Unlocking the Digital Transformation Challenge for NIE Networks

NIE Networks own and operate the electricity transmission and distribution network that serves over 860,000 customers.

True digital transformation comes from assessing the business you are in, the applications required to run that business, the data you have access to that will support and develop the business, and the technology required to support all of this.

One of the first steps in unlocking digital transformation is quickly understanding the quality and multiple sources of data within your organisation, allowing you to gain insight, ensure compliance and scale securely.

Challenge

The Key Challenge

NIE Networks has a commercial requirement and regulatory obligation to ensure the quality of all business-critical data within its landscape. NIE Networks engaged Version 1 as its trusted IT data partner to implement a solution to allow it to better control, manage and gain insights from its data.

Solution Delivered

Version 1 carried out a company-wide assessment of over 200 data sources, then held meetings and workshops with key stakeholders and employees to identify the scale and breadth of its existing data.

Working alongside the customer, Version 1 then set about determining how valuable the various sets of data were to the organisation. Version 1 ranked all data by importance, allowing the customer to easily identify and analyse specific data sets.

Leveraging Version 1’s custom-built data quality solution on the Microsoft Azure platform, the client worked in partnership with Version1 to determine bespoke data quality rules and logic. The solution allowed NIE Networks to accurately benchmark its data, understand any potential data quality issues, and put in place measures to mitigate.

Real Differences…

…Delivered.

Having a single, integrated view of its data estate gives NIE Networks the ability to gain insights that were previously unavailable. The organisation can now manage its data effectively, taking full ownership and accountability for the suite of information it houses. Data is of better quality and there are measures in place to avoid duplications in data recording.

NIE Networks now uses its data to guide its decision making, helping it engage with its customers in a more personalised way and influencing its future investments. Through Version 1’s data discovery and preparation toolkit, powered by the cloud computing platform Microsoft Azure, the company has taken a huge step towards becoming a modern data-driven organisation.