North American Utilities Go Digital as Market Needs Change

As U.S. and Canada catch up on decarbonization, new technologies help utilities integrate renewable energy sources and prosumer customers, ISG Provider Lens™ report says

North American utilities are adopting digital technologies and services to meet the requirements of decarbonization, changing customer expectations and new legislation, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Power and Utilities — Services and Solutions report for North America finds utilities in the U.S. and Canada face both challenges and opportunities in the transition to more renewable energy. Like utilities in Europe, where the drive for decarbonization began earlier, they are transforming legacy systems and services to support the move to clean energy use while ensuring grid reliability, security and cost optimization.

“North America’s utility industry is evolving from a highly risk-averse commodity business to a place of rapid innovation,” said Bob Lutz, partner, Energy & Utilities, at ISG. “Everything from infrastructure to business models is beginning to change.”

Governments and corporations in North America are catching up to their European counterparts with initiatives for net-zero carbon emissions, putting pressure on utilities to integrate more clean energy sources into the grid, the report says. Both enterprise and residential consumers are becoming prosumers, with solar panels and other resources that let them sell excess power back to the grid. The increasing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) further complicates energy demands.

New technologies are helping to future-proof North American utilities against these changes, ISG says. In particular, by collecting more data on the grid and consumers, utilities are improving service reliability and customer service. However, to realize the full potential of data, they need to address issues around data access, quality and governance. Many utilities also face unique challenges to using cloud-based solutions, because current rules allow them to capitalize purchases of on-premises software but not subscriptions to cloud services, the report says.

“To improve grid operations and engage with customers as the energy market changes, utilities need a strong digital foundation,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “Service providers are delivering key capabilities across the grid, in customer engagement and even through business processes to build that foundation.”

The report also examines several other trends in the North American utilities industry, including new revenue opportunities, a shortage of qualified talent and the importance of IoT.

For more insights on the challenges North American utilities face and advice on how to address them, see the ISG Provider Lens™ Focal Points briefing here.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Power and Utilities — Services and Solutions report for North America evaluates the capabilities of 33 providers across five quadrants: Intelligent Business Process Management Services (iBPMS), Next-Gen IT Services, Grid Modernization, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Customer Information Systems.

The report names Accenture, IBM, Infosys and TCS as Leaders in all five quadrants. It names Cognizant and Wipro as Leaders in four quadrants each and Capgemini, HCL and Hitachi Vantara as Leaders in three quadrants each. Alorica and Tech Mahindra are named as Leaders in two quadrants each, and Genpact and Teleperformance are named as Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, Capgemini, Coforge and LTI are named as Rising Stars — companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in one quadrant each.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Power and Utilities — Services and Solutions report for North America available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 800 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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