Utilities Summit Agenda

2pm - 5pm

Registration + Greeting to CIO Utilities Summit

4pm - 5.30pm

Executive Think-Tank
*An exclusive invitation only, pre-summit think-tank for CIOs

7pm - 10pm

Opening Remarks

Presented by Master of Ceremonies, Warren Causey, Independent Analyst & VP of Strategy, Research and Analysis, Five Point Partners LLC

Keynote Speech + Welcome Gala Dinner

7am - 8.05am

Breakfast Networking Reception & Collection of Itinerary

8.10 - 8.50

CIO Keynote Presentation

"Managing Innovation in the 21st Century"

Presented by Andres Carvallo, CIO, Austin Energy, Chief Technology Officer, Pecan Street Project & Chairman of the Smart Grid Task Force

9.00 - 9.30

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership
“The Mobile Workforce: The key to Increased Productivity and Customer Satisfaction”

Utility companies have to tackle major problems due to the structure of the business model. The ability to access content and applications, anytime and anywhere, is crucial to improving business operations and the quality of the services delivered to customers but integration and security challenges often get in the way. This panel discussion will explore how to use mobility solutions to simplify operations and business processes and increase overall employee productivity. Some of the specific topics will include:

9.35 - 10.05

Executive Exchange

CIO Case Study

“Energy Efficiency and Demand Response”

Utilities are looking beyond the meter and towards Home Area Networks to engage their customers. This presentation will discuss how the smart metering network enables demand response and energy efficiency solutions. The use of in-home displays, thermostats, and load control devices will be detailed, supporting innovative pricing programs, being able to reduce loads at peak times and giving the customer the information needed to become more energy efficient. Implementation of these and other initiatives through demand response programs are all part of saving generation cost and improving customer service.

Areas for discussion will include:

Sponsored by CGI

10.10 - 10.40

Executive Exchange

CIO Case Study

"Raising The Bar With Smart Grid Technologies"

Utilities are increasingly taking the plunge and deploying smart grid technology in an attempt to both increase the efficiency of existing power plants (which in turn can help avoid adding more expensive power generation), as well as get the grid ready for the addition of clean power generation. This workshop will focus on workforce management strategies to support the next generation utility needs, and how business and customer requirements should drive a framework for using the communication technologies available in the market. Technologies that will be discussed include: public wireless (cellular), private wireless, GIS amd workforce management/automation solutions.

This case study will address the impact of layered architecture both in networks and in systems upon the long-term viability of systems. This session will also cover why the AMI approach can fit with this layered architecture, and the impact and risk of improper evaluation of systems architecture as people take the first step on a journey toward a Smarter Grid (Smart Energy Ecosystem). This session will cover the impacts of layered architectures on systems support and costs, and the eventual issues that improper layering and customization have on grid-wide security and system maintenance.

Some of the topics that will be discussed include:

10.45 - 11.10

'Wired' Networking Break + Analyst Q&A Session

CIO Thought-Leadership

"How Can the Smart Grid Allow Consumers to Integrate Resources?"

A smart grid can benefit consumers by allowing utility providers do their jobs better, but a smart grid also allows consumers to become participants in the operation of the electric system. Given appropriate signals and incentives, automation can allow demand-side resources to respond to stresses on the system, take advantage of light loading deals, and support the integration of new electricity resources, such as distributed generation, and environmentally sensitive technologies. This session highlights areas where business value derived from analytics meets the Smart Grid. Leading-edge utilities are able to drive analytics deeper and foster unprecedented efficiencies. We will also explore what interoperability means to the consumer and the issues involved to integrate demand-side resources in system operations.

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership

"Stop Retaining Forever, Start Archiving"

The information explosion and modern information governance and regulatory pressures are forcing organizations to keep more information and for longer periods of time. This includes business application data, e-mail, collaboration tools content, files, paper documents, backup tapes etc. Ironically though, most organizations already unknowingly or unwilling end up retaining most of their information and information sources forever, often multiple times, and in an unmanaged fashion. This practice of infinite retention results in significantly increased cost, reduced application performance, increased risk, and inability to comply with regulatory, governance and e-discovery obligations.

Learn how your organization can establish an ongoing, best practice information and application retirement methodology that facilitates your information governance strategy while transforming your IT operations.

Sponsored by HP Information Management

12.25 - 12.55

Executive Exchange

CIO Case Study

"CRM, CIS and New Initiatives to Tackle Tomorrow’s Challenges"

Utility companies nationwide face challenges to improve customer satisfaction, systems reliability and run costs, and process performance for their customers. There is a need for advanced improvements in existing technologies for CIS systems, state-of-the-art work management systems and customer website improvements. Learn how solutions can enable mobile users within the collections, electric meter technicians and gas work management areas as well as customer operations call center, billing, retail and campaign management processes, and how this will assist Utility companies to reach top quartile performance.

Topics for discussions include:

1.00- 2.00

VIP Luncheon + CIO Open Forum Discussion (Forum, invitation only)

2.05 - 2.35

Executive Exchange

CIO Case Study

"Work and Asset Management in a Turbulent Market"

Utilities are asset intensive and represent the third biggest consumer of capital in the U.S. A majority of each utility’s spending revolves around asset construction, maintenance and operations. Understanding the relationship between work and spending is often challenging due to the proliferation of independent work management systems that are separate from the accounting systems. This session discusses what PHI, as well as a number of U.S. utilities, are doing to consolidate and standardize systems and processes to better manage work, spending and schedules. This session will look at what exactly work management is and what is the driving force behind utility companies in considering work management.

2.40 - 3.10

CIO Thought-Leadership

“The Role of Predictive Analytics in Asset Management to Help Reduce Incidents of Condition-Based or Emergency Maintenance in Both Generation and T&D Settings”

Presented by Stuart Ravens, Principal Analyst, Energy & Utilities Technology, Ovum

3.15 - 3.45

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership

“The Future of ERP”

What is it all about? The task of predicting IT trends is more or less a fool’s errand, but taking a closer look at the future of ERP, what it really means in regards to ROI and justifying the business case is what this panel is all about.  Traditional problems that have not been solved for ages now are a top priority on the minds of all executives in every organization, from buyers to sellers; each and every person has to justify every dollar spent.  Traditional definitions of ERP will be challenged and realizing the overall benefit of the economic downturn will be explored through extensions of ERP systems as a whole. Key initiatives revolving around CRM, customer billing, effective asset management and some of the various deployment methods associated with these solutions will be discussed.  The era of “BIG ERP” has been upended by new age technologies and solving business critical issues at a strategic level through heterogeneous solutions has been the mantra. Change is the new meaning behind ERP and interoperability is the new solution.

3.50 - 4.20

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership

“Architecting the BI reporting and Analytics portfolio for Utilities”

The current market state necessitate a state of readiness and business agility in the Utilities enterprise. To meet these challenges, utilities need rapid, ready access to business-critical information.

This session provides a detailed look at analytics and business intelligence products provide that condense volumes of complex, disparate data from multiple, mission-critical data sources into a cohesive knowledge base. It will assess how using that base, utilities can identify risks, determine trends, more accurately forecast, and identify cause-and-effect relationships that otherwise might not have been apparent. This will help utilities CIOs implement a culture of continuous improvement throughout their organizations.

4.25 - 4.55

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership

"Secure Against the Data Tsunami : ‘Dealing with security threats in a modern world”

Security remains a top concern for Utility CIOs due to the proliferation of wireless devices, e-enabled applications and the grids continued convergance with the internet putting data in the hands of more people in more places than ever. With today’s world of sophisticated malware, targeted threats, and mulit-stage attacks utilities need a security strategy that is smart, cross-linked and interoperable. This discussion will address how Utilities enterprises need IT infrastructures that can help them move forward, not hold them back from achieving a cost-efficient security foundation in order to embrace innovative business opportunities.

5.00 - 6.00

Keynote Session - CIO Executive Visions

The Utilities companies are increasingly looking to demonstrate environmental leadership through the use of smart grids, intelligent utility networks and advanced water management - unfortunately along with the opportunities and potential comes confusion and mixed messaging. Utilities at all stages of these implementations need to measure and be aware of the impact of the smart grid on all areas of the intelligent Utility. This discussion will address how Utilities enterprises need IT infrastructures to support the smart grid movement that can help that can move them forward, not hold them back from achieving a cost-efficient intelligent enterprise in order to embrace innovative business opportunities. Participating executive visionaries will discuss;

• Incorporation of demand response, demand-side resources, and energy efficiency
• The issue of data and infrastructure security and the threat of cyber and physical attacks
• Development of standards for interoperability
• The role of outsourcing in the smart grid roll out
• Lowering of unnecessary barriers to smart grid technologies, practices, and services
• Integration of smart appliances and consumer devices technologies including plug-in electric vehicles
• Improved use of digital information and control technologies
• Defining the Smart grid strategy for the future

6.00 - 7.00

Cocktail Reception

Gala Dinner Keynote

"Smart Grids and Changed Business Models – Two Inevitabilities"

As policy makers advocate for more renewable energy, energy efficiency, and economic growth, utilities are simultaneously facing new customer demands for information and options.  Coupled with rapid advancements in new technology – from distributed generation to more classic information and communication technologies – energy providers are addressing new business model options to maintain or expand their mission and grow their enterprise. These include

Presented by Allan Schurr, IBM Global Energy & Utilities Industry, Vice President, Strategy and Development

Cheese & Wine Tasting

7.30 - 8.30

Networking Breakfast

8.35 - 9.15

CIO Keynote Presentation

Presented by John Burke, CIO, Ambit Energy

9.25 - 9.55

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership

"Relationships for Long-term successes in the Utilities Sector"

Cost-effective implementations often depend on establishing long-term relationships with IT providers able to customize hardware and software solutions to specific needs. In addition to helping organizations optimize processes and meet requirements. Utilities players need effective ways to meet challenges while decreasing costs and creating new revenue streams. This sessions will evaluate how partnerships can:

10.00 - 10.30

Executive Exchange

CIO Executive Visions

"Customer Data Storage and Data Management"

With so much data being collected, processed and stored, what do utility companies do next? There is a huge focus on the data security, management and utilization challenges of the smart utility revolution. In today’s smart utility, these strategic judgments are taken to the boardroom where calculated and composed decisions have to be made to ensure financial dexterity. Data Management has often been overlooked as an essential aspect of smart meter project success; however it remains one of the greatest challenges facing the creation of the smart meter infrastructure. Join this panel of experts who will discuss the employment of selected data to aid both current and future applications that will ultimately benefit the customer.

Moderated by Stuart Ravens, Principal Analyst, Energy & Utilities Technology, Ovum

10.35 - 11.05

Executive Exchange

11.10 - 11.35

'Refresh' VIP Networking Break + Analyst Q&A Briefing

11.40 - 12.10

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership

"Critical and Effective Communications for Utilities"

Effective communication is crucial to maintaining service levels and customer satisfaction during planned and unplanned events. Utilities providers face a range of specific critical communications challenges. During outages, inbound calls spike, agent resources are taxed, and customer satisfaction declines. Manual calling of customers and curtailment enrollees is expensive and labor-intensive, and there is no reliable audit trail to ensure curtailment compliance. Demand response customers cannot curtail energy use if they cannot be reached quickly. In addition, insufficient communication of emergencies, such as gas leaks and downed lines, can harm people and may expose utilities companies to liability. This workshop will explore how interactive automated notifications fulfill critical communications needs, including curtailment notifications for demand response programs, power outage and service interruption communications, and other specific urgent communications needs, such as gas leaks, downed lines, and other hazards.

12.15 - 12.45

Executive Exchange

CIO Thought-Leadership

"Customer Care and Billing"

Customer care and billing is one of the most important aspects for utilities globally to maintain customers and win more business. Companies have to provide fast and accurate rating and billing, robust accounts receivable functions, and a user interface that is easy to learn and use, making call centers and back-office operations more efficient. This session highlights new functionality of the latest release of these products and provides insight into future product enhancements for the customer care and billing solution.

Presented by Stuart Ravens, Principal Analyst, Energy & Utilities Technology, Ovum

Closing Remarks

Presented by Master of Ceremonies, Warren Causey, Independent Analyst & VP of Strategy, Research and Analysis, Five Point Partners LLC

1.30 - 2.15

VIP Luncheon & Networking + CIO Executive Think-Tank

Desert Golf Classic Tournament