for customers, an organizational structure based on business segments; and integration of Micros with Oracle's technology.

The March 2014 edition of Campus Technology includes the following article on how universities use constituent relationship management (CRM) tools to support more organized, timely, and personalized student recruitment and retention. The article highlights Valdosta State University's use of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition and Oracle Endeca as the user interface for data analysis. The story includes comments from an interview with Andy Clark, vice president for enrollment management, Valdosta State University, who notes that the system helps faculty and staff identify at-risk students. The article also includes comments from an interview with Brian Haugabrook, chief information officer, Valdosta State University, who notes that the university can push important resources to at-risk students through its web portal - and that the school is seeing a resulting spike in tutoring center use earlier rather than later.

The March 2014 edition of Campus Technology includes the following article on how universities use constituent relationship management (CRM) tools to support more organized, timely, and personalized student recruitment and retention. The article highlights Valdosta State University's use of Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition and Oracle Endeca as the user interface for data analysis. The story includes comments from an interview with Andy Clark, vice president for enrollment management, Valdosta State University, who notes that the system helps faculty and staff identify at-risk students. The article also includes comments from an interview with Brian Haugabrook, chief information officer, Valdosta State University, who notes that the university can push important resources to at-risk students through its web portal - and that the school is seeing a resulting spike in tutoring center use earlier rather than later.

"Oracle's MICROS RES 5.4 allows TGI Fridays to manage the various aspects of running a restaurant, from tableside ordering to traffic and queue management, all from one solution and in a much more cost-effective way. It also puts the technology in the hands of the Fridays people, preserving the experience they can offer guests, rather than using tabletop technology that would reduce their interactions. The device also improves the table wait time and helps regulate the pace of orders sent to the kitchen."

"Oracle's MICROS RES 5.4 allows TGI Fridays to manage the various aspects of running a restaurant, from tableside ordering to traffic and queue management, all from one solution and in a much more cost-effective way. It also puts the technology in the hands of the Fridays people, preserving the experience they can offer guests, rather than using tabletop technology that would reduce their interactions. The device also improves the table wait time and helps regulate the pace of orders sent to the kitchen."

The Aug. 14 edition of GreenTechMedia includes the following article highlighting the ten predictions and trends for what the utilities industry will see in the software and smart grid market in coming years identified by the keynote speakers at GreenTechMedia's The Soft Grid 2012 conference. The fourth trend sited in the article notes the increasing role of open-source platforms in terms of distributed processing of large data sets across clusters of computers. The article notes that legacy players in the industry, such as Oracle, are building solutions around new open-source platforms.

David Dorf, senior director of technology strategy for Oracle Retail, says the phrase "big data" first began to gain "buzz" status around five years ago. "It has come to represent the exponential growth of data and the complexity of analyzing it," he says. He starts with what has become the generic definition for big data - volume, variety and velocity. "Retailers have always dealt with big data in the sense that they handle thousands of [products], hundreds of stores and a steady stream of transactions," he says. "What's new is the variety of data. Some of it is highly formatted transactional data, but increasingly it's coming from sources such as a Twitter stream where there is natural language that's hard to understand using systems. The other thing that has changed is the velocity. Data is coming at us at a much faster pace."

David Dorf, senior director of technology strategy for Oracle Retail, says the phrase "big data" first began to gain "buzz" status around five years ago. "It has come to represent the exponential growth of data and the complexity of analyzing it," he says. He starts with what has become the generic definition for big data - volume, variety and velocity. "Retailers have always dealt with big data in the sense that they handle thousands of [products], hundreds of stores and a steady stream of transactions," he says. "What's new is the variety of data. Some of it is highly formatted transactional data, but increasingly it's coming from sources such as a Twitter stream where there is natural language that's hard to understand using systems. The other thing that has changed is the velocity. Data is coming at us at a much faster pace."

The October 2011 edition of Business Officer includes the following article highlighting the significance and uses of business intelligence (BI) in higher education. The article notes that California State University System uses Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) to provide more functionality, change the reporting queries and improve the look of its dashboards. The article includes comment by Amir Dabirian, vice president of IT and chief information officer, California State University, Fullerton, noting that the university's goal is to enable the institution to make data-driven decisions, particularly in tough budgetary times. The article also includes comments by Theo Bosnak, director, higher education and academic medical centers, Attain LLC, noting that BI is extremely useful because the solutions can be customized and adapted to the needs of the leader or educational department.

The September edition of IEEE Smart Grid includes the following bylined article by Oracle Utilities' Brad Williams highlighting the benefits of leveraging information architecture for data mining and analytics for increased grid investment value.

The September edition of IEEE Smart Grid includes the following bylined article by Oracle Utilities' Brad Williams highlighting the benefits of leveraging information architecture for data mining and analytics for increased grid investment value. The article also discusses the results from Oracle's recent "Big Data, Bigger Opportunities" study which gauged perceptions regarding the business impact of "big data" amongst utilities with smart meter programs in place. The article includes the positive findings from the survey - including a five year improvement plan - but notes that there is still room for significant improvements in effective data management. The article includes a comment from Oracle Utilities' Rodger Smith, noting that utilities will benefit from establishing enterprise information strategies, and from investing in the systems and people needed to make better business decisions.

The August 26 edition of eCampus News includes the following article highlighting the challenges that higher education institutions face when migrating to the cloud. The article quotes, Mark Armstrong, vice president for higher education product development, Oracle, who discusses his experience working with higher education clients to migrate their Oracle ERPs to the cloud. Armstrong notes the significance of change management and standardization in the migration process.

The August 26 edition of eCampus News includes the following article highlighting the challenges that higher education institutions face when migrating to the cloud. The article quotes, Mark Armstrong, vice president for higher education product development, Oracle, who discusses his experience working with higher education clients to migrate their Oracle ERPs to the cloud. Armstrong notes the significance of change management and standardization in the migration process.

Highlighting University of Western Ontario's selection of Oracle's Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management and Oracle's AutoVue to support major campus engineering and contruction portfolio. The release notes that the university will be able to support its aggressive sustainability and green initiative directives. The release includes comment by Paul Martin, director of business operations, facilities management at the University of Western Ontario, noting that the university is looking for ways to do things better and improve the student experience. The release also includes comment by George Qubty, director of facilities engineering, facilities management, noting that Oracle solutions give the college the kind of state-of-the-art learning facilities that can meet both the academic and environmental challenges of the twenty-first century.

The March 17 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education includes the following article on the recent data-security breaches reported by multiple higher education institutions. The article highlights Maricopa County Community College District who hired Oracle to clean up its data-security network for $2.25 million. The article further discusses the additional measures institutions are taking to ensure students are not threatened by the security breaches.

The March 17 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education includes the following article on the recent data-security breaches reported by multiple higher education institutions. The article highlights Maricopa County Community College District who hired Oracle to clean up its data-security network for $2.25 million. The article further discusses the additional measures institutions are taking to ensure students are not threatened by the security breaches.