Many if not most utilities still plan, design and deploy automation/IT systems in a very compartmentalized way. This is a throwback to the days when the various automation and I/T platforms were still distinctly different from one another, both functionally and technologically. Although that has not been the case for many years with Microsoft operating systems and Intel PC platforms dominating the global automation/IT landscape, utilities have continued to doggedly plan from an almost purely operational perspective with financial consideration being limited to the traditional budgeting process.

Today, however, Asset Management is moving financial considerations to the top of the list. This new focus on asset optimization is in no small way the result of growing concerns that critical assets across the enterprise are reaching the end of their useful life at a time when investments in infrastructure have been at a low ebb for decades.

This presentation will focus on the market drivers, issues and trends associated with Asset Management and its growing impact on Automation/IT planning, justification and implementation.