Ventyx has announced the industry's first smart grid solution suite to incorporate a real-time distribution management system (DMS), end-to-end mobile workforce management (MWFM) software and advanced business intelligence (BI) software. Following Obvient Strategies' recent acquisition by the ABB Group, Ventyx has integrated Obvient's BI tools, FocalPoint Suite, with Network Manager DMS and Service Suite MWFM software to deliver a complete solution, which enables utilities to more effectively monitor and manage distributed grid assets on a real-time, near-real-time and event-driven basis.

“The addition of advanced BI to our DMS solution provides a real-world, end-to-end view of the distribution grid, as well as metrics for monitoring, controlling, optimizing, maintaining and servicing it,” said Andy Bane, head of product management and marketing at Ventyx. “This improved access to vital data allows better operational decision-making across the organization. Additionally, FocalPoint's extensive prepackaged content for work, asset and outage management leverages the integration between Network Manager and Service Suite to ensure clients can manage their mobile workforce in the most efficient manner during critical outage situations.”

The fully integrated software solution comprises the following Ventyx solution suites:

• Network Manager DMS – an operations management system designed to provide advanced network modeling and management, integrated switching and tagging, trouble call and outage management, crew management and historical archiving and reporting.
• FocalPoint Suite – Advanced BI software that collects, analyzes and reports critical real-time as well as periodic information to supports decision-making and help users optimize operations.
• Service Suite – a complete solution that helps to efficiently plan, schedule and execute all types of field work, automating the service workflow end-to-end—from scheduling and optimization of order assignment, to dissemination of work to the field, order processing and performance measurement.

The integration of Network Manager DMS and FocalPoint enables an integrated view of system efficiency, availability and economy, giving managers and executives real-time information and allowing users to analyze weak spots in the network that can improve reliability. Integrating Service Suite helps optimize the response to outages and ensures customers are restored as quickly as possible. Furthermore, open software architecture ensures seamless communication between internal and external sources. As a result, clients can push outage information to diverse audiences, such as the utility's Website, enabling customers to receive alerts regarding outages (planned and unplanned) in their areas.

The integrated offering is already being implemented to improve power reliability and restoration capabilities for CenterPoint Energy in Houston, Texas.

“This integrated solution offering further validates our strategy for the smart grid and global utility market overall,” said Bane. “Through acquisition and organic development, we are building the industry's only integrated solution suite that closes the gap between operations and IT platforms and meets our clients greatest challenges—such as managing critical infrastructure and optimizing the smart grid from source to socket.”