The study was conducted in June 2024 by Arlington Research on behalf of Frends, a provider of cloud-based iPaaS solutions (Integration Platform as a Service). A total of 150 IT decision-makers in energy generation and energy supply companies in Germany were surveyed. The result: 19% of the energy companies surveyed continue to work with completely incompatible IT systems, while 21% only use partially compatible systems. The majority (82%) of those who report partially or fully incompatible systems in their organization are experiencing a strong to very strong impairment of their process efficiency as a result.

The networking of existing and new systems is one of the biggest challenges in key areas such as data analysis (59%), energy management (53%) and personnel management (48%). In particular, the integration of modern technologies such as smart grids, IoT platforms and AI tools is made more difficult by outdated IT infrastructures, which leads to increased operating costs and a reduced ability to innovate, according to the study.

Comprehensive digitalization of central business areas is therefore crucial for energy suppliers in order to meet the growing demands and challenges of the market. This applies in particular to in-house data analysis and energy management. More than half (55% in each case) of those surveyed see a much greater need here than is currently the case. A significantly higher level of digitalization is also required in other business areas, for example in energy generation (48%), maintenance and repair (47%), customer service (46%), personnel management (45%), sales processes (45%), metering and billing, IT and e-commerce (44% each).

Automation as a key factor

Another pressing issue is automation: almost 59% of companies are already using artificial intelligence (AI) to automate their processes. Automation is seen as the key to increasing efficiency and meeting future market requirements. There is a particularly high demand for process automation in energy management (49%) and data analysis (47%).

Tom Schröder, Regional Director DACH at Frends, comments: "Without consistent digitalization and automation, the German energy sector is at risk of losing touch with technological developments. The integration of AI, cloud and automation technologies will be crucial to increasing efficiency and ensuring the future viability of companies."