National Grid Transco Selects Business Objects as
Global Business Intelligence Standard
SAN JOSE, Calif. - June 23, 2004 - Business Objects (Nasdaq: BOBJ; Euronext Paris ISIN code FR0004026250 - BOB), the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that National Grid Transco (NGT), a leading international energy delivery business and the largest utility in the UK, has selected Business Objects as its business intelligence standard. NGT has signed a contract with Business Objects to extend its use of business intelligence to nearly 3,000 users. The contract includes BusinessObjects™ and WebIntelligence®, the integrated query, reporting and analysis solutions for the enterprise from Business Objects, to track, understand, and manage business performance. NGT will also use professional services from Business Objects for best practice implementation.
NGT expects to see a full return on this latest investment in Business Objects business intelligence solutions within two years. “In the tightly cost regulated utilities sector, the advantages of standardizing on one integrated business intelligence platform are compelling and meet our high ROI threshold,” said Derek Murphy, technology manager at National Grid Transco.
“Using Business Objects as our BI interface will provide the business with timely access to a unified view of company-wide performance. Armed with this information we will be able to take fast action in response to changes in our constantly moving business, boost operational performance and drive down costs. By standardizing on Business Objects for our business intelligence needs, we also benefit from economies of scale and ease of maintenance.”
A key driver in NGT's decision to standardize on Business Objects was the reorganization the company undertook after the merger of the National Grid Group and Lattice Group, including bringing together its electricity delivery business, National Grid, with Transco, the gas transportation business. Following the merger, NGT found itself with a diverse portfolio of business intelligence tools and a requirement to improve interoperability of disparate source systems. By standardizing on Business Objects as its enterprise-wide business intelligence solution, NGT can now access information from any data source for consistent visibility of performance across the combined company.
Business intelligence plays a key role within a number of strategic business projects, including the 'Quarterback' mobile Field Force project, where NGT is using Business Objects solutions to monitor business performance in order to identify areas for cost savings and improved efficiencies. This is a key requirement in the optimal utilization of NGT's large mobile workforce of engineers. Using Business Objects software, NGT can analyze the activities of several thousand field staff across every region the company operates in, and thus ensure that they are deployed in an effective and responsive manner.
In addition, NGT will be using Business Objects business intelligence solutions to monitor and manage the operational running of its gas network as part of its Integrated Gas Management System (iGMS) Project. Using Business Objects software, NGT can report on information relating to the condition of that network, the flow of gas, and performance against Service Level Agreements to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
“NGT is a validation of the vision of business intelligence we are providing to our customers,” said Chris Caren, vice president of corporate marketing, Business Objects. “More and more, companies are selecting Business Objects as their enterprise standard because they recognize that Business Objects offers an integrated suite of products, and one support and maintenance path, to help them reach and exceed their enterprise performance goals.”
About National Grid Transco
National Grid Transco plc is a leading international energy delivery business. It is the largest investor-owned utility in the UK. Through National Grid, the group owns and operates the electricity transmission network in England and Wales, and through Transco, it owns and operates Britain's gas transportation network. National Grid USA is one of the top ten electricity companies in the US, with the largest electricity transmission and distribution network in the New England/New York market. It also operates a gas distribution network in New York.
About Business Objects
Business Objects is the world's leading business intelligence (BI) software company. With more than 35,000 customers worldwide, including over 80 percent of the Fortune 500, Business Objects helps organizations gain better insight into their business, improve decision making, and optimize enterprise performance. The company's business intelligence platform, BusinessObjects™ XI, offers the BI industry's most complete and trusted platform for performance management, planning, reporting, query and analysis, and data integration. BusinessObjects XI includes Crystal Reports®, the industry standard for enterprise reporting. Business Objects has built the industry's strongest and most diverse partner community, and also offers consulting and education services to help customers effectively deploy their business intelligence projects.
Business Objects has dual headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and Paris, France. The company's stock is traded on both the Nasdaq (BOBJ) and Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0004026250 - BOB) stock exchanges. More information about Business Objects can be found at www.businessobjects.com.
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Business Objects, the Business Objects logo, Crystal Reports, and Crystal Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA or its affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
