A powerful foundation to energize the future
To deliver these capabilities, Xcel Energy needed to elevate its existing technology architecture.
The company needed both a distribution system with physical assets and an information ecosystem, linking back-end infrastructures and handheld devices for customers and employees. The EY team aided in the transformation, improving upon the older complex technology, supported by mobile, cloud, machine learning and data analytics technologies.
“We had to inspect each system one at a time, comparing current state and future state with the new consumer experiences, and then weave all of the technologies together to create a future-ready platform,” said Subbu Natarajan, EY Americas Technology Transformation Leader.
In developing a technology blueprint that shifts the established thinking of the industry, Natarajan and his team positioned Xcel Energy to get the most from smart meters, its website and its app — by housing the data, connecting all the infrastructure and supercharging the company’s analytical capabilities. This effort added cloud operations, sharpened security and shielded old core systems that were not ready for change, all in an agile fashion, with automated testing. And what could have been disruptive — in a bad way — was handled carefully and thoughtfully.
To make this massive transformation a success, the EY teams continually remained attentive to Xcel Energy’s desire for change management, people training and skills transfer, and enhanced security of its technology systems. In addition, Xcel Energy leaders created their own version of the EY wavespace for harvesting innovative ideas, called the “Xcel Lab.”
“We want clients to own their transformations,” Pak said. “Our clients need to continue evolving and growing their businesses through a culture of sustained innovation.”