Part One of a Two-Part Series about Cloud-Based CIS

With so many people working from home, cloud-hosted software is on everyone’s radar. And you may be thinking about moving your customer information and billing system (CIS) into the cloud. But you’re not sure exactly what cloud hosting is and if cloud-based utility software is right for your community. Moving your utility software to the cloud can save you money, keep your data secure, and give you access to your customer information anytime and anywhere. Here’s how.

When you move your utility CIS software to the cloud, you use a network of remote servers, instead of your on-premise servers, to store, manage and process your data. When your staff or customers need information, it travels securely back and forth from the cloud to wherever they are. Just like your on-premise server, the data is available when and where anyone needs it.

What’s the Difference between On-Premise CIS and Cloud-based Utility CIS?

Storing your customer information software on the cloud and on your own server basically functions in the same way. When your customer service representative needs a file, it’s called from the server and appears on his/her screen. However, utility cloud-based CIS is different from an on-premise CIS in several ways.

Storing your data and applications in a cloud environment, such as the NorthStar Cloud, gives you access to a Tier 3+ data center that meets or exceeds a wide array of regulatory compliances. NorthStar’s Cloud is highly secure with full redundancy, giving you a secure location to store your data and applications, allowing access when and where you need it. NorthStar’s cloud-based utility CIS offers a secure connection with AWS maintaining the infrastructure and NorthStar maintaining the applications and data. AWS has built-in redundancy to ensure that if any components fail, your data and applications will be available with little or no downtime.

A utility’s on-premise server’s regulatory compliance, security, and redundancy are the responsibility of the utility’s IT staff, and conformity to these protocols varies with the location.

If you decide to move your CIS applications to the cloud, it’s important to understand the kind of cloud computing architecture that will store your applications and data.

Public Cloud – A third-party cloud service provider owns and operates a public cloud and provides users access to these resources for a fee. Think Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services(AWS). These companies own all the computing resources (hardware, software, and other supporting infrastructure), and users access these resources via a web browser. NorthStar’s Cloud is hosted on AWS, and our staff maintains our cloud solutions.

Private Cloud – An organization or business may have its own private cloud that it services and maintains. A business may have a private data center for their cloud, or they can use a third-party company to host their private cloud. With this cloud architecture, the company’s IT staff will maintain these services and infrastructure.

Hybrid Cloud -- A hybrid cloud combines public and private cloud resources that are bound together with technology, allowing them to share data and applications. Hybrid clouds give businesses a great amount of flexibility and deployment options so that they can optimize their existing infrastructure, security, and compliance.

Benefits of Cloud-based Utility Customer Service Software

Save Money and Get Performance, Speed, and Reliability

When you store your customer service and utility billing software in the cloud, you’ll experience a number of benefits. One thing you’ll have is a never-aging infrastructure. Because NorthStar Cloud is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), you’ll always have the newest, most robust environment for your data and applications. What that means to you is that you don’t have to spend money on hardware or data center. You won’t have to pay for round-the-clock electricity for power and cooling your data center or for the IT staff to manage the infrastructure.

Access Your Data Anywhere

Another great benefit to a cloud-based CIS is that it will be protected from local outages, damage, and disasters. If a storm hits your area and your team can’t make it to work, they can still perform critical operations from home because the cloud is available anywhere. And, if we ever have another pandemic (let’s hope we never do), then your team will be able to work remotely for as long as you need them to do so.

Keep Your Data Secure

Your customer data is the life’s blood of your utility. It helps you determine how much of your service a customer is using, when they’ve paid, and where they’re using your services. But when your staff cannot access your data and applications, then you’re not able to provide a positive customer experience. Having your data on AWS, one of the most secure cloud environments on the market means you can sleep at night knowing that your customers’ and employees’ private information is safe and secure.

Backup Your Data

Data recovery and backups are also part of cloud hosting. On NorthStar’s Cloud, your data is regularly backed up to make sure that it’s available when you need it. You won’t have to ask someone to changed hard drives or perform weekly backups because the cloud is set to do it automatically. And if you have a disaster or you’re a victim of a cyberattack, you’ll data will be available from the last backup point.

Allocate your IT Staff Efficiently

Many small- to medium-sized utilities and municipalities see the benefits of cloud-based CIS solutions because they are able to allocate their IT staff to more pressing concerns. Data management is a full-time job, and most utilities cannot afford a full-time data management specialist. Instead, someone on the IT staff has to manage your data along with all the other tasks they have. But with Northstar’s Cloud, you’ll have our data experts and the AWS team working for you to protect and maintain your infrastructure.

So, there you have it. Now you know what cloud computing is and what are the advantages of hosting your utility CIS in the cloud.

In Part Two of this blog post we’ll cover the questions, when is it time to move your CIS to the cloud, and what are your options if you have to invest in a new data center.

Have questions about our cloud-based CIS? Contact us, and we’ll answer all your questions.

What Is Cloud-based Utility Software?