Frequently asked questions

• These all are slightly different, with some overlap.
• Operations management encompasses managing the assets, the process (e.g. water treatment), and people managing both. So – it encompasses the elements of CMMS (or ‘work order management’), asset management, data management (or ‘compliance management’), mobile workforce management, and more. So, let us dig into the components:
• CMMS manages work orders: that is, when should they happen, with what materials, performed by whom, and at what cost.
• Asset management relies on information generated from a CMMS, with the objective of planning capital spend to optimize for reliability.
• Data management focuses on collecting and analyzing operations data, typically focused on the process or commodity itself. This helps you understand where your utility may have environmental or safety exposure, for instance.
• Mobility: Oftentimes CMMS and data management platforms are ‘office’ applications, though not always. Mobile capabilities deliver a mechanism for the field to both collect data and action data.  

We sure hope so – our staff includes long-time utility and asset management veterans from the operations, engineering, and administrative sides of the house. We don’t stop at just ‘knowing your business’. Our customers benefit from thought leadership – for example, through our Skills Series, we bring in domain experts to discuss pressing topics facing utilities. For more, we encourage you to check out our Skills Series. Even if you never work with us, we expect these topics to bring value to your utility immediately. 

While there are tons of long-term benefits to appropriately managing the data and work on your assets (for example, DeSitter’s law - which states that over time, effective preventative maintenance is 25X more cost efficient than reactive maintenance), we know that you want results now. In nearly 100% of cases, we see 40% reduction in time against core operational activities. For more specifics on select customers, we encourage you to research our resources page.

Yes – we answer the phone 8-5PM ET during weekdays and through our electronic ticketing system outside of these hours. Additional resources can be found in our helpfiles. Our support team sits within our Customer Success group. Our support capabilities not only include experts in our product, but also experts in the utility industry – ranging from former utility operations professionals to environmental engineers.  

Security of data in the cloud is often a concern. However, it is the case that most cloud systems are more secure than their on-premise alternatives, due to the best practice processes that professional SaaS companies apply. Utility Cloud is cloud-native – designed to run in the cloud from the outset – and we use the latest security standards to ensure the integrity and privacy of your data. Utility Cloud exclusively runs on AWS web services, leveraging best practices and latest technology in cyber security. 

Utility Cloud is built for utilities needs across their entire operations. While some platforms focus functionally on one area or another (CMMS or data management), we focus on the utility industry. We are a ‘vertically integrated’ solution that reduces the risk of data siloes across all the systems mentioned above. 

We should. Whether you use us for your CMMS or someone else, we help you tie operational data to the work needing to be performed – optimizing the use of your CMMS for your operational priorities.    

Yes – here’s a one pager and a short video that you can email around. This should help generate interest. When you are ready, request a demo and we will get right in touch. 

Our customers see results quickly and without pain. Typically, to get up and running we see: 

• Admins and power users = 12 hours per power users 
• Field staff = 2 hours per staff member

With each implementation, we set mutual objective milestones based on time savings, compliance adherence, etc. so that both you and we can quantify value immediately. Most of our customers start with a single use case – and with data in hand and a strong business case, expand their usage. Low risk, high value. 

An internet connection and a modern browser – we are a cloud-based product and manage infrastructure operations all on our side.

Depending on the actors – we have a variety of off-the-shelf recommendations for outfitting your staff here

Our customers start at different places. Many have robust GIS programs in place, in which case Utility Cloud enhances the usefulness of these programs. In other cases, customers do not utilize any GIS at all – in which case, we offer an array of integration options should they choose to utilize geospatial functionality.  

That’s OK. We implement based on the capability of your team. Some customers have 10+ power users, others have zero. In the case where you do not have an admin identified, we offer fractional administrators – system experts who work within your business to enhance value you derive from the product.  

Both. Our customers tend to leverage the layers in their GIS platforms, but typically also want to ‘drill in’ to the plant or facility. We offer both, on the same interface. Other work-oriented platforms are strong indoors or outdoors, where we leverage the benefits of both.  

Yes, we leverage HTML5 standard, delivering accessibility across any computer, tablet, phone – basically anything that has access to a browser.  

Also yes. With advanced caching strategies, users perform work while offline. Data synchronizes when cellular or internet is restored.

Yes. Our suite of RESTful APIs allows for integration with any software platform that communicates over the Internet. We also have several pre-built integrations for GIS, SCADA, billing, and advanced analytics that work with the key parts of your existing infrastructure. More on our integrations page. 

Utility Cloud leverages online and offline browser technology using the HTML5 standard, which gives the platform more capability than an app would allow, while enhancing the range of devices that can utilize the platform in the same way. For these reasons, we have chosen to not limit ourselves with ‘apps’.  

Pretty much anything you want: images, multi-select, expressions built from asset attributes, work history, and form input fields, location, chain of custody, video, manuals, warranties, templated reports (by asset), you name it – all saved sequentially to the asset, accessed through asset history.