Reprinted from AMR Research's Alert on Utilities Applications, March 14, 2001 with permission.
Group 8760 should change its name to the GISB Guys. Group 8760 is a small and relatively unknown company but is growing rapidly. In 1999 the company only had 3 customers; last year that number jumped to 33. Much of that growth can be attributed to the growing popularity of the Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB) EDM as a standard for the exchange of customer and meter data in the retail energy markets, which brings us back to the idea of the name change. Players in the retail energy market equate Group 8760's GISBAgent with the GISB EDM Standard. Starting in Pennsylvania, Group 8760 has followed the GISB EDM standard into each of the deregulating markets.
The GISBAgent software is designed to let deregulated utility companies use the Internet to exchange mission-critical data, such as consumption and billing data, with their trading parthers. The GISBAgent essentially acts as a data translator, interpreting incoming or outgoing EDI transactions and transforming them to the GISB EDM standard. The GISBAgent then maps those transactions to the appropriate application, thereby allowing for application-to-application communication. In addition, data translators, such as the GISBAgent, are essential for ESPs and UDCs that are expanding their service territories.
Only four vendors or service providers have received the GISB product certification--Group 8760, Excelergy, Altra, and IPNet Solutions--and Group 8760 is leading the pack in terms of Internet EDI and transaction management products. Through its direct sales channels and relationships with other service providers and vendors, such as Logica and Energy Services Group, it has started to build a strong customer base. That growth is expected to continue, especially as GISB EDM emerges as the default standard for EDI transactions in the retail energy market. Group 8760 also has a secret weapon: Its founders and management team have extensive expertise and experience with the GISB EDM standard. In fact, a couple of members of 8760's team actually helped develop the GISB Standard. Let's face it: no one deserves the name GISB Guys like Group 8760. - Allison Bacon
