Electric Energy T&D - Index

Electric Energy T&D - EEMag May June 2008 - Index

r. reid French, Jr.,
Executive Vice President & Chief
Operating Officer
EET&D: Intergraph is a company that has for
decades pioneered many of the planning and
implementation processes and operational
procedures we take for granted today in the
geospatial sector with literally thousands of
installations worldwide. Like many, I still
tend to associate Intergraph primarily with
geospatial technology, but I’ve learned that
Intergraph’s focus has broadened considerably
in the past few years. Perhaps you could give
our readers a brief overview of Intergraph’s
SG&I Division, the part of the company that
is most focused on the utility automation and
information technology business?
French: Sure, I’ll be happy to do that.
The Intergraph Security, Government
& Infrastructure (SG&I) Division is a
leading, global provider of geospatiallypowered
solutions to the defense and
intelligence, public safety, government,
transportation, photogrammetry, utilities, and
communications industries. SG&I customers
rely on Intergraph solutions to organize vast
amounts of complex data into understandable
visual representations. Through our software,
those customers are able to make better and
The 2008 Automation/IT
Leadership Series
By Michael A. Marullo, Automation/IT Editor
Intergraph Corporation
R. Reid French, Jr., Executive VP & COO
Mark Doherty, Executive Director, Technology
Architecture and Strategy
faster operational decisions vital to the safety
and well being of millions of people and
to the success of thousands of businesses
around the world.
EET&D: Most people would probably agree
that we are entering a very uncertain period
for energy and utility enterprises and also the
suppliers they have come to depend on. As
you look ahead to the next decade or so, what
are some of the key drivers for the future
evolution of Intergraph and how confident do
you feel about that future?
Doherty: Clearly these are challenging
times for the energy and utility industry
as well as for those of us in the supplier
community helping to lead the way forward.
With so many elements of the marketplace
in transition – infrastructure, workforce,
security, sustainability and reliability, just to
name a few of the most important areas – our
confidence regarding the future is grounded
in the fact that more than 500 utilities
and communications providers worldwide
are already using Intergraph’s geospatiallyenabled
solutions to design and manage their
networks and workforces.
I May-June 2008 Issue
Mark doherty,
Executive Director,
Technology Architecture and Strategy
The interview for this third installment of our Automation/IT Leadership Series for 008 is with Intergraph Corporation. Headquartered in
Huntsville, Alabama, Intergraph is a leading global provider of spatial information management (SIM) software. Security organizations,
businesses and governments in more than 0 countries rely on the company’s spatial technology and services. During and shortly after
the GITA (Geospatial Information & Technology Association) conference held in Seattle in March, Intergraph’s COO, Reid French, and
Mark Doherty, Executive Director of Technology Architecture and Strategy, were kind enough to spend some time with me to share
their thoughts and vision for the future. Like many companies, Intergraph is rising to the challenges of creating a more modern, more
intelligent grid with emphasis on the security and mobility dimensions of a once again rapidly changing electric utility industry.
– Mike Marullo, automation/IT Editor
With that as a foundation, we continue
to evolve our solutions for design, asset,
outage and mobile workforce management
to enable energy companies, utilities and
communications providers to respond
more quickly and efficiently to market
opportunities, customer demands and
regulatory requirements. And by drawing upon
inherent strengths and a deep commitment
to these markets, I believe that among our
most important challenges as a supplier is to
find ways to replace those uncertainties with
sound, reliable and innovative yet affordable
solutions.
EET&D: When I first became personally
involved with the geospatial marketplace at
the 1988 AM/FM International (the original
name for what is now GITA) Conference,
Intergraph’s central market involvement
and its leadership role were already well
established. However, most large utilities
were, at that time, just embarking on what I’ll
call their “ 0-year/$ 0 million” investments
in geospatial platforms. Now, two decades
later, those initiatives are substantially
completed and utilities are looking for
leverage from those hefty investments. Where