Introduction to SAP IS‑U (SAP Utilities)
SAP IS‑U, also known as SAP Utilities, is an industry solution developed specifically for energy supply companies (utilities) to make their processes as efficient as possible. The solution offers a variety of functions ranging from the management and billing of private, commercial and industrial customers to equipment management, customer service and accounting. In addition, SAP IS‑U enables integration with various SAP applications such as SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM), the FI-CA billing module, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and other relevant modules.
History and development
The history of SAP IS‑U dates back to 1998, when the solution was first introduced in response to the specific requirements of the utilities industry. Since then, SAP has continuously invested in the further development of SAP IS‑U to meet the changing needs of the industry. In 2018, SAP announced the launch of SAP Cloud for Utilities (SAP C4U), which is considered SAP’s largest investment in Utilities since the launch of SAP IS‑U. SAP Cloud for Utilities is a native end-to-end solution delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS) that brings the benefits of the cloud to utilities companies.
Features and benefits
SAP IS‑U offers a wide range of functions, including the management of addresses and location files, appointments for meter readings, budget billing and invoicing, as well as the management of various types of master data. The solution enables users to bill service orders and contracts for services via integrable components such as maintenance (PM), customer service (CS) and sales and distribution (SD). Through integration with other SAP modules such as CRM, FI-CA and EAM, SAP IS‑U offers an efficient and holistic solution for energy supply companies.
Link with other modules and SAP S/4HANA Utilities
SAP IS‑U can be linked to various SAP modules, including SAP PM or SAP EAM, SAP CS or SAP CRM, SAP SD, FI-CA and SAP Business Workflow. In addition, the transition from SAP IS‑U to SAP S/4HANA Utilities is underway, with support for SAP IS‑U expected to be discontinued by 2027 or 2030. The successor products to SAP IS‑U are SAP S/4HANA Utilities (on-premise) and the cloud solution SAP C4U, which is available as a native end-to-end solution.
SAP C4U (SAP Cloud for Utilities)
SAP Cloud for Utilities is a major innovation from SAP and is considered to be SAP’s largest investment in the utilities sector since the introduction of SAP IS‑U. As a SaaS application, it offers a comprehensive solution for marketing, sales and service as well as the complete lead-to-cash process for non-commodity services. The cloud solution can be seamlessly integrated into existing on-premise utilities systems and enables the benefits of the cloud to be used in hybrid systems.
Future outlook
The future of SAP IS‑U and SAP Utilities lies in the migration to SAP S/4HANA Utilities and the use of innovative technologies such as SAP Fiori, in-memory technologies, embedded analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. These innovations promise higher productivity and better decision-making for utilities companies.
Conclusion
Overall, SAP IS‑U offers a comprehensive solution for energy supply companies that aims to make processes as efficient as possible. The integration with other SAP modules, the transition to SAP S/4HANA Utilities and the introduction of SAP Cloud for Utilities show that SAP is continuously investing in the further development of solutions for the utilities industry.
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