Softbank Corp. faced a significant challenge with the performance of their proxy servers due to a surge in the use of cloud applications like Office 365 and Suite. The increased number of network service users led to an Internet bottleneck, affecting the performance of services that required many sessions. Additionally, mounting individual security functions for each client was costly and time-consuming, failing to meet customer budgets and schedules. Softbank needed a new system to improve proxy performance and reduce the load caused by the rapid uptake of cloud applications.

TCDC manages social, economic, cultural, and environmental matters for a diverse community on the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. A wide array of online services comprise a key element of TCDC’s commitment to local businesses, residents, and internal users. These services include everything from waste collection to town planning, and span the gamut from libraries to environmental issues and local cemeteries. The TCDC relies heavily on web-based services to provide an efficient delivery mechanism to all parties and to support the organisation’s overall mission and goals. According to TCDC, the local authority focuses on ensuring that its communities have a good quality of life, now and in the future. TCDC identifies what its communities require and pinpoints the most effective ways of fulfilling those needs. The commitment to mission-critical online services demands a fast, reliable network. Based on its previous technology, TCDC’s ability to support the future requirements of all stakeholders was very limited. Performance, security, and overall manageability were being compromised and the situation was expected to deteriorate further as more applications were added to the network. Auckland-based IT consultants Network Edge, who have worked closely with TCDC for some years, suggested that TCDC look at ways of speeding up their applications and preparing the network for greater capacity in the near future. Paul Johnson from Network Edge said: “There were some performance issues with the network setup. Application delivery relied on an end-of-life (EOL) Microsoft ISA, which was fine initially, but the infrastructure could not meet increasing demands and support the new services TCDC were looking to introduce.”

SapientNitro faced significant challenges with their legacy ADC solutions, which could not meet the capacity requirements for their large-scale web infrastructure. The introduction of 2048-bit SSL keys increased the hardware cost for web servers and made SSL key management complex and time-consuming. The company needed a high-performance ADC solution that could handle the increased web traffic, provide SSL Offload, and offer high-quality support without additional licensing fees.

Yahoo Japan Corporation faced significant challenges in handling the stress on load balancers during peak traffic periods. With increased access from mobile phones, smartphones, and PCs, the load on their network infrastructure was immense, especially during events like sports games and high-traffic periods such as lunch hours. The existing load balancers were unable to cope with the high-spec web servers and application servers, leading to potential system errors and deterioration in service quality. This situation necessitated the implementation of high-performance load balancers to maintain fast and stable network infrastructure, crucial for Yahoo's operations given their massive user base and page views.

Newcastle University faced the challenge of maintaining a robust and scalable IT infrastructure to support its expanding global network. With campuses in the UK, Malaysia, and Singapore, the university needed a high-performance Application Delivery Controller (ADC) to ensure the availability and fault tolerance of its services. The discontinuation of Microsoft’s load balancing platforms and a planned upgrade to a new version of Exchange necessitated the search for an alternative solution that could meet the university's growing demands. The university's IT department required a solution that could handle the load balancing of non-HTTP protocols and provide enhanced security features.

With multiple data centers throughout the US and Europe, 20 million unique visitors a month, and 50,000 – 70,000 concurrent users at any given time, Shopzilla relies upon best-of-breed server load balancing solutions to remain competitive in the eCommerce market. Low latency and the capacity for a high volume of simultaneous connections are critical to handling peak loads, especially during the holiday season when traffic spikes dramatically. Predicted traffic growth signaled a need for additional load balancer capacity, so Shopzilla required an alternative to the installed Juniper DXs, which had reached end of life.

Intermax, a Dutch hosting and cloud computing provider, faced challenges in delivering superior performance under various circumstances, especially during peak traffic times. The company experienced downtime due to application and server issues, not network bottlenecks. They needed a solution to better distribute incoming service requests across multiple servers and data centers to avoid overloading web servers and applications. Intermax serves customers with complex e-commerce platforms and media websites that generate heavy traffic with high peaks, necessitating a robust solution to maintain 24/7 uptime and meet continually changing customer needs.

To manage the web traffic in both datacenters, the company previously leveraged load balancers from Coyote Point. However, amid rapid traffic growth, the previous load balancers were not scalable enough to meet stringent service level agreements for users so a higher performance Application Delivery Controller platform was required. In particular, the new load balancers must handle traffic flawlessly during peak load conditions, which happen to be on weekdays from 3-8 pm ET.

With two data centers and two clusters of existing load balancing equipment coming to their end of life (EOL), the hospital required a proven solution to replace its existing Server Load Balancing (SLB) equipment and support the current corporate design to migrate away from GroupWise and implement Microsoft Exchange across its network. To maintain its current infrastructure and expand to MS Lync for video conferencing and voice services, as well as meet additional needs for virtualization and multi-tenancy in the future, an enterprise-level SLB solution was needed. After looking at a number of vendors, the hospital decided to test A10 Networks® Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs).

Propelled by solid growth, Tremor Video was able to acquire other companies; however, this created a problem with disparate platforms across edge appliances. The technological incongruities between platforms introduced unnecessary complexity, which was felt by customers and Tremor Video staff alike. Customers experienced slower traffic due to increased latency through the Tremor Video network, while staff contended with added management overhead. Tremor Video intakes an enormous amount of data with their VideoHub technology and needed a reliable and scalable solution that could manage the growing traffic, especially when serving over 1 billion ads per month. They needed to combine everything into one uniform platform and required an advanced Application Delivery Controller that would give a desired set of application networking and performance features that would meet their anticipated needs. Additionally, they needed a solution that could scale up as the company scaled up and meet the needs of the company as their product set became more sophisticated.

The diversity of companies falling under the Fisher Scientific International umbrella continues to be a challenge to effective corporate management. While each Fisher Scientific unit operates as an independent entity, the Fisher Scientific management team realizes that corporate control and economies of scale are necessary to enhance corporate profits, maximize operations, enhance quality and improve customer service. In an effort to facilitate proactive corporate decision-making, boost overall corporate efficiency and quality, and maximize customer service, the management team established common corporate software standards – ones that could eventually be adopted by all Fisher Scientific units. It was felt that software uniformity would facilitate efficiency as well as cost-containment. It would also streamline employee training, minimize the impact of employee turnover and ease software maintenance by Fisher Scientific’s IT department. In addition, standardized software would produce uniform data and reports, as well as provide the ability to generate customized reports – all necessary to maximize corporate control and decision-making. Moreover, common software standards would enhance management’s ability to conduct sophisticated research on sales and market trends.

By 1997, Ettore Products Company had outgrown their existing software systems, which were failing to meet their needs. The incumbent solution lacked detailed costing figures, such as landed cost tracking, and was infected with a computer virus that impeded accurate inventory retrieval. This compromised their ability to plan for future purchases. Additionally, the company struggled with inefficient inventory control practices, requiring manual counts for purchasing and scheduling. The system's failures and lack of scalability were major obstacles to Ettore's growth.

From 2000 to 2007, eInstruction experienced a major upswing in demand as the CPS became a classroom favorite for teachers wanting to get engaged in the learning progress of their students. Today, there are more than 2 million active response pads in K-12 classrooms all across the 50 states, as well as in over 600 universities and 10 foreign countries. By 2006, eInstruction knew they needed a scalable, flexible software solution that could manage the ever-expanding accounting requirements, advance operational efficiencies and facilitate better customer service. In essence, they needed something that could accommodate the company’s exponential upward growth. eInstruction had been using Peachtree Accounting Software. However, according to Chief Financial Officer Tim Torno, the rapid climb in demand led to the company “outgrowing” the software. They needed to find a new, scalable ERP/CRM solution that could promote operational efficiencies as well as facilitate better customer service.

Dynojet faced multiple challenges including managing multiple manufacturing sites, international business operations, and rapid company growth. The company sold up to 10,000 units per month but had limited visibility into inventory and a rudimentary service records-keeping system. These challenges necessitated a robust solution to streamline operations and improve efficiency.

As Dunlop’s product line evolved and gained popularity, the company recognized that it was in need of a manufacturing software program capable of efficiently handling a high volume of transactions while helping deliver customer orders, on-time and error-free. Additionally, the company wanted a solution that would integrate all departments of the business and support rapid company growth. Dunlop’s existing software platform was unable to handle the heavy transaction nature of the business. For a manufacturer of guitar picks and numerous small items, the incumbent system was too slow. The company needed something able to handle the current volume of transactions and scale for future business growth.

When Sidari bought the company, he was told that one of the challenges was going to be keeping track of inventory and actually ordering the products from the suppliers. The previous owner had a lot of trouble with the orders – he regularly had a 5- to 7-day lag and was usually carrying a disproportionate amount in back orders. Immediately, he looked at changing the software, thinking that it must have not been the right fit for the business and was causing some of the drag. Daprano had been using SYSPRO ERP, and Sidari figured that was part of the problem. He took pride in his service and wanted to fix it, so he began looking for a replacement system.

The rising costs of goods and services are significantly impacting customers' wallets, leaving them with less discretionary income. Evergy is committed to assisting income-eligible customers by finding ways to help them save energy and money. The utility aimed to reach approximately 183,000 eligible Missouri households over a five-day period using its Offer Center, a feature of Evergy’s new online Marketplace. The challenge was to provide a frictionless and effortless customer experience to deliver free energy-saving products without the typical barriers such as requiring credit card information or upfront shipping costs.

PSEG Long Island’s Home Performance programs faced challenges in 2012 and were poised to fall short of peak electric savings goals. It was crucial to develop and identify quality customer opportunities for these programs in order to maintain production levels and achieve program and portfolio goals. By listening to contractors and making appropriate program changes, PSEG Long Island drove significant improvements in the Home Performance Direct (HPD) program.

For utilities, reaching low-to-moderate income (LMI) customers and encouraging them to visit energy utility Marketplaces are big challenges. These customers often don’t think their utility’s offers apply to them, especially if they are renters or live in multifamily homes. And, even when utilities are successful in getting these customers to visit a Marketplace, many don’t take action, prioritizing paying a utility bill over investing in a pricey smart thermostat. During a truly unprecedented year where more customers have more been impacted financially by the pandemic, every dollar saved on an energy bill counts. Some utilities have launched Giveaway Hubs in response to engage LMI customers, encourage them to visit utility Marketplaces, and enable them to add energy saving products to their homes. By providing these products at no-cost, these utilities are helping LMI customers save money while also promoting energy efficiency.

Every summer, Arizona Public Service (APS) faces the challenge of increased customer complaints due to high electricity bills caused by the desert heat. The spike in air conditioning usage leads to higher bills, resulting in a surge of complaints handled by the call center. In the summer of 2014, APS aimed to turn these unhappy customer calls into engagement opportunities. The goal was to educate customers on no-cost, low-cost, and behavioral changes to reduce high bills, thereby improving customer satisfaction and call resolution without negatively impacting call handle time.

In recent years, trade ally and customer expectations have risen while the utility’s cost-effectiveness tests have become more challenging to meet. It has become a strategic imperative for APS to invest in technology to enhance performance and scalability of the program. In 2012, the utility embarked on an effort to improve access to program data to better serve customers and other stakeholders, reduce manual processes to cut costs, and cut administrative overhead for trade allies that had been limiting their participation. Residential energy accounts for 21% of U.S. energy consumption and 60% of America’s housing stock was built before modern energy codes. Historically, most efficiency activities focused on new construction and single-measure improvement strategies. Administered by the DOE in conjunction with the EPA, HPwES takes a whole-house approach to address the opportunity for the greatest energy savings. Despite the enormous benefits of HPwES, the DOE has admitted, “it’s complicated.” There are a number of important stakeholders, including: the utility and its customers, auditors, contractors, QA, third-party evaluators, regulators, and others. Additionally, managing the complexity of consumer awareness, program workflow, financing, and appropriate incentives present challenges requiring innovative program solutions, like modern software, to help organize and simplify program implementation.

The period between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is traditionally the peak shopping period for utility marketplaces. However, Uplight identified Earth Day as a new contender for high sales periods. In 2020, Uplight partnered with a Midwestern utility to offer free smart thermostats around Earth Day, driving sales and demand response program enrollments. Building on this success, Uplight expanded the promotion in 2021 to include twenty utility marketplaces, offering unique promotions tailored to each utility. The challenge was to replicate and scale the success of the initial promotion while ensuring maximum customer engagement and satisfaction.

Energy providers face significant challenges in encouraging customer enrollment in energy and bill-saving programs. Traditional methods often involve complex processes that deter customers from participating. Additionally, the need to meet decarbonization goals adds another layer of complexity. Utilities are looking for innovative ways to simplify the customer experience and increase participation in these programs. The challenge is to create a seamless, user-friendly interface that can bundle various offers and make them easily accessible to customers. This is particularly important for utilities like AES and Duke Energy, which aim to accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future while ensuring customer satisfaction and cost savings.

As customers spent more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, utilities across the country faced spikes in residential demand, often seeing bill increases of up to 20% or more even before the cooling season started. During the crisis, Consumers Energy continued to prioritize helping their customers via their triple bottom line—committing to people, planet, and prosperity in all decisions. Many typical energy efficiency measures weren’t possible as either contractors weren’t allowed to go into people’s homes or people weren’t comfortable having them there. Consumers Energy needed an innovative approach to help customers save even more energy and money at such a critical time, while continuing progress towards their clean energy goals.

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (Jackson EMC) aimed to improve member satisfaction by offering energy-saving products and services. They launched Uplight’s Marketplace in 2017 to provide instant rebates on smart thermostats and later expanded to include Level 2 EV chargers. The cooperative also wanted to drive additional sales through abandoned cart emails, which were initially sent 1 hour after a customer left the Marketplace. Jackson EMC is exploring future expansion of their Marketplace, including providing more information about equipment compatibility to add more value for their customers.

The advent of the digital economy has transformed the way customers shop, share information, and think about products and services. Many customers today, particularly younger ones, expect personalized communication through their preferred channels. Utilities need to offer intuitive and convenient digital experiences to retain high levels of customer satisfaction. ComEd aimed to transform into a 'utility of the future' by delivering innovative products and services to make customers' lives more convenient and provide them more control over their energy use.

APC aimed to increase load flexibility and encourage customers to shift energy usage from peak hours to economy pricing hours during summer and winter months. The challenge was to achieve this without compromising customer comfort, which is crucial for maintaining customer participation in the program. The existing Time of Use (TOU) demand response (DR) program needed enhancements to optimize load shift while ensuring customers remained comfortable and satisfied.

Implementing new rate plans to align demand with supply is becoming critical to more and more utilities. However, new rate plans for business and residential customers can result in customer confusion and frustration—whether they are opt-in or opt-out. According to J.D. Power, utility customer price satisfaction drops by 10% when defaulted onto a TOU rate. A TOU rate transition can be stressful for both utility employees and customers. It can seem that customer needs are at odds with regulatory and internal requirements. Thankfully, utilities have gained experience helping customers through rate transitions. This experience identified best practices of the three e’s: empathize, educate, and empower.

Washington Gas aimed to drive energy awareness and help customers take control of their energy usage in Maryland and Virginia. They offered various programs, including rebates on high-efficiency natural gas equipment and Home Energy Conservation Kits. The challenge was to increase awareness and enrollment in these programs. To achieve this, Washington Gas partnered with Uplight to launch the Online Home Energy Profile, an online survey tool that assessed home energy usage and provided personalized recommendations. The goal was to drive program enrollment and encourage customers to adopt energy-saving measures.

Duke Energy, the largest utility in the United States, faced the challenge of enhancing its Behavioral Energy Efficiency (BEE) program to better serve its 7.5 million customers across multiple states. The primary goals were to support Duke Energy's brand positioning as a Trusted Energy Advisor, help residential customers save money, increase customer satisfaction, cross-promote energy products and services, and positively contribute to Duke Energy's financials. The program needed to be scalable, engaging, and capable of delivering personalized energy-saving insights to a diverse customer base. Additionally, Duke Energy aimed to reduce the opt-out rate and ensure that the program's communications were effective and well-received by customers.