Top Ten 2013 Predictions for the EMEA Utilities Industry Revealed by IDC Energy Insights

Today, IDC Energy Insights revealed their Top 10 Predictions for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) utilities industry in a complimentary web conference. Attended live by over 100 utilities and vendors, the web conference highlighted key trends and developments that will impact EMEA utilities' business and technology investment decisions in 2013 and beyond. Click here to view the recorded web conference and download a copy of the presentation, http://bit.ly/....

IDC Energy Insights predictions for the next 12 months have been developed specifically taking into consideration the future impact of the major world events of 2012. Featuring analysts Roberta Bigliani, Gaia Gallotti, Luiza Semernya, Daniella Muallem, Milan Kalal and Petr Stabrawa, the session addressed key business and technology opportunities utilities should be considering in their transitioning role for the new energy paradigm. Electricity /gas / water smart network management, smart metering, customer engagement, smart integration of distributed generation, storage and electric vehicles and energy management were among the topics discussed.

IDC Energy Insights' Top 10 Predictions for the EMEA utilities industry for 2013 and beyond are:

1. Flexibility will be the "new normal" for smart grids implementation
2. Regulatory procrastinations will hold back EMEA's electricity smart metering market
3. Smart grid communication approaches will continue to be heterogeneous
4. Consumer engagement will be the name of the game
5. Smart water spending kick-starting in 2013
6. Public funding will back Smart Cities
7. CIOs will need resources capable of transforming operations
8. Boosted by apps, mobile fever will hit utilities
9. Utilities will embrace analytics to make sense of their "big data"
10. EMEA Utilities IT spending will surpass $17.5 billion in 2013

"Utilities are under pressure across the EMEA region. Economic downturn in many European countries, more difficult conditions on capital and borrowing markets, and most importantly uncertainty about medium and long term return on investments are slowing down the smart energy transition. Nevertheless, renewable sources and distributed generation continue to develop, as well as investment in Grids. We expect for instance that IT spend on Network Automation and Control in EMEA will grow about 8% in 2013" said Roberta Bigliani, Head of EMEA, IDC Energy Insights. "Flexibility will be the New Normal for utilities and smart technologies are the cornerstone of the transformation across the entire value chain. Utilities will invest in analytics, mobility and cyber security. CIOs will consider alternative sourcing models to enable business agility and reduce IT investments. Different IT skill sets will be needed. Lack of a clear leadership and governance in the integration OT/IT could undermine innovation."

Web Conference Details:
IDC Energy Insights Predictions 2013: EMEA Utilities

During the web conference, IDC Energy Insights' EMEA analysts discussed topics including ICT solutions enabling distributed energy integration, energy management, distribution automation, and smart metering of electricity, gas and water. Cyber security and data privacy in the context of smart grid, and Analytics and Big Data were focus areas for the web conference. Click here to access the replay of web conference: http://bit.ly/....

About IDC Predictions

A hallmark of IDC's offering for three decades, the annual Top 10 Predictions reports provide IDC's outlook on the IT market, across industries, for the coming year. During the next 60 days, IDC will publish dozens of Top 10 Predictions documents for 2013. Please visit www.idc.com/predictions2013 for a complete listing.

About IDC Energy Insights

IDC Energy Insights assists energy businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the utility and oil and gas industries. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology, media, research, and events company. For more information, please visit www.idc-ei.com, email info@idc-ei.com, or call 508-935-4400. Visit the IDC Energy Insights Community at http://idc-insights-community.com/....