[January 07, 2013]

Verdantix Benchmark Of Energy Management Software Applications Finds Big Investments In Innovation Reshape Competitive Positioning

Following a year of acquisitions and investments, five suppliers - CA (News - Alert) Technologies, CarbonSystems, IBM, Schneider Electric and Verisae - have emerged as leaders in the global market for energy management software according to a new study from independent analyst firm Verdantix. The report, Green Quadrant Energy Management Software (Global) 2013, compares 14 enterprise-class energy management software applications to help corporate buyers save time, reduce cost and mitigate risk in supplier selection. The analysis is based on live product demonstrations, an assessment of suppliers on 134 criteria and interviews with an independent panel of 15 customers representing firms in 13 industries.

"Large firms such as AT&T, Google (News - Alert) and IKEA have launched strategic energy management programs to better manage growing energy costs, mitigate security of supply risks and benefit from the potential of decentralized renewable power generation. These new corporate energy strategies have created increased demand for enterprise-wide energy data aggregation, powerful reporting and analysis tools'' commented Janet Lin, Verdantix Senior Manager and Co-Head of the Energy Practice. "Big investments in better domain-specific energy management functionality for data centres and real estate portfolios, easier integrationwith controls and meters as well as more scalable data architectures have reshaped the market in the last 18 months."

According to the Verdantix study, CA Technologies, CarbonSystems, IBM (News - Alert), Schneider Electric and Verisae have established themselves as the market-leading providers due to the breadth of their energy management functionality, proven integration with a wide range of meters and controls, utility bill management, deep energy and industry domain credentials, established enterprise-scale customer bases and partnerships with systems integrators and consultants. Reflecting the need for suppliers to educate the market, a separate Verdantix global survey of 250 energy managers found that Microsoft (News - Alert), Oracle, IBM and Johnson Controls have the highest brand recognition for their energy software despite Microsoft and Oracle not having energy management applications.

The customer panel prioritized functionality for utility bill management, energy monitoring and targeting, energy reporting and certification. The top three purchase criteria for the customers were evidence of a deployment covering more than 400 sites, proven integration with meters and controls and domain expertise relevant to their energy assets and industry processes. They ranked specialist software firms and energy services firms as their top two types of preferred supplier, relegating large technology firms to the least favoured choice.

"The global energy management software market is poised for growth in 2013" according to Alisdair McDougall, Verdantix Analyst and author of the report. "Two-thirds of the customer panel expect their annual spend on energy management software to increase during the next three years as they implement new solutions, expand existing deployments and increase the breadth of functionality in use. Successful software suppliers will develop functionality that maps to the specific requirements of energy domains, a strategy pursued by JouleX for data centers, SAP in manufacturing, Siemens for retail chains, IHS (News - Alert) for asset intensive sectors and Verisae in grocery retail. Product strategies offering a standard set of functionality for all industries have universally failed and have resulted in some suppliers exiting the market."

To find out more join the Finding the Right Energy Management Software Match Webinar on Thursday 17 January 2013.

Note To Editors

Verdantix is an independent analyst firm. We provide authoritative data, analysis and advice to help our clients resolve their energy, environment and sustainability challenges. Through our global primary research and deep domain expertise we provide our clients with strategic advice, revenue generating services, best practice frameworks, industry connections and competitive advantage. For more information visit: www.verdantix.com.

[ Back To Smart Grid Home's Homepage ]