Next generation energy market execution requirements

New York, 30 July 2012

OpenLink Financial LLC (OpenLink), a leading provider of commodity/energy trading and risk management (C/ETRM) software solutions, has released findings following a recent energy industry event titled, “Executing to the Optimal Answers: Getting to the Next Level of Performance.” Featured panelists included IDC Energy Insights Vice President Jill Feblowitz.

Registrants noted their top concerns as: reducing the cost of legacy ETRM solutions and planning (36%); improving analytics and portfolio decision-making (32%); and integrating optimization and forecasting into their execution requirements (32%).

Feblowitz had these recommendations for participants during the event:

- Refresh Hedging Strategies: Understand your company's corporate strategy and supporting objectives for hedging risk and complying with regulations.  These will evolve over time as markets change.

- Review Aged Portfolio and Resource Management Solutions: Examine how your company currently uses information technology to support portfolio and resource management. Depending on the age of your existing hardware and software, it may be time to consider a replacement.

- Consider Benefits of Integrated ETRM and Optimization: Companies that use legacy systems or spreadsheets have the opportunity to reduce the costs of supporting those systems by investing in a suite of applications that integrate energy trading and risk management applications with optimization and forecasting analytics. Even more important is the benefit that integrated suites offer in establishing consistency across the organization.

- Up the Insight of Analytics: Concentrate on the use of advanced analytics for forecasting, simulation and optimization of physical assets. Take an inventory of your most used resource analytics, but at the same time, query traders, risk managers and planners on what questions they would like to have answered. This will help you develop new analytic routines to uncover opportunities.

Markus Seiser, EVP for OpenLink, said, “Now more than ever, technologies that allow companies to optimize portfolio value and strategies in near-real-time will become a key differentiator for firms, especially as they seek new opportunities to grow, optimize and hedge their portfolios. We are pleased that IDC Energy Insights support our ongoing investment and technology roadmap for the U.S. mid-market energy sector, and integrated physical asset optimization.”

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To learn more about the recent webinar, visit: Executing to the Optimal Answers: Getting to the Next Level of Performance.