In a move to expand its current 2.6 million-client base by another one million clients and to push its current electricity generation capacity from 2025 megawatts to 5000 plus megawatts by 2015, Kenya Power has selected IBM data systems to help it optimize its processes, up its network and finally roll out electricity distribution services countrywide.
The deal will see IBM provide Kenya Power with server, data storage and analysis, software as well as IBM services and training.
According to Ben Chumo, Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Power,”The analytics solution gives us the ability to rapidly perform complex queries on data. For example, we can better understand the varying needs of our customers across different regions in Kenya based on customer buying behavior or manage the power grids more efficiently in specific areas during certain times of the day.”
IBM analytics is expected to enable Kenya Power to study and compare real time and historical data to better monitor business operations and trends, and anticipate future electrical needs. KP teams can now access data on demand on one dashboard compared to 10 different dashboards.
The real-time analytics can be accessed through cloud computing, allowing executives working remotely to use mobile devices to view data pooled from all corners of the company. This will provide unparalleled insight into the electricity company’s operations, and allow instant decision making to help improve business performance.
The IBM solution provides a central repository for various data sources and the analytic capabilities reconcile, correct, and quality-assess the information to provide a consolidated view of Kenya Power’s customers.
Based on this view, the company will be able to improve the call center experience, better identify customer needs and match new services to meet these needs.
“Efficient energy distribution is a key component to the continued growth of this economy. Technology has the unique ability to help companies like Kenya Power leverage big data to gain deeper insights of their customers and power grids,” said Nik Nesbitt, General Manager, IBM East Africa. “IBM is continuously extending its capabilities to enable
businesses in this region and across Africa, with tools to intelligently instrument and innovate their processes in order to help them work smarter.”
The new signing is the latest in a series of System z announcements from IBM in Africa. In May 2014, IBM unveiled two new Mainframe Linux and Cloud labs in Kenya and South Africa. In February, the Government of Ghana announced that they were working with Yale University and IBM Research – Africa to help eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ghana using a Mainframe based solution. In South Africa, IBM is working with FNB to help the bank deploy mobile “bank-in-a-box” solutions that deliver financial services over any channel in near-real time.