Future-proof market communication: VICOS sets the standard.
Maximum reliability and minimal effort in one service.
Highlights
- Standardized solution for market communication as a full-service package
- Maximum availability thanks to geo-redundant operation and zero downtime deployments
- Compliance with current and future regulatory requirements at both national and European levels
- Quick implementation of new market participants through a core set of basic functions and the use of existing synergies
Fact Sheet
| Excerpt of Clients | Allgäuer Überlandwerk GmbH Open Grid Europe GmbH Syneco Trading GmbH |
| SECTOR | Energy |
| Purpose | Safe, reliable and efficient supply of energy |
Missions accomplished
- Connectivity
- Portals
- Automation
- Services
Smart technology
- Virtimo Digitalization Cloud
Market communication aka market mixing.
Market communication has long been a core element of business processes in the energy sector. Historically, it initially often relied on bilateral agreements between individual market partners. Data transmission methods ranged from ISDN connections and FTP protocols to fax machines. While this diversity enabled a high degree of flexibility, it also required significant adaptation efforts and demanded technically creative solutions from companies.
Over time, various standardization initiatives led to more uniform formats and transmission channels, such as email or AS2. Driven by regulatory requirements and the aim of creating a level playing field, the need to establish technical standards became increasingly important in order to reduce market entry barriers, harmonize processes, and cut costs.
Via MCS to VICOS: A service was born.
Our initial response to the emergence of early standards was the Market Communication Service [MCS] – a solution that already made data exchange between market partners significantly easier. However, in light of increasing demands for security and efficiency, this was only the beginning, as Dirk Breitkreuz, Board Member at Virtimo AG, recalls: “At some point, the idea emerged to go even further and not only standardize the software itself, but also its delivery.”
Building on this approach, and enhanced by extended service processes and differentiated levels of service, the Virtimo Communication Service [VICOS] was eventually developed – a platform that redefines market communication not only as secure and reliable, but also as a scalable, future-proof service. Linda Naujokat, Sales Representative at Virtimo, explains: “With our full-service approach, we take care of the entire spectrum for our clients – from certificate management to tailored customizations. This frees them from technical challenges and enables a market communication that is flexible and easy to use.”
Market communication is a key topic, and yet TSOs all implement it individually. We serve similar customers and communicate in the same way – so why not use a shared, standardized platform?
Ralf Werner
CIO and CDO | Open Grid Europe GmbH
Top quality as our top priority.
By now, VICOS has established itself as the standard service for market communication. Strict SLAs, 24/7 support, and web-based monitoring ensure high availability. The geo-redundant operation provides maximum reliability, while zero-downtime deployments enable maintenance without interruption. Its high degree of automation simplifies integration, and hundreds of existing communication links to market partners across Europe enable a fast market entry, as Nikolai Paßler, Consultant at Virtimo, illustrates: “New clients in the gas sector that we onboard to VICOS typically find that over 90 percent of their partners are already available in the system.”
The speed at which the system can be deployed was demonstrated, among other cases, during the commissioning of Germany’s first LNG terminal, which was completed in just three weeks. “This shows how VICOS contributes not only to the competitiveness of energy suppliers, but also to energy security across Europe,” emphasizes Dirk Breitkreuz.
Workflows no longer need to be customized, as they are now part of the VICOS standard. Due to the large number of client requirements, we bundle these and develop new features to further automate and standardize the service.
Dr. Nikolai Paßler
Consulting | Virtimo AG
BSI or BDEW AS4: Challenge accepted and mastered.
One thing is clear: market communication never stands still. Currently, the transition to the AS4 protocol – mandated by the German Federal Office for Information Security [BSI] and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries [BDEW] – is posing challenges for many companies. This shift eliminates the central mail server, requiring market partners to interact directly via point-to-point communication.
To ensure that this growing complexity does not become a burden, VICOS enables a smooth transition, as Thomas Meyer, Consultant at Virtimo, explains: “With VICOS, message exchange remains simple and efficient for our clients. They continue to use their familiar processes, while we handle the necessary adjustments in the background automatically.” To ensure compliance at an early stage, we continuously keep an eye on new market standards and regulatory requirements. At the same time, minor optimizations and new features are continuously incorporated into the service.
Andreas Probst, Head of IT at Allgäuer Überlandwerk GmbH, confirms: “The entire process has been absolutely smooth. Our go-live took place several months in advance, at a time when there were still very few certificates on the market and communication via the AS4 protocol was only possible with a handful of market partners. The biggest challenge for us was the certificate application process, as a separate certificate had to be requested for each market role. “
Virtimo enabled a fast system integration and a stress-free onboarding process for market partners, and through VICOS, consistently ensured stability and security. Even during the transition phase, the parallel communication via email and AS4 worked flawlessly.
Andreas Probst
Head of IT | Allgäuer Überlandwerk GmbH
Future-proof and adaptable: VICOS is always on.
As new requirements emerge in the energy market, VICOS ensures that market communication is ready to meet them. With some of our clients, we are already addressing the specific requirements related to hydrogen for the first time, while internationalization of markets brings with it new, interlocking regulations.
Whether it’s the 24-hour supplier switch enabled by a WebAPI implementation or a new ENTSOG version keeping our clients on their toes – we continuously evolve our service, always aligned with client needs. In doing so, we will continue to strike the right balance between flexible scalability and standardization – ensuring that our clients are well prepared for any future challenge.
In a time when digital transformation is advancing relentlessly, the security of our data is of utmost importance. That’s why we are very pleased to have taken the security standard in the energy market to the next level. We’re proud to be taking this important step toward more secure market communication in close cooperation with our experienced software partner, Virtimo.
Armin Gschnitzer
Head of Energy Logistics | Syneco Trading GmbH
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