Huawei and IDC unveil factors key to electricity sector's digital transformation

Huawei Technologies Co has released a white paper for the digital transformation of the electric power industry by partnering with the market research company International Data Corp.

The move is part of the Chinese tech giant's broader push to use cutting-edge technologies in more industries and help businesses boost efficiency.

Lu Yongping, vice-president of the global energy business department of Huawei's enterprise business group, said the company is a reliable partner for digital transformation. Huawei will facilitate digital transformation of electric power enterprises through a variety of methods, including assisting in the understanding of their own status quo, the market, and the entire industry ecosystem.

In the joint white paper, IDC proposed a methodology for the transformation of electric power enterprises. This methodology supports and aligns with Huawei's digital transformation methodology. IDC and Huawei said they follow a similar approach with frameworks and blueprints to help organizations design their digital transformation priorities and set their agenda, which in turn enables power enterprises to deliver business value of scale.

According to the white paper, power enterprises are now facing multiple changes. Management will need new operating structures and business models if power enterprises are to remain key players in the energy ecosystem. As 2020 progresses, COVID-19 has introduced another dimension of change and disruption that business leaders in the power industry must tackle.

Hou Jinming, deputy director of the technology department of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization, said that, "As the advance of global energy reform and energy Internet development, the power sector will take an entirely different shape. It will be decarbonized, digitized, and intelligent."

The implications of the change will impact the management, operations, services, and transaction modes of the electric power industry, Hou said.

According IDC, the factors most critical to the success of power industry digital transformations are as followed: a single enterprise digital strategy, resolution to make the required organizational and cultural changes, long-term investment commitment to digital transformation, a platform-based strategy, an enterprise-wide data governance model.