Skip to content
MarketScale
‹ Back to IndustriesEnergy

DTECH 2024: Enterprise Asset Management in Utilities Get a Powerful Lift From AI and IoT

Connected intelligence is transforming how utilities predict equipment failures and optimize asset performance across their operations

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Energy teams put it to work with Customer Stories & Case Studies.

By Energy · Advance Predictive MaintenanceCarol JohnsonDistributech 2024Enterprise Asset Management
Share

Key takeaways

01

Connected intelligence is transforming how utilities predict equipment failures and optimize asset performance across their operations

When AI and IoT work together, good things happen in Enterprise Asset Management (EAM). When evolved EAM is applied to utilities; good things become great solutions.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing asset management in the utility sector, enhancing operational efficiency, reliability, and cost savings. AI enables predictive maintenance, allowing utilities to anticipate equipment failures before they occur, minimizing downtime and maintenance costs. Through intelligent asset monitoring, AI systems utilize sensors and computer vision to detect anomalies and assess asset health in real time, reducing the reliance on manual inspections. Additionally, AI optimizes energy distribution and grid management by analyzing consumption patterns and making real-time adjustments, ensuring a stable and efficient power supply. Integrating AI in utility asset management streamlines workforce management and resource allocation and paves the way for a more resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure.

When you combine EAM with APM, IoT, and AI, all the acronyms merge together, and now you really have something.
— Carol Johnson, VP of Energy, Utilities, and Resources at IFS

At DISTRIBUTECH 2024, MarketScale spoke with Carol Johnson, the VP of Energy, Utilities, and Resources at IFS, who shared her insights on the transformative power of combining Enterprise Asset Management with Advanced Predictive Maintenance (APM), IoT, and AI.

Carol's Thoughts

"EAMs have been around for a long time, which is Enterprise Asset Management, but when you combine EAM with APM, IoT, and AI, all the acronyms merge together, and now you really have something.

When you bring in Internet of Things data, you get real-time performance monitoring, so you now know the health of that asset in real time. But when you bring AI to it, it can actually analyze and predict the likelihood of that asset to fail and when—so catching, you know, those blips of those anomalies, when they occur, and using that big-picture data to project what's going to happen with that asset over a period of time. And then being able to put that into a scheduling engine and a field solution to be able to go out and react and do something about that.

From an asset management perspective, they're dealing with a lot of critical infrastructure out there. They need things that will not only be regulatory compliant, especially if you're a nuclear power plant; for example, there are a lot of regulations around how you store and maintain and who gets access to that data.
— Carol Johnson, VP of Energy, Utilities, and Resources at IFS

So, security is a big, huge problem. And then certainly having, you know, historical data coming in from drones or from smart devices on the grid, you now have, you know, real-time asset information coming in that you need to store and maintain."

About the author

E
Energy

Energy: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Energy buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. See how AI describes your company today, and where competitors show up instead.

Free workspace

You just read one Energy expert. Imagine publishing your whole team.

This article was produced through MarketScale. Create a free workspace and turn your own team's Energy expertise into the articles, video, and social content B2B marketing buyers in your industry are searching for. No credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale Studio workspace
One video edit a month, on us
AI writing, editing, and publishing tools
In-platform coaching to learn the system

More Energy Insights

Heat stress is expanding faster than utility grids can keep up, and the investment gap is widening

Heat stress is expanding faster than utility grids can keep up, and the investment gap is widening

Heat stress is increasing more rapidly than utility grids can expand, leading to a widening investment gap. A study published in Nature indicates that some regions now experience 50 additional heat stress days annually. U.S. utilities have announced plans for a $1.1 trillion grid investment over the next five years to address this growing issue.

  • 01Some regions now experience 50 more heat stress days per year due to climate change.
  • 02U.S. utilities plan to invest $1.1 trillion in the grid over the next five years.
  • 03The investment gap between current utility infrastructure and needed upgrades is widening.

Jul 25, 2026

Fitch downgrades utility sector outlook as $240B capex wave collides with affordability backlash

Fitch downgrades utility sector outlook as $240B capex wave collides with affordability backlash

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the outlook for the utility sector to 'deteriorating'. The sector is facing challenges due to a $240 billion capital expenditure wave coupled with affordability issues that threaten cost recovery.

  • 01Fitch Ratings has downgraded the utility sector outlook to 'deteriorating' due to affordability pressures.
  • 02The utility sector is dealing with a $240 billion capital expenditure wave.
  • 03Affordability concerns could impact the sector's ability to recover costs.

Jul 24, 2026

Utilities set to spend $1.1T on grid infrastructure as electrification drives five-year investment surge

Utilities set to spend $1.1T on grid infrastructure as electrification drives five-year investment surge

Utilities are expected to spend approximately $1.1 trillion on grid infrastructure over the next five years, largely in response to increased electrification demands. The Edison Electric Institute anticipates an investment of $208 billion in 2025 as part of this significant build-out effort. This surge underscores the critical role infrastructure will play in supporting future energy needs.

  • 01Utilities plan to invest $1.1 trillion in grid infrastructure over the next five years.
  • 02A projected $208 billion will be spent on grid upgrades in 2025 alone.
  • 03Electrification is a major driving force behind these substantial investments.

Jul 23, 2026

Explore More Energy Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Energy.

Browse Energy Hub

About the Expert

E
Energy

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Energy and beyond.

Book a 15-minute demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512