AMT-SYBEX Customer Update Issue 2

November 2007

AMT-SYBEX (NI) LtdEdgewater Office ParkEdgewater RoadBelfastBT3 9JONorthern Ireland

Tel: + 44 28 9078 1616Fax: + 44 28 9078 1717

AMT-SYBEX (Software)LtdLeopardstown OfficeParkFoxrockDublin 18Ireland

Tel: + 353 1 295 8988Fax: + 353 1 295 8990

AMT-SYBEX Ltd.The Spirella BuildingBridge RoadLetchworth Garden CityHertfordshireSG6 4ETUnited Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1462 476400Fax: +44 (0)1462 476401www.amt-sybex.com

welcome

from

1

The last six months has been anextremely busy and rewardingperiod for AMT-SYBEX.

Our inroads into the mobilitymarketplace continue to progress atpace and I am delighted to see agood mix of established and newCustomers taking advantage of ourmobile solutions and services. This isan emerging market which isincreasingly important for us. Wehave positioned ourselves as theleading provider within our chosensectors. Our flexibility, both in termsof technology and Support Services ismaking us an extremely attractiveoption.

Clearly mobility is the future… Goodinformation is critical to anyorganisation and by employingmobile technology the informationprovided becomes more accurate andtimely.

Recent mobile successes in this areainclude;

- RSPCA

- GNER

Information Management isanother buoyant area where the dataquality and customer informationsurvey we conducted has served as a

catalyst in stimulating interest acrossour customer base.

Again it’s good to see new businessbeing won within existing customersand some new names;

- Centrica

- Bord Gáis Éireann

- Northumbrian Water

I know many of you are alreadyengaged with us to progresssolutions in these vital business areasin relation to Data Management,Reporting and Mobile Enablement. Ifyou are not talking with us we wouldwelcome the opportunity to discussthese important topics with you.

Aircraft Leasing is proving anothergrowth market for us where ourICMS solution is attracting many ofthe worlds biggest aircraft leasingcompanies to do business with us.

The customers for this area aretypically large banks and financiersand it’s a pleasure to welcome twomore;

- CIT

- Macquarie Air Finance

Marrakech, our supply chain ande-procurement arm is progressivelybenefiting from the introduction ofAMT-SYBEX resources and processes.

We are making a significantinvestment in refreshing the technicalinfrastructure associated with ourProduct Information ManagementSolution, Mcel and we have recentlyreleased a new version of ourSource-to-Pay Solution, Mpro.

Andy Miller, Managing Director

Information Management is clearly a hot potato. Our

survey into data quality and customer information which

serves to set the scene on page 2 highlighted that

increasing pressures from the regulator, the customer and

other business partners means Information Management

is now one of the main strategic concerns. Poor

information leads to poor decision-making and ultimately

poor performance.

Typical problems that need to be addressed include:

• Poor understanding of the data value chain – are the

true costs and benefits of managing information

understood and monitored?

• A lack of accountability and/or strategic participation

• Poor, expensive and unreliable systems integration

• Lack of training and awareness – do your people

appreciate that data is a core asset?

• Ineffective data governance

• Lack of measurement of current data quality and usage

• Data “blind spots” – data that is needed but isn’t

available

• Data silos – collecting too much un-required data

makes finding the right data a complex task

There are a number of articles in this edition that highlight

how our customers are developing their solutions to

address these problems and enhancing the quality of the

data and information provided together with the

associated returns and benefits being reaped.

AMT-SYBEX believes that you must have a clear vision of

your overall information requirements before proceeding

with the more complex detailed data management

activities. I would urge you to contact your Account

Manager to discuss how to achieve maximum value from

this initiative.

The KnowHow has been established as a communication

vehicle between AMT-SYBEX and our Customers. It is for

your information and interest so your input is of

paramount importance. With this in mind I encourage

your continued feedback in relation to ideas, suggestions

and contributions for forthcoming editions.

Finally I would like to invite you to enter a little

competition....Information Management is the theme for

this edition of The KnowHow, but how many times do

the words information and management appear, either

together or separately?

All those who submit the correct answer will go into a

draw to establish the winner.

Please Email your answers to me before the 16th December

2007 for the chance to win a deluxe Christmas hamper.

Happy Reading

Lester Bayford – Customer Services Manager

lester.bayford@amt-sybex.com

the editor MD’s update

contentsPage2 .................... AMT-SYBEX Data Quality Research Findings

3-5 .................... Customer Corner

6-7 .................... Ellipse Corner

8-9 Challenges in Managing Information inde- regulated Energy Retail Markets

10-12 .................... Mincom Ellipse Reporting

Page13 .................... London 2012

14-15 .................... Customer Focus

16 .................... Centre for Essential Industries Update

17 .................... Intelligent Asset Management

Dear CustomerWelcome to the second edition of The KnowHow.From the feedback I have had, the inaugural editionin Spring was extremely well received. Your feedbackwas a factor in determining this edition’s theme,Information Management. I would also like to thankthose of you who have contributed to this edition.

Our survey of senior managers in the UK’sessential industries has highlighted thatcompanies in these sectors need to be morestrategic about data quality management ifthey want to maximise operationalperformance, meet increasing regulatorydemands and get real value from businessinformation.

The survey quizzed them about a range ofdata quality issues from both an asset andcustomer information perspective. Resultsshowed that more than half of allrespondents were not satisfied with theperformance of their organisation when itcame to data quality management.

Findings showed that while companies inthese sectors do now recognise data qualityas a strategic corporate issue, many still fallshort when it comes to implementingproactive, top-down initiatives to tackleinaccurate data. More than three quarters ofparticipants said there was no real drivefrom their board for data qualityimprovement.

Key findings from the research alsorevealed:

• Companies are missing a trick by notassigning data quality to a specificindividual.

• The volume of data being collected byorganisations in the UK is growing. Twothirds claimed they had experiencedgrowth rates of between 26 and 75 percent in the last five years.

• The majority of organisations hadimplemented a data quality policy.However more than half were unsureor unconvinced as to the

appropriateness of the policy tostrategic corporate goals.

• Employees in these organisations dealwith inaccurate, inconsistent data on adaily basis. Disturbingly over half of therespondents felt that frontline workerswere largely unaware of the importanceof data quality and only a third saidemployees would rate data quality asgood or very good.

Whilst it’s encouraging that the UK’sessential industries have a desire to facilitatedata quality improvements our researchshows that for many organisations, the dataquality policies being introduced areineffective, communication on the subjectof data quality is poor, and user confidenceis low.

Our research also looked at the rootcauses of data quality issues. Twomain culprits were identified

• poor business processes

• and a lack of managementaccountability.

The following areas also camedirectly under the spotlight:

• Operations not collectingappropriate data to supportother business functions;

• Collection of non-validated data;

• Inputting incorrect data frommanual correction, exceptionsprocessing or third parties andagencies.

We believe asset and customer-centric businesses need to address

these issues as a priority. Corporate datamust be fit for purpose otherwiseorganisations are exposed to risk. This istrue for all business but particularlyimportant in the essential industries whichare under increasing pressure from industryregulators and consumer watchdogs whenit comes to performance and accountability.

To download a copy of the report issuedfrom this survey, please visit the InformationManagement page on the website -www.amt-sybex.com/OurSolutions/InformationManagement.aspx andclick on the box to the right of the page.

For further information please contactyour Account Manager

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Data Audit at Powergen AMT-SYBEX completed a data quality

audit within Powergen, assessing

customer related information within a

number of their core systems. During

this project, AMT-SYBEX provided

Powergen with specialist Data

Management consultancy along with

technical expertise in the use of the

Athanor Data Quality Management tool.

The objectives of this audit were:

‘To evaluate the quality of the

information which the Retail Business

holds on Consumer and SME customers’

• To produce a Data Quality Scorecard

framework

• Clearly explain the methodology

behind the development of the

scorecard to enable it to be replicated

at a future date

• To produce a detailed Data Quality

Audit Report, incorporating data

quality metrics and business rules

• Assess the impact to the business of

data quality issues

• Document future recommendations

and the value to the business of

improvements

• To provide a framework to support

the data governance strategy and

provide input into the programme of

work for 2006

• Highlight and provide value

evaluations for ‘Quick Wins’

On completion of the audit a report was

presented with a number of specific

recommendations (both strategic and

tactical) that will enable Powergen to

improve their Data Management

performance.

Metronet Introduce aBalanced ScorecardMetronet’s business-wide BalancedScorecard was developed largelyinternally by Metronet but with theProject Management and Data Analysisassistance of AMT-SYBEX.

The Balanced Scorecard scope extendsto:

• 99 scorecards in the hierarchy

• 388 unique measures on thescorecards

• 2117 measure occurrences (includingmeasures that exist on more than onescorecard)

• 500 CorStrategy and Corportfolio/HyperVu licences in place

The Balanced Scorecard was initiallydeveloped as a prototype and a fullscorecard, extending to all parts of thebusiness (and beyond into its tied supplychain), was commissioned anddeveloped as a result.

The Balanced Scorecard usesCorStrategy, building on the extensiveCorVu environment within Metronet.Two key feeder systems provide most ofthe information required - Ellipse foroperational and financial measures andOracle for the HR measures. Other datacomes from Health & Safety, LondonUnderground, Primavera and externalsurveys.

The scorecard is updated on a fourweekly basis and can be viewed onlinevia the Metronet intranet (subject tosecurity) and has full navigationalcapability. Printed versions are producedfor the Board.

Bord Gáis Éireann go forData Transfer Solution(DTS)As a result of EU policy, Ireland’s energymarket is in the process of beingopened to further competition whichwill benefit gas consumers throughincreased choice of suppliers andfurther competition in the market.

Bord Gáis Éireann (BGE) is the companyresponsible for acquiring, transmittingand distributing natural gas in Ireland.BGE provides and operates natural gastransmission lines bringing gas from theKinsale Head and North Sea Gas fields tovarious towns and cities across Ireland.

The Regulator has given BGE theresponsibility of putting in place theinfrastructure to facilitate freecompetition in the Irish market. Theirremit is to ensure that all entrants to themarket for retail gas supply are providedwith equal access to the infrastructureand systems that support the marketing,sale and supply of gas.

In essence the key requirement is toprovide all gas shippers in Ireland witha standardised method to communicatemarket process information with BordGáis Networks, ensuring equaltreatment for all market participants andminimising barriers to market entry.

So the GASMAP project will provide anIrish Gas Market Messaging Solution,incorporating a central hub componentand a ‘Real-time’ Gas Shipper Self-Service Component that will provide aninfrastructure for the automatedexchange and validation of databetween the gas transporter (BGENetworks) and each of the gas shippersin the market.

The solution has at its heart AMT-SYBEX’s Data Transfer Solution (DTS)which is a leading industry data flowsoftware application. There will be inthe region of 5 shippers locatedthroughout Ireland, who willcommunicate via a suite of custombuilt web services to reduce thesystem footprint.

Testing of the core functionality is well

underway and the project is on course

to meet the demands of the Energy

Regulator early in 2008.

npowerSince November 2004, AMT-SYBEX hasbeen engaged with npower, assistingthem in the definition andimplementation of their datamanagement strategy. AMT-SYBEX wonthis contract in open competition with a

number of leading consultancies, withnpower recognising AMT-SYBEX asexperts in the field of DataManagement, who could uniquely offerdetailed knowledge of their businessand their data.

The Domino project has defined newoperating procedures, policies, tools and

organisational structures with the aim ofimproving npower's performance withregard to data management practice.Domino recently completed its transitionfrom a project to an embedded businessas usual activity. To facilitate thistransition, a Data Assurance Team led bya Senior Data Manager (a new role fornpower) has been formed.

CUSTOMER CORNERAMT-SYBEX Data QualityResearch FindingsUK Essential Industries need to be more strategic about data quality

Working with AMT-SYBEX, EDFEnergy Networks has implemented anasset management and mobileworking solution, deliveringsignificant benefits to the workingpractices across the enterprise, andhas enabled the company to attain avital industry accreditation.

How the project was identified

In 2004, when EDF Energy broughttogether its London Power Networks,Seeboard Power Networks and EasternPower Networks distribution businesses,it faced the prospect of having to dealwith the management of over 1.8 millionassets from across these 3 companies -each using separate and aging legacyprocesses and systems for assetmanagement.

As part of EDF Energy’s overallIntegration Programme, a review wasmade of how the combined assetmanagement knowledge and experienceof the three networks could be used todevelop best practice asset managementstrategies, policies and standards for thenew organisation, along with theinformation systems that support them.This initiated a number of activities ofwhich a a key priority related to themanagement of electrical and civil plant,including planning and execution ofwork, capture of condition informationand provision of information to supportdecisions.

For this activity AMT-SYBEX wasbrought in to work with the business onreviewing existing asset managementprocesses that drive the collection andupdating of asset information followingasset replacement and inspection &maintenance activities. This wasreviewed in the context of the integratedpolicies and standards that had beendeveloped. This resulted in EDF EnergyNetworks identifying a majoropportunity to significantly improve

efficiencies by converging assetmanagement across the whole businessand completely re-working how assetmanagement information was capturedand processed - making it accessible andintuitive to all relevant employees, bothin-sourced and outsourced, from themanagement to the field-force.

The main drivers were:

• delivery of an integrated AssetManagement information strategybuilt from the experience andknowledge of 3 large legacyorganisations;

• a more flexible set of tools tosupport changing information andasset management needs;

• the need to improve the accuracyand completeness of theinformation that supports futureinvestment needs.

The implementation method

A key thread in the implementationapproach was to learn the lessons fromsimilar projects that had designedprocesses and tools in the past.

Experience had clearly demonstrated theneed for user friendly access toinformation to allow an intuitiveapproach to searching for informationon assets e.g. work history, condition. Inaddition, the amount of paper recordswere to be reduced to improve the endto end processes for keeping the assetregister up to date with work history andcondition information. This helped todefine the scope of the mobile solutionto maintain data integrity.

Training and communication were areasfor particular focus, and real data wasused for training sessions, in a classroomenvironment set up with no more than 8staff to a trainer. Help cards anddocumented procedures all played animportant part in helping staff tounderstand what was required of themin using the new tools.

In terms of an implementationmethodology, AMT-SYBEX has a triedand tested approach for assetmanagement projects built up fromnearly 20 years experience workingalongside UK infrastructure businesses.With this extensive ‘know-how’ of

delivering real efficiencies from assetmanagement processes, EDF EnergyNetworks worked closely with AMT-SYBEX in developing the solution.

The project started with a review of thebusiness structure to ensure that dataand information flows supported theorganisation’s asset managementobjectives. As part of the businesschange process, it was recognised at thisstage that new roles and responsibilitieswould have to be defined andimplemented.

Improving the quality of assetinformation along these data flows wasalso seen as critical. To ensure asuccessful long-term strategy for assetdata management, EDF EnergyNetworks introduced a new team(Asset Registration) to reinforce aculture of realising the importance ofmaintaining data integrity whenupdating asset records. A key messageof “no registration” means “noinspection or maintenance of assets”helped to drive home the importanceof the task – particularly whenconcerning public safety!

When it came to creating assetmanagement reports from the assetregister, experience during the projectshowed that defining all aspects of areport on paper is very difficult. A RapidApplication Development (RAD)approach was trialled and used todocument the information required andthen demonstrate draft reports. Theusers were then consulted to improvethe content and layout of the draftreports, providing a much improved endproduct. This approach was verysuccessful and was utilised for all futurereport development.

Facilitating the overall convergenceprocess involved using AMT-SYBEX’sEnterprise Asset Management (EAM)solution – Ellipse, to develop a centralasset register, providing a single sourceof truth of information relating to all EDFEnergy Networks’ electrical plant andcivil structures across its distributionnetworks. Ellipse was chosen due to itsproven reputation as a world class EAMsystem tailored specifically forinfrastructure intensive industries, withsignificant implementations across theUK’s utility and transport businesses.

4 5

The scope and influence of theproject

Following a review and integration ofthe asset management strategies andpolicies, the need for integratedinformation sources and tools tosupport them was evident.

The scope and influence of the projectwas to:

• Close gaps in supporting theirinformation strategy and align withPAS 55 (The Publicly AvailableSpecification 55) requirements;

• Have greater visibility of their assetbase;

• Enable flexible aligned processesand tools that built in datacleansing and collection into theday to day processes to remaineffective into the future;

• Improved data quality in terms ofintegrity, completeness andaccuracy;

• Wider utilisation of the tools andprocesses by operational and officebased staff; and

• Empowerment of their staff to allplay a real part in supporting ourstrategies

Not only does the solution enable EDFEnergy Networks to create detailed andtailored reports in a way that is highlyintuitive to support managementdecision making, it also providesessential information to empower andimprove the efficiency of staff rightacross the enterprise, even out into thefield. Through the use of work planningand work dispatch tools, field engineerscan now receive accurate instructions forinspection and maintenance duties ontheir ruggedised hand-held devices viathe AMT-SYBEX Mobile Field WorkingSolution (FDCS). The field engineers canthen in turn update central asset recordsremotely from the field.

This solution wasn’t just implementedand ‘pushed out’ to the field, the projectteam ensured success through workingclosely with staff and field-workers todevelop the solution according to theirown specific needs. For example,visibility of asset information and theability to change it in the field wererequested, and indeed delivered.

How success was measured

In accordance with the originalobjectives, the project successfullyachieved the following:

An agreed single source of assetinformation - providing excellentvisibility of the asset base right acrossthe enterprise, from the management tothe field. Convergence of all assetrecords into one intuitive system hasachieved significant efficiencies in theareas of people empowerment, businessprocesses and IT systems. This engagesoffice and field staff in supporting ourasset management strategies.

The new processes and tools are amajor step forward in usability tooperational and office staff,empowering them to make betterdecisions through easy access toinformation. The extensive workcarried out by EDF Energy and AMT-SYBEX to integrate the 3 business unitsso that all the data and businessprocesses are aligned to support thebusiness and regulatory environmenthas supported EDF Energy Networks’PAS 55 certification – a significantbenchmark of success in itself!

The use of the mobile technologyprovides a closed loop end to endprocess from the issue of work toreturning it when completed. Thisreduces the risk of paper recordsbuilding up improving the timelinessof data updates.

Through improved visibility of assetinformation financial benefits havebeen realised in ensuring assets to bereplaced in the future are not includedin the maintenance programme .

The competitive advantageachieved

The competitive advantage for EDFEnergy Networks is in demonstratingaccurate and complete informationwhen building investment cases andagreeing them with the stakeholders.It also gives EDF Energy a competitiveedge when competing for workoutside the current businessparameters.

The solution delivered by the projectplayed a major part in supporting theirPAS 55 certification. During asurveillance visit by Lloyd’s Register,the auditors, in June 2007 the projectand solution were reviewed. Thefollowing comment is from Lloyd’sRegister.

“it is clear that much of the progressmade by the organisation is as a directresult of the successful introduction,implementation and use of Ellipse andassociated tools and reportingsystems.”

The solution provides the process andtools to reduce the risk of non-compliance with the various relevantstatutory regulations e.g. ESQCRegulations 2002, for asset data andinformation through an asset registerto support reporting of thisinformation.

The business benefit

The main financial benefits relate tothe changes in working practicesintroduced by the integrated policyfor Inspection & Maintenanceactivities, providing a commonapproach across the three networks.In addition, the processes and use ofinformation in the annual investmentplanning cycle ensure themaintenance programmes co-ordinatewith the asset renewal programmes, inthe context of a rising asset renewalprogramme.

The projected pay back period isbetween 5 and 7 years which istypical where there are both strategiclong term benefits alongside shortterm tactical benefits.

What was the customer/employeebenefit?

There are two main benefits whichhelped to really engage with the usercommunity. For office based staffthe benefit is the ease by which theycan access information on assets fromthe intranet. This has been a keysuccess factor in buying people intothe process changes. For field basedstaff the mobile solution, and theability to view the asset registerremotely from an office, has been agreat success.

The solution assists the business inproviding data to enhance our annualinvestment plans and processesthought better quality inputs, enablingimproved confidence in investmentplans, and clarity for delivery.

As part of the business case, a newteam called the Asset RegistrationTeam has been set up to inputchanges to asset records in Ellipse.This team is in place and is supportingall the directorates in asset updates.This takes the task away from projectmanagers who would not regularly dothis and in the past led to reduceddata completeness. The benefits toboth customer and employees can befar reaching in terms of accurateinformation and work and job costing.

delivery of an end to endasset data management

solution for electricaland civil plant, including

mobile technology toprotect the integrity of

asset data.

Customer Focus - EDF Energy Networks

Ellipse Corner

Ellipse encompasses a softwarephilosophy that aims to deliveroperational intelligence to our customersthrough knowledge based solutions. Thisdelivers effective asset strategies that:

• Ensure environmental and safetycompliance

• Increase overall equipmenteffectiveness

• Increase reliability, and

• Lower maintenance costs.

Mincom continues to invest in researchand development to create the bestEnterprise Asset Management (EAM)solution and associated technical productsfor the essential industries.

This release continues the evolution of theEAM solution, particularly in the followingareas:

Continued evolution of MincomEllipse Reporting (MER)

See MER feature on pages 10 to 11

Functional changes in the areaof Intelligent AssetMaintenance, including;

Standard Job

A new feature has been added to

standard jobs to allow users to default a

work order status value. Users can now

default a work order user status, or leave

the field blank, in a standard job, so that

anytime a work order is created from the

standard job, the work order user status

will default.

Work Order Type and

Maintenance Type Linkage

The Work Order Type and Maintenance

Type table codes are now linked. After

selecting a Work Order Type, only the

linked Maintenance Types for the

selected Work Order Type can be

chosen. This provides for increased

accuracy in recording key work order

fields.

Work Order Completion Comments

Typically for corrective or reactive

maintenance and based on the new Work

Order Type/Maintenance Type

combinations, additional comments

relating to work order failure codes can

now be recorded. This facilitates a

“Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM)

Lite” approach and is not dependent on

MSSS or the “Mandatory Job Codes on

Completion” functionality being enabled.

Long Term Asset Strategies–

Priority on Estimates

A priority can now be recorded on

estimate items. When the estimate item is

copied into a work order, the priority will

be copied across.

Long Term Asset Strategies -

Estimates in Material Demand

Management (MDM)

By leveraging the addition of dates and

work groups on Job Estimate items, MDM

can now forecast material requirements

for estimates. MDM selection criteria now

includes:

• Job Estimates and Work Orders

• Job Estimates and Work Ordersand MSTs

• Job Estimates and Projects.

Long Term Asset Strategies

Based on the Estimate planned dates,project budgets can now beautomatically created by spreadingthe Estimate costs across accountingperiods via the Job Packaging-BulkPackaging option.

Copy Budget and EstimateSpread

A new Copy Project Budget andoptional Copy Project PeriodEstimates facility is now available.

Long Term Asset Strategies -Risk & Criticality on WorkOrders and Std Jobs

This enhancement expands the Risk& Criticality functionality into workorders and standard jobs. Previously,it was only available on workrequests. Now users can optionallyautomatically allocate priority to awork order based on risk andequipment criticality. Together withthe existing Tolerances functionality,the work order Required Start Dateand Required By Date fields can beautomatically updated as well.

Linear Assets to 3 DecimalPlaces

Linear or continuous assets can nowbe recorded to three (previously onlytwo) decimal places for MaintenanceScheduled Task, Job Estimates andWork Orders.

Dual History Tracing on WorkOrder

On the work order completion screen, if the“Create Repair In Situ Transaction”checkbox is selected and equipment is fittedto the equipment recorded on the workorder header, an automatic EquipmentTracing Repair Insitu transaction is recordedfor the fitted equipment.

Increase Equipment TracingSequence No

The previous limitation of 99 transactionsper installation position per day isinsufficient for rotable indicator 4, hencethis is now increased to 999.

Record Equipment GroupIdentifier (EGI) Order

EGI structures can now be displayedwithout the need for smart coding i.e. nolonger displayed in alpha-numeric orderof component code.

Functional changes in the areaof Intelligent WorkforceDeployment covering;

• Talent Management

• Training and Skills Management

• Rostering

• Health, Safety, SocialResponsibility and Environment.

Technical Enhancements include;

Web based delivery

Over the last few releases of MincomEllipse, Mincom has been transitioning itssolution to a web based deliverymechanism. This means that over severalreleases more and more applications willbe delivered via the web, migratingMincom Ellipse to be a full web solution.

Deployment of WebView

Mincom is currently in transition fromWindows to Web. Customers will deployboth Mincom Ellipse WinView andWebView.

Mincom Desktop

Mincom Ellipse Desktop allows users toaccess both windows and web

applications from a single place. This is akey component, as users are not requiredto separately launch WinView andWebView to do their job.

However, where the users requirementsare totally met by WebView, Mincomwould recommend that these users onlyneed to have WebView deployed. Thiswould particularly be the case where anyof the functionality these users need isonly available via web basedapplications.

Web Services Security

IBM, Microsoft, and VeriSign have createdWS-Security specification. "WS-Securitydescribes enhancements to SOAPmessaging to provide quality ofprotection through message integrity,message confidentiality, and singlemessage authentication. Thesemechanisms can be used toaccommodate a wide variety of securitymodels and encryption technologies.

The Web Service interface has beenextended to support authentication viathe open standards based mechanismsdefined by the WS-Security standard. Thisreplaces the Mincom Ellipse securitybased authentication mechanismpreviously used. This enhancement willhave the effect of having host-basedauthentication via the Web Serviceinterface, and allow customers to usetheir non-Ellipse credentials toauthenticate Web Service invocations.

Multi District Batch Submission

The Multiple Districts Batch Submissionmodification removes the limitation that auser has to be logged into a specificdistrict before being able to request abatch job for the district. This new featurewill enable the submission of batchrequests for any or all of a user’saccessible districts, both for on-demandand cyclic updates.

Note: this item is also available in

Mincom Ellipse 6.1.

6 7

Ellipse Version 6.3 Released at the end of October 2007

Mincom WorkPlanner Suite Effective planning and efficient workscheduling directly contribute totighter cost management throughoutthe entire asset life cycle.

The ChallengeIn order to deliver high quality productsand services at competitive prices, asset-intensive industries must endeavour tominimise their operational costs. As such,it is critical that these costs are managedthrough the entire asset life cycle - fromprocurement, through operational life andfinally to divestment.

Effective planning and efficient workscheduling directly contribute to tightercost management throughout the entireasset life cycle.

The SolutionMincom Work Planner Suite supportsshort-term of long-term asset strategy andwork management schedulingh processesin three ways:

• Mincom Work Planner to manageactivities including the planning andscheduling of ad hoc jobs, linking jobsinto logical groupings, and planningand scheduling plant outages.

• Mincom Work Progress to graphicallymonitor and manage work in progress.

• Mincom Estimate Scheduling tographically schedule job estimates aswell as display ad hoc andpreventative work for a completeview of all potential activity for anyfuture time period.

Available as a bolt on to versionv5.2.3.7

Integrated as standard from version 6

For further information pleasecontact your Account Manager.

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Keeping up with the Pace jurisdictions, particularly as fewnations have implemented exactlythe same market model. So althoughin Europe a common EU frameworkexists, the devil remains largely inthe detail.

This point is foremost for theEuropean forum for Energy BusinessInformation eXchange (ebIX) whichis championing the development ofnew standards for electronicinformation exchange within theEuropean markets. Rapidinterpretation of electronic messagesacross regions was understandablylacking until the advent ofcompetition, but with commonprocesses and issues emerging,standards for message exchange inprocesses like change of supplierand metering (especially SmartMetering) are certain to surface.

Historically, the need to be able tokeep pace with changes in industryprocesses and the flow formats andcontent required to support theseprocesses has been extremely onerousfrom an IT perspective, with minormodifications to the catalogue of

messages often having disproportionateconsequential costs to marketparticipants in terms of theirimplementation.

In addition to this, completely newsets of information are required to behandled as further structural changestake place in the industry, perhaps asa result of further business separationmandated by the regulator, oremerging technologies. For example,with the introduction of gas meteringto competition in 2004 a large burdenwas placed on all UK marketparticipants in terms of compliance.Compliance required theimplementation of new systems,business processes and dataexchanges, all at a high cost tomarket participants.

Business changes such as this havehad a significant impact on the ITenvironments required just as marketopening has had a structural impacton the overall business landscape.Ensuring that the IT environment isflexible enough to cope with thesetypes of change withoutcompromising the benefits derived

from enterprise solutions is becominga key competitive differentiator forenergy retail suppliers.

8 9

Challenges in Managing Information in de-regulatedEnergy Retail MarketsThe de-regulation of energy marketsacross the UK and Europe has broughtabout perpetual change and thesechanges continue to create significantchallenges for organisations tocontinue to drive profits from whathas become a highly competitiveenergy retail sector.

Competition within the UK energymarket forced the separation ofdistribution and supply businesses,and integration efforts around themetering, data collection, dataaggregation and billing functionsbecame resultantly more complex.

Pressures to reduce the cost of servingcustomers intensified, and competitionalso drove many suppliers to focus onparticular business areas with somechoosing to focus on theDomestic/Residential market, whileothers concentrated on SME andIndustrial and Commercial customers.Affinity and partnership deals weremarketed in an attempt to capturemore customers and increase profits.

In the race to pursue all opportunities,Merger and Acquisitions activity withinthe sector also increased with theeffect of reducing the number ofcompetitors in the race and making itessential for these larger organisationsto streamline their operations in orderto keep up with the pack.

With acquisitions increasing fromEuropean utilities in the UK market notonly was there fierce competition fornew customers, but a uniquelycomplex set of informationmanagement issues were unfoldingwhich directly affected day today business operationsand drove up operationalcosts.

Systems and processesinvolved in the dataexchanges betweenmarket participantswere complex,and had beenimplemented under timepressure. High levels ofexceptions in these industryprocesses, primarily caused by datamismatches and missing data, butcompounded by high rates ofcustomer churn resulted in high levelsof customer complaints. Many of theseexceptions had to be handled viamanual processes and workaroundswhich increased organisational headcount, in some cases by up to fourfold in order to double the number ofcustomers.

New cost reduction opportunitiesidentified by encouraging increasedagent competition, the separation ofmeter asset management from meterprovision and data processing fromdata retrieval demanded furtherchanges to industry structure andinformation sharing. Betterinformation was also being demandedin order to make decisions, selectagents and provide reports to theregulator, other industry bodies andconsumer associations.

Systems integration to improveinformation flow, customer service

and better integratedbilling solutions became a

crucial factor for success.However, systems integration and

data migration issues continued topresent problems and as organisationsexpanded further, enterprise platformstrategies were increasingly adoptedto cope with larger organisational size,system consolidation, geography andthe desire to integrate closely.

De-regulation within Energy Marketsis currently at different stages acrossthe globe, with the UK beingconsidered most active in terms ofsupplier competition and customerswitching activity (>50%), followed bythe Nordic countries , Australia, TheNetherlands and Belgium, and Texas.Although in theory from 1st July 2007all EU customers have the right tochoose their supplier, rapidtransformation of all these marketsremains some way off mainly due tothe dominant positions of nationalincumbents and the lack of newentrants. Barriers to entry often focussuppliers minds on the investmentcost of the systems required to operatewithin different or regional

For organisations striving to keep pacewith change and seeking to stay aheadof the competition the outlook remainspositive. Solutions which address thedemand for flexibility andconsolidation are available, promotingseamless and transparent interoperationwith enterprise platforms, andenhanced performance with marketplayers. These flexible applicationarchitectures enable the rapid adoptionof new standards and regulationsneeded to operate efficiently andprovide, not only a better overallcustomer experience, but vitally,improved organisational performancethrough streamlined processes andbetter leveraged IT investments.

AMT-SYBEX provides InformationManagement solutions that bringvisibility and control to organisationsoperating in complex energy markets.Our solutions provide users withcomprehensive and easy to use tools tomonitor and manage industryinteraction and data flow activityacross the end-to-end industryprocesses, encompassing industrywide, bilateral and internally definedflow formats. The solutions containfull support for all UK and Irishindustry catalogues and are extensibleto other activities and markets withsimilar characteristics of high volumeflows of data with defined datastructures and rules.

The Way Ahead

Mincom Ellipse Reporting

Many organizations struggle to provide the rightinformation to the right people at the right timeto help them make good business decisions. Theuse of separate Reporting and BusinessIntelligence tools for various applications oftencompounds this problem, with reports lackingconsistency across different business functions.

To address these challenges, organizations arestandardizing their Reporting and BusinessIntelligence solutions to ensure every person receivesinformation in the same way, enabling the business torun more efficiently and effectively.

Mincom Ellipse Reporting (MER) is a single, fully-integrated and embedded Reporting and BusinessIntelligence solution powered by market leaderBusiness Objects. Key features include:

• Comprehensive reporting

• Intuitive end-user query and analysis

• Performance management tools, includingdashboards, scorecards, analytics, and alerting

• Full integrated with Mincom Ellipse

• Suite of standard out-of-the-box Mincom Ellipsereports

• Ability to extend Mincom Ellipse Reporting to acorporate-wide Reporting and Business Intelligencesolution

Mincom Ellipse Reporting delivers an unprecedentedlevel of integrated Business Intelligence capability,enabling any organization to track, analyze,understand and manage their business in order toimprove enterprise performance.

It has been our experience from customers that theutilisation and appreciation of MER has been anevolving process. As reports are designed, written andoutputs analysed there is a progressive realisation ofwhat other / additional information would be valuableto the business which wasn’t specified at source.

Based on this experience here are the AMT-SYBEX 5top tips to successful Reporting:

1. Clearly define your reporting strategy andarchitecture

2. Consider reporting requirements early in theImplementation

3. Use iterative design and build techniques

4. Enable the right people

- Business ownership of the requirement

- Designers and developers who understand thesystem design and data structures

5. Make these people accessible

Through this iterative design and build approach, thescope of the MER solution at both EDF EnergyNetworks and United Utilities Gas has been extendedto cover additional requirements as they have beenrealised without major design compromises. Togetherwith application of data manipulation techniques, thishas provided enhanced reporting with no impact onthe production of system performance.

It has allowed high level aggregation of data toprovide reporting on demand with drill through todifferent reports using hyperlinks to provide effectivereporting from high level down to individual records.

An example of this can be seen below, which showshow work orders can be forecast in Work Planner andthen reported on through MER with drill downs andhyper linked reports.

It illustrates how aggregated data can be presented tothe user allowing the user to drill through to the areas

of concern with no performance impact, and at thelowest level link to existing MER reports.

By assimilating data in this method and by followingthe approach of aggregating the data upwards allowsfor increased use of the reporting solution to providefor the high level searching requirements.

10 11

Maintenance Schedule Task Instances by Year Maintenance Schedule Task Information for an individualyear (hyperlinked from previous report by year).

Asset Details (hyperlinked from previousreport on Equipment number)

Condition Monitoring for asset 743 (Hyperlinkedfrom Asset Details)

This method can be further enhanced through the use of the Application Foundation product which provides highlevel analytics to easily identify trends and from these to drill down to existing management and operating reports.

12

The Dashboard Manager also allows different views of

metrics and Customised views for different users.

10th Annual ExecutiveBriefing - Stapleford Park,Leicestershire

Monday 10th & Tuesday 11thSeptember 2007

Key figures from the UK’s leadinginfrastructure providers got togetherat our 10th Annual Executive Briefingat Stapleford Park, in Leicestershire todiscuss how they are shaping up forthe London 2012 Olympics.

The two day conference featuredpresentations from a number oforganisations including National Grid,EDF Energy, the Olympic DeliveryAuthority and London First. Chairedjointly by AMT-SYBEX boarddirectors, the Rt Hon William HagueMP and Stephen Norris, the theme forthe briefing was the work beingundertaken by some of the nation’slargest construction and utilitycompanies who must guarantee theprovision of core services and powersupplies to the Olympic Games whenthey kick off in the UK’s capital infive years’ time.

What are the Nation’sconstruction and utilitycompanies doing?

Proceedings on Day One commencedwith an introduction from Mr. Hagueand presentations from Chris Murray,Director for Asset Management atNational Grid and Barry Hatton,Director of Capital Programme at EDFEnergy. Each company discussed thepower infrastructure that will supply

the 2012 redevelopment site in EastLondon. Two underground tunnelsbeing built between West Ham andHackney, which will enable the majorphase of construction to begin, also

came under thespotlight. The secondmajor milestone in theOlympic DeliveryAuthority’s “Demolish,Dig, Design” Phase, thetunnels willaccommodate powerlines that run to thesite. These arecurrently housed on 52electricity pylons thatwill be dismantled sothey do not

overshadow the Olympic Park area inthe Lower Lea Valley.

What are the overallconstruction requirements?

Next on stage was Howard Shiplee,Director of Construction for London2012. Mr. Shiplee provided an updateon the overall constructionrequirements for the event whichspan a site twice the size of HeathrowAirport’s Terminal 5 and make up oneof the largest construction and

engineering projects in Europe. Mr.Shiplee revealed that the project,which is the largest planningapplication in European history, willresult in around 1.8 million cubicmetres of material being movedduring the demolition phase – 90% ofwhich will be recycled or reusedwithin the Olympic Park. During thepeak construction phase,approximately 9,000 constructionworkers will be on site helping tobuild Europe’s largest urban park fornearly 200 years.

What does London 2012 mean tothe UK?

Baroness Valentine, Chief Executiveof London First concludedproceedings by discussing whatLondon 2012 will mean for UKbusinesses, the impact and benefit itwill have on the local community,plus the lasting legacy the OlympicPark will bring for London and thewhole of the UK.

Commenting on the event, BrianMiller, Deputy Chairman of AMT-SYBEX said; “The calibre of speakerswe have attracted to this year’sExecutive Briefing is unprecedented.We are honoured that so many keyplayers in the Olympic project choseStapleford Park as the best forum toprovide an update on their vision andprogress to date. Whenever theOlympics are mentioned, mostpeople think of the athletes andimpact the games will have on the UKeconomy. Fewer think about the coreservices needed to supply the gamesand the co-ordinated effort that isrequired to bring this to fruition bytapping into the nation’s existingessential infrastructure. Our aim inorganising this event is tohighlight the efforts of everyoneinvolved and the ongoingcommitment our partners have tothe Olympics and to drivingefficiencies across London and theUK’s wider infrastructure system.”

13

LONDON 2012Mincom Ellipse ReportingTimelines

Drill Down Functionality

Links to external Websites

Slice and Dice

Introducing Application Foundation

Application Foundation is an analyticapplication framework that letsbusinesses quickly and easily developpowerful, integrated enterprise analyticapplications.

Application Foundation consists of anumber of modules with the mostfrequently used module being theDashboard Manager.

The Dashboard Manager is a rapidapplication development tool, whichallows a user to build applicationswithout programming.

Dashboard Manager includes

• Ready to use dashboardcomponents

• A set of powerful analytics for theuser to create their owndashboards

• Powerful analytic engines for usersto build advanced analytics.

Through the use of these analytics abusiness can build a view of importantdetails and trends without delving deepinto the complex data sources, whichexist within the enterprise.

Functionality of Dashboard Manager

Through the use of metrics and theanalytic catalogue available withinDashboard Manager views of thebusiness’ important details and trends canbe accessed by users at any level andcustomised to suit their needs.

Dashboard Manager has a large range offunctions, which ensure the user seesexactly what they need to see. A lot of thefunctions available are demonstrated inthe following dashboards. These include:

15

CUSTOMER FOCUS Tesco RSPCACOMPANY OVERVIEWAs one of the world’s mostinnovative retailers Tesco operates3,262 stores globally and employsover 450,000 people. As a companythey focus on "Creating value forcustomers, to earn their lifetimeloyalty" and strive to "be energetic,be innovative and be the first for thecustomer". They look to use theirstrengths to deliver unbeatable valueto their customers.

THE PROBLEMTesco were looking for abetter way to manage theordering and distribution ofstore consumables fromover 200 suppliers to a 780store network throughoutthe UK.

Store consumables arefrequently ordered "goodsnot for resale" that are keyto the operation of Tesco’sbusiness and operation ofthe stores. Individual Tescostores typically order thesegoods from the 200 suppliers on adaily basis.

The problems Tesco were looking tosolve were as follows:

• Consolidate 7 different orderingprocesses into 1 electronicprocess.

• Provide accurate range and spendto the stores.

• Support the management ofappropriate/accurate stock levelsin store.

• Provide the Financial sharedservices centre with visibility ofthe PO’s from the stores and indoing so simplify and streamlinethe reconciliation process.

• Provide suppliers with approved,accurate orders and provide asimpler, more efficient paymentprocess.

• Provide value added functionalityto manage stockholding at storelevel.

• Provide stockholding visibility atcompany level on a weekly basis

THE SOLUTIONThe new Marrakech solution givesTesco control of the range ofproducts available to stores on aformat basis. Marrakech providesboth stores and the financial servicescentre with a simplified invoicingand payments process.

The solution, Click-to-Order in stores, initiallyallows stores to procure"goods not for resale"such as consumables andequipment through thissystem. The stores accessthe available range ofgoods, appropriate totheir store format,through a singleelectronic catalogue. It isan easy to use, intuitivesystem and is used by a

wide range of users of differingabilities and experience in stores;there are approximately 16000 usersable to use the system across the UKstores. The existing Tescoreplenishment and logistics systemsare connected in real time toMarrakech and provide completevisibility of orders and deliveries tousers at the store level requiring thegoods.

Marrakech is integrated into Tesco’ssupply chain and finance systems,providing their suppliers with theability to process orders, raiseinvoices and view demand planninginformation online. The financialservices centre receives all invoicesfrom Marrakech electronically,removing any need for manualintervention in the invoice process,and because the invoices are basedon the purchase orders raised,matching is to a very high level.

THE RESULTSThe unique nature of the Marrakechsystem offers benefits to all parties inthe supply chain.

At a corporate level, Tesco now havevisibility down to a store andtransaction levels for this spend. Thefinance function has less mismatchedinvoices and improved compliancewith payment cycles.

The benefits can be summarised asfollows:

• Less time spent processing ordersin stores.

• Less time spent processinginvoices and the electronicordering system removes thepaperwork

• Reduced spend in stores, throughordering the right products at theright time at the right price,providing visibility of spend andallowing staff to proactivelycontrol costs through reducedstock levels and better, moretimely information.

"Tesco is focused on simplifying ourbusiness processes so that we canimprove quality and offer lowerprices to our customers" said StuartBlackery, programme manager atTesco. "At store level, we’ve been ableto simplify the ordering process sothat we can ensure that staff canorder the right goods, at the righttime and at the right price.Marrakech is helping us tostreamline this part of our businessand create a "right first time"ordering system."

14

RSPCA officers will soon be able to help even moreanimals in distress, thanks to a new mobile workingsolution which will be delivered to the Society’s 500field staff by AMT-SYBEX.

Currently being developed to help handle the one millioncalls received by the RSPCA’s dedicated National ControlCentre (NCC) every year, AMT-SYBEX will design, deliverand manage the Mobile Integrated CommunicationsEquipment (MICE) project to tie in to the RSPCA’s existingincident management system (TAILS) which is supplied,managed and supported by Sungard Vivista.

The incident management system raises and assignsincidents which are currently allocated to RSPCAInspectors and Animal Collection Officers (ACOs) throughthe use of live radio contact or a voice messaging system.Replacing the voice message system, MICE will equip fieldworkers with handheld PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)linked to TAILS, which will allow incidents to be issued,updated and closed more quickly and efficiently.

The new system, which will include integrated SatelliteNavigation, is intended to reduce the time and cost ofcollating accurate data about incidents in the field. It willalso ensure that clear and concise information is recorded,

at the point of work, allowing the Society to put its data tobetter use for campaigning and lobbying activities. All theproject objectives help to underpin the Society’s work toprevent cruelty and promote kindness to animals.

Roll out of the MICE project is planned for spring 2008.The managed service contract is for five years, over whichtime AMT-SYBEX will cover the provision andmanagement of hosted servers, first line helpdesk, ongoingdevice management (including the business processrelating to the collection and replacement of field devices)and complete solution support.

Aaron Pacifico, Planning Manager at the RSPCA, said:“Although our existing system enables all 500 field workersto do their daily job, we wanted a new solution that couldreduce administration costs, and ultimately improve dataquality. The volume and accuracy of information that willbe available through the MICE project will give us a muchclearer picture of exactly what work is being done andwhere. It will also highlight areas for improvement,helping us raise the profile of our work in the right way.

“Following a competitive pitch, we awarded the contract tothe AMT-SYBEX team, who quickly impressed us withtheir knowledge and experience in setting up anddelivering successful mobile projects, experience ofchange management and focus on the end user of thesolution.”

Ian Whitefield, Mobility Director at AMT-SYBEX, said: “It isgreat to be working with the RSPCA to help deliver greaterefficiencies to such a respected national cause. Whenmobile working is implemented correctly, it can introducesignificant benefits. This realisation has led to a recentincrease in demand for good quality mobility solutionsacross a number of different industry sectors. We lookforward to a long and successful working relationship withthe RSPCA.”

RSPCA WELFARE OFFICERS SET TO GO MOBILE

16

6th June 2007 The Institute of Directors,Birmingham

Ellipse - 'Sweating the Asset’

Conference'

This event focused

on the future of

asset management

technologies. The

UK’s essential

industries are being

urged to sweat the

value of their

Enterprise Asset

M a n a g e m e n t

(EAM) systems and

make them work

harder. Recent

research from AMT-

SYBEX shows that

EAM technologies could be more fully

integrated across business to better support

data quality, process improvement,

regulatory returns and behavioural change.

Delegates used the day to share best

practice across industry and debate the

challenges involved in implementing

successful asset management and mobile

working solutions.

During the event, representatives from

National Grid, EDF Energy and Three

Valleys Water outlined how EAM and

mobility projects were progressing within

their own organisations and what they were

doing to drive a continual return.

21st June 2007,

One Great George Street London

‘Making Mobile Working Work’

10th & 11th September 2007

Stapleford Park, Leicestershire

‘The 10th Annual Executive Brief’

- See London 2012 on page 13

10th October 2007

Institute of Directors, London,

‘Mobilising Knowledge’

Knowledge of a business, its processes,

products and expertise, is a major

strategic asset for any organisation. This

essential knowledge is normally stored

in the minds of the organisation’s

employees rather than documented in

handbooks or manuals.

However, with an ageing and

increasingly mobile workforce, it is

important organisations harness this

critical information to ensure that when

employees leave or retire, essential

business knowledge doesn’t disappear

with them!

The event, chaired by Mike Duggan,

AMT-SYBEX director, highlighted the

importance of mobilising knowledge

and discussed methods to capture

essential business information to

ensure organisations avoid falling into

the intelligence trap.

The day’s proceedings kicked off with

an introduction from AMT-SYBEX

Chairman, Steve Norris. This was

followed by a presentation from Dr.

Campbell Booth, Executive Director at

the Dynamic Knowledge Corporation.

Dr. Booth’s presentation focused on the

value of capturing knowledge in a

global economy where business

processes are commonly outsourced or

off-shored. As these processes continue

to be decentralised, organisations run

the risk of essential business

knowledge becoming diluted or worse,

disappearing all together.

Following this presentation, David

Higgin, Engineering registrar for UK

distribution at National Grid provided a

case study on a knowledge

management project implemented at

the organisation. Following a period of

company restructure and a number of

employees leaving, National Grid

wanted to capture and preserve the

unique and critical knowledge stored

within its workforce.

The knowledge capture project, which

entailed interviewing 25 key National

Grid employees, resulted in the

creation of 250 intranet pages and over

250 documents highlighting essential

business processes and helping the

organisation avoid costly mistakes.

The final presentation of the day came

from Peter Kleinhans, Manager for

Business Consulting at Intelligente

Informations Systeme AG (iisy AG).

The presentation highlighted the

objectives and challenges many

organisations face when implementing

knowledge engineering projects.

The presentation also turned the

spotlight on successful case studies

across a range of industries including

the utilities and defence sectors.

Event attendees were also given the

chance to voice their thoughts and

concerns in two group sessions which

discussed knowledge management

issues and resulted in the creation of a

knowledge management wish list.

14th November 2007 The Institute of

Directors, London

‘Get Together with Marrakech’

Events Calender 2008

Please check our events page on our

website www.amt-sybex.com where

we will post the details of the future

events we will be hosting next year.

Intelligent AssetManagement

As a result of collaborative working with a

number of clients with long term asset

management requirements, we have been

able to develop a pragmatic work programme

for extracting significantly more value from

investments such as EAM and SCADA

systems and mobile

workforce solutions.

In all cases the tangible business benefits

delivered have highlighted untapped

investment opportunities that are within

easy reach of pro-active Asset Managers

The ability to assess future asset

investment requirements based on the

analysis of readily available data sets has

been significantly simplified with new

user friendly software products to the

extent that many asset management

decision can be made in the field whilst

operatives are on site.

We have combined our industry know how,

with best of breed decision support

software and our implementation methods

to enable AMT-SYBEX to offer end to end

Asset Management solutions that meet the

requirements of industry wide publications

such as PAS 55 and Capital Planning

Frameworks.

The programme has four key components,

each can be delivered on a stand alone basis

but the real benefits are achieved through

an integrated intelligent approach.

• Reliability Centered Maintenance to

optimise the integration of effective

maintenance policies, materials and

resources within acceptable risk

tolerances.

• Availability Simulation to predict what

could happen and when

• Life Cycle Cost analysis to optimise the

whole of life cost/ risk balance

• Weibull Analysis to analyse historical

failure data and feed back into the RCM

review process

Initially clients were reluctant to move

forward because of the perception of the

costs and resource requirements for

embedding the RCM approach. Our

application of technology shows that these

perceptions, based on the old RCM resource

intensive implementation methods can be

discarded and replaced with rapid

deployment techniques at marginal cost.

Data then became an issue until we were

able to demonstrate that creation of timely

accurate data for decision making required a

bit of lateral thinking and the harnessing of

current and new data sources more

effectively.

If you are interested in sharing some of our

experiences and understanding the

approach then please contact

john.murphy@amt-sybex.com

AMT-SYBEX andDexterra join

forces to get UKbusiness mobile

To implement a successful mobile

working strategy, companies must

put the needs of field workers first.

AMT-SYBEX, an established

provider of mobility and asset

management solutions, and

Dexterra – the fastest-growing

mobile enterprise software and

tools company in the world –

have joined forces to make this a

reality and help enterprises really

make mobile working work!

At a recent event in Central

London, AMT-SYBEX and

Dexterra urged organisations

from across the UK’s utility and

transport sectors to treat

employees as a business’ most

valuable asset. Highlighting that

workers are critical to the

adoption of any mobility strategy,

the two companies outlined their

unique “Outside-In” approach to

mobile working and provided

some top tips for success.

To date, AMT-SYBEX has

mobilised more than 12,000

workers from across the UK’s

essential industries who use its

systems daily for a variety of

tasks from inspecting heavy

industry assets to recording

evidence for law enforcement.

These organisations have

embraced the “Outside-In”

approach to mobile working

championed by AMT-SYBEX and

Dexterra - which focuses on

involving employees from the

outset to ensure final systems are

put in place with minimum pain

and maximum benefit.

17

Centre for Essential Industries

Steve NorrisChairman, AMT-SYBEX