March 16, 2015

Accenture and SAP Chosen by CenterPoint Energy to Develop Asset Analytics Solution to Take Advantage of the Internet of Things



Solution will support company’s integration of information technology with operational technology


HOUSTON AND HANNOVER, Germany; Mar. 16, 2015 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) have been selected by CenterPoint Energy to design, test and implement an asset analytics solution that supports CenterPoint Energy’s strategy of integrating information technology (IT) with operational technology (OT). This will help improve management and maintenance of its transmission and distribution assets.

The announcement was made at CeBIT 2015, being held in Hannover, Germany, from March 16-20.

Developed by the Accenture and SAP Business Solutions Group, the IT-OT Integration Solution by Accenture and SAP for utilities is designed to combine business data (IT) with sensor data (OT), as well as external data feeds to manage the unified data model on the scalable SAP HANA® Cloud Platform.

“The advent of the Industrial Internet of Things means that our organization is generating enormous amounts of data ranging from our enterprise, operations, customer and control systems, right through to specific assets,” said Gary Hayes, CIO and SVP from CenterPoint Energy. “We selected Accenture and SAP to help us harness this data to generate operational and cost benefits for our business, based on their experience in transmission and distribution services and their successful history in teaming on innovative digital projects.”

CenterPoint Energy is establishing SAP HANA as a core component of its technology platform to bring together enterprise and operational data. Accenture will manage the project using its industry knowledge and business process experience in the utilities domain and providing asset analytic guidance, testing, development and systems integration services. SAP intends to develop the platform utilizing the SAP HANA platform and a prototype asset health application.

“With deeper insight into its asset base through analytics, CenterPoint Energy would be able to enhance its decision making capability. This would allow the company to further reduce asset risk and increase the efficiency of capital and operations and maintenance spending,” said Kathy Sanders, Accenture Utilities West Market Lead. “Given the potential for adverse weather events in the Houston area, reliability is a critical issue for clients. This initiative will help CenterPoint Energy target its planned asset replacements in key areas. In addition, the solution would address industry-wide needs, harnessing digital technology and the power of the SAP HANA platform to improve the management of the transmission and distribution network.”

“With the launch of the Accenture and SAP Business Solutions Group, we’ve made major strides in establishing the next-generation platform for combining business and sensor data onto the SAP HANA platform, which can benefit numerous asset-heavy industries,” said Henry Bailey, global vice president, Utilities, SAP. “In particular, the IT-OT Integration Solution for utilities integrates grid operations and business information to repair, maintain and optimize critical infrastructure assets in a safe and secure manner.”

As Accenture and SAP are further enhancing their joint efforts to build industry solutions in the Internet of Things space, the IT-OT Integration Solution is also being developed for other asset-heavy industries. Furthermore, additional solutions are under development for other industries, such as industrial equipment and automotive.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About CenterPoint Energy
CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution and energy services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. The company also owns a 55.4 percent limited partner interest in Enable Midstream Partners, a publicly traded master limited partnership it jointly controls with OGE Energy Corp., which owns, operates and develops natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With more than 7,400 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 140 years. For more information, visit the website at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 282,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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Contacts:

Guy Cantwell
Accenture
+ 1 281 900 9089
guy.cantwell@accenture.com

Justyna Devraj
Accenture
+ 44 20 7844 0090
+ 44 750 012 4567
justyna.devraj@accenture.com

Jason Loesche
SAP
+ 1 484 437 0015
j.loesche@sap.com
SAP News Center press room; press@sap.com