Companies Complete Benchmark Testing, Aid Utilities’ Digital Transformation through Management of Massive Data Volumes, Supporting Mission-critical Business Processes in the Cloud
Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating the way utilities and cities manage energy and water, announced today that it is collaborating with Microsoft to provide highly scalable cloud-based meter data management (MDM) services to customers. As part of this, the companies successfully completed another round of rigorous performance and scalability testing of its Itron Enterprise Edition™ Meter Data Management (IEE MDM) product. This marks the industry’s only meter data management solution to perform large-scale benchmarks in Microsoft Azure.
As utilities undergo digital transformation, it is critical that MDM solutions support rapidly expanding use cases with an increasing volume of data and analytics – at scale. Itron’s collaboration with Microsoft facilitates a performant cloud-based solution enabling higher level of service, lower operational costs, flexible expansion and scability. The comprehensive benchmark validates IEE MDM’s capacity to process 2.8 billion readings a day in less than three hours and deliver time-of-use billing determinants equivalent to a 10-million-meter utility. As a result, utilities can be confident that IEE MDM, deployed using Microsoft Azure cloud will provide a reliable, cost-effective and low maintenance platform that supports some of the largest and most process-intensive deployments, globally.
Together, Itron and Microsoft conducted a series of high-volume data tests on IEE MDM using the Microsoft Azure cloud environment with the goal of replicating the genuine demands of a 10-million-meter deployment. Each test executed a “day-in-the-life” scenario that involved processing a mix of meter types including hourly, 15-minute and five-minute interval and register data—from data import, validation and estimation, to billing determinant calculations with time of use and data exports. These tests verified IEE MDM on Microsoft Azure within a scalable cloud environment that provides easy expansion over time as new data sensors or functionality requirements evolve. The Microsoft Azure cloud environment ultimately lowers the total cost of ownership through the ability to dynamically scale and enable Azure resources only when needed, coupled with upgrade-proof technology.
“Navigating the digital revolution, our customers are managing more mission-critical business processes in the cloud with even more use cases, and as a result, customers are collecting and managing more data than ever before. Expanding our partnership with Microsoft Azure is core to our commitment to continuously delivering a robust, scalable and well-managed data management solution,” said Stefan Zschiegner, vice president of product management, Itron. “This testing confirms that IEE MDM’s powerful processing capabilities and ability to scale on Microsoft Azure meets our customers’ future data and budget requirements.”
The global Microsoft and Itron partnership provides customers with the only enterprise-class meter data management system using Azure cloud computing, a combination that is optimized to flexibly scale, improve reliability and address the increasing requirements of tomorrow’s smart grid. The combined offering’s performance meets the strict timelines required for daily billing and critical meter-to-cash business processes and analytics, bringing unprecedented value and cloud stability to utility customers.
“Our customers tell us that scalability and agility are front of mind when selecting products for their smart grid while protecting existing technology investments with comprehensive integration features,” said Scott Harden, chief technology officer, Energy at Microsoft. “Together, Microsoft and Itron have focused on providing solutions that help utilities execute on the vision of a data-driven and intelligent grid. IEE MDM based on Azure SQL Server is a leading example of a solution that leverages the performance and availability of the Microsoft cloud along with the rigorous security and administrative control that utilities require.”
Itron Enterprise Edition (IEE) Meter Data Management System (MDMS) is an industry-leading data management solution for residential gas, water and electric meters, C&I meters and IoT sensors. The ever-evolving platform provides utilities and cities with the flexibility, value and functionality needed regardless of deployment size. IEE is the most globally deployed meter data management system in the world. The installed base comprises over 100 customers across six continents with more than 45 million meters in production.
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