EnergySys secures global growth with AWS SaaS evolution

Many on premises systems require specific knowledge or specialist skills to maintain, and lock organizations into costly, complex processes. The systems often take longer to implement and update, grinding teams to a halt and disrupting business continuity. It’s therefore harder to get a clear view of data anomalies and many users resort to using unapproved software, creating further security risks.

EnergySys has been a Software as a Service (SaaS) business since 2009, helping energy providers overcome the challenges of on premises systems to achieve greater agility, automation, and cost-efficiency. However, before 2016, the business managed its own infrastructure and data centers. As EnergySys grew, this became unsustainable. Costs escalated and data management started to overwhelm internal resources. The business needed to move from self-managed infrastructure to a cloud-hosted platform if it was to reduce operational overheads and continue improving its growing product.

With business growth a top priority, EnergySys needed a solution that could flex and grow alongside it. To meet the evolving needs of users, it had to be scalable and flexible. And given the energy’s industry’s stringent data regulations, security needed to be at its core.

EnergySys chose Amazon Web Services (AWS) for its cost efficiency, consistent service, and exceptional performance. The business moved to AWS Cloud in 2016, before becoming one of the first Energy Competency Partners in 2021. Truman says, “We chose AWS because we thought they were the best partner to help us drive scalability, growth, profitability, and operational excellence.”

But transitioning to AWS required a mindset change. To make sure the shift was a successful one, EnergySys thoroughly briefed product and engineering teams on how their roles would be changing, educated the business on security and compliance, and changed the customer feedback process. “The support provided by the AWS teams and supplementary packages helped us ease the transition as there was always somebody to talk to or ask questions,” says Truman.

EnergySys successfully migrated its last legacy customer to its cloud platform at the end of 2023, making it a fully cloud-native business. “Being a cloud-native SaaS business gives us more flexibility and improved profitability. It allows us to deliver faster for our customers, and it gives them access to software from wherever they are in the world,” explains Truman.

EnergySys has seen its business priorities change significantly since working with AWS. Teams that used to be entirely focused on managing servers now have more time to work on software and product development. Engineers have the flexibility to explore creative solutions and focus on the features that will benefit customers most. Because of this, the speed of development is faster than ever, giving the business more room to scale. And without its costly data centers, EnergySys is no longer concerned about increased overheads around implementation, updates, and patching.

By transitioning to AWS Cloud, EnergySys also benefits from strong privacy safeguards and data protection, strengthening its security posture and that of its customers. The simplified configurability of AWS also helps unify contracts and compliance assets for EnergySys customers, saving time and revenue.

EnergySys is now able to access expert advice and guidance from AWS and its dedicated account managers, such as partner programs and joint go-to-market plans. This tight-knit partnership has seen business growth skyrocket, with EnergySys now expanding from the UK into the EU, US, Australia, Canada, and beyond. “AWS has helped us reach customers we would never have been able to reach otherwise, and that’s increased our service market by about five times,” adds Truman.

After completing its successful SaaS evolution, EnergySys is now looking to expand into new regions and capabilities. Growing into geographies that were previously too cost-prohibitive, like the Middle East, is now possible thanks to the global reach of AWS. EnergySys is also now taking advantage of the AWS Partner Network and its co-selling opportunities, helping get its product in front of new customers.

With EnergySys able to dedicate more time to developing its platform, rather than maintaining legacy systems, the business can continue transforming the energy sector with its groundbreaking technology. Truman explains, “There is an extraordinary amount of opportunity in the energy market. What we want to do is use our technology to help it meet this opportunity and educate the market on the art of the possible. We’re going to show them what groundbreaking looks like.”