The utility industry has historically been fairly rigid in practice and has prioritized stability over agility. As long as the utility delivered power and water to our customers, with little interruption to services, it was considered to be doing its job. However, as the economy, environment and consumer demands change – the utility is being forced to change as well.
A hundred years ago the “Amazons” and “Googles” of the world did not exist, technology did not dictate so much of our day-to-day lives, and operating in a vacuum was the norm. Today, technology is an expectation, innovation happens every day and having what you want, when you want and how you want it is the new norm.
Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) understood that it needed to better position itself to meet new industry expectations and PI was the solution. Through the PI System, RPU transitioned from paper-based and people dependent processes to a digital and connected utility.
Speaker
CJ Smith
CJ Smith is a Project Manager in the Operational Technology division of Riverside Public Utilities and is passionate about technology. CJ manages technology implementation across the utility and city, and focuses on delivering technology solutions that improve and streamline utility operations.