oekostrom AG: A harmonization layer for sustainable growth.
Cloud power for a future proof and competitive energy supplier.
Highlights
- One central platform for interfaces, master data and automated trading activities
- Go-live of the first process after a few weeks; many more followed within only a few months
- Connection to the Austrian electricity exchange EXAA enables automated trading activities
- High flexibility thanks to cloud platform Virtimo Digitalization Cloud with a low-code approach
- Support for a comprehensive IT transformation process of oekostrom as a central digitalization partner
Fact sheet
| CLIENT | oekostrom AG |
| SECTOR | Energy |
| Head office | Vienna | Austria |
| Employees | 100 |
| Purpose | Oldest and largest independent energy supplier in Austria with 100% clean electricity from wind, sun and water |
Missions accomplished
- Connectivity
- Applications
- Automation
Smart technology
- Virtimo Digitalization Cloud
Growing oekostrom AG: From pioneer to established player.
oekostrom AG has been on the market as a supplier of green electricity for over 25 years. The steady growth of the company has also been accompanied by a growing decentralization of the energy system, which is requiring more and more interaction with many small market participants.
By the end of 2023, the need for new IT solutions had become apparent. At that time, many home-grown solutions were in use that were only partially automated and provided a poor overview of interfaces and processes. On top of this, Georg Lettner, team leader for short-term and flexibility trading at oekostrom Handels GmbH, was faced with increased security requirements: “As part of the critical infrastructure, security concerns are a major driver for oekostrom. We need a strong partner at our side who is certified in the latest technology and security standards and can provide us with optimal support.”
Seamless data flows for stable processes.
The connection came about through our partner HAKOM Time Series, whose time series management system was already in use at oekostrom, but for which an appropriate interface connection was still missing. “From the very first conversations, it became clear that this was a very good fit not only on a technical level, but also – and this is just as important – on a personal one,” recalls Georg Lettner.
Building on the Virtimo Digitalization Cloud, we developed a platform that transfers different data sources into the system landscapes of oekostrom’s various trading services and thus enables stable processes.
Stephan Bögel, Consultant at Virtimo, played a key role in shaping the development process: “The challenge was to gradually develop a platform, from the structures that had grown over many years, that is sustainable enough to support oekostrom not only in its current size, but also for the future.”
An increase in automation, transparency and efficiency.
By now, the platform is used not only to manage and monitor various interfaces, but also to manage master data, including that of the generation plants.
One of the biggest milestones in 2024 was the successful connection to the EXAA electricity exchange. Trading activities are now largely automated, which ensures that the available capacities are marketed correctly. Automation has made day-to-day business easier in many areas, emphasizes Stephan Bögel: “Where there used to be redundant and error-prone work steps, for example copy-and-paste in Excel, the automation means that a single click is now often enough. This gives employees more time for their actual tasks.”
As one of the components of the Virtimo Digitalization Cloud, the BPC [Business Process Center] is now in use for tasks such as business-specific logging, process monitoring and master data management, which ensures a higher degree of transparency and traceability.
Above all, the positive changes lie in the monitoring of the automated processes. Automated trading has become easy, time-saving and efficient. We are moving ever closer to real-time operation, and that keeps the blood pressure down for all employees.
Georg Lettner
Team Leader Short-Term and Flexibility Trading | oekostrom Handels GmbH
Low code, high Impact: Ready for the next stage of transformation.
oekostrom is also well equipped for future scenarios, according to Martin Büscher, Business Developer at Virtimo: “Thanks to our platform, the heart of which is IGUASU with its low-code approach, half the work is already done before we have even started a new implementation. We find sensible solutions for all cases and simply gain incredible speed when implementing new processes.”
So far, the digitalization platform has primarily been used at oekostrom Handels GmbH. However, there is a fundamental need for it in many areas; the plan is therefore to roll it out to large parts of oekostrom AG so that other interfaces developed in-house can be replaced and professionalized by the platform. The timing is just right, as the entire oekostrom system landscape is currently undergoing a realignment and is intended to become adaptable to ongoing needs with even more agility in the future. With our digitalization platform, we are not only building bridges between the systems or services and their processes, but also securing oekostrom’s business values in the long term.
The trust and openness with which we act in this project and drive issues forward are not a matter of course. Together, we are giving the digital transformation a real boost and securing the strong growth of oekostrom AG for the long term.
Martin Büscher
Business Development | Virtimo AG
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