Companies providing utility services can cut costs and divert funding into expansion and service enhancement, if they consolidate and manage company information.
Enterprise software company Oracle told delegates at the Applications in Utilities conference in Nairobi, Kenya, that an accurate and comprehensive data store can lead to investment in other areas.
"Without accurate, complete and timely information, companies cannot even begin to make changes that will save them money and improve their service," said industry leader of utilities at Oracle African Operations Samir Eid.
"In many utility companies, details of an unplanned outage, the number of customers affected, the duration of interruptions and even customer account numbers are to be found in different applications, each possibly with its own database."
Plans to extend service delivery to remote and underdeveloped communities can be made easier with reliable information. In addition, planning for asset replacement and infrastructure refurbishment are activities which rely on accurate and complete historical data, said a statement.
"Manpower, money, plant and machinery, infrastructure - the more integrated the information systems that run these operations, the better the control and the greater the ability to change the processes to achieve greater efficiency," added Eid.
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