Firm Highlights its top Technology Trends for the Energy Industry in 2016

Dubai, 20 December 2015

The energy industry must commit to innovation in order to successfully navigate a period of significant change and uncertainty in 2016 according to Booz Allen Hamilton. Amid falling oil prices and new models of distributed power, oil producers and utilities need to adapt and react to market changes to secure the viability of their businesses as the market tightens. 

Conducted in collaboration with IDC[1], the trends also highlight the importance of cyber security to the energy industry, noting that it expects up to 75 percent of industry players to have a full risk-based cybersecurity strategy in place by 2019. Booz Allen Hamilton says that organizations will need to identify and manage threats well before they have direct operational effects.

The hydrocarbon industry is a critical one in the GCC - a region that accounts for nearly 40 percent of the world's oil production. According to International Monetary Fund estimations, the market downturn will result in a $287 billion (Dh1.05 trillion) loss in oil exports or around 21 per cent of the combined GDP for GCC suppliers, in 2015.

 "The global oil industry is entering a critical period as it adjusts to the reality of sustained low oil prices and no foreseeable return to a $100 dollar barrel of oil," said Dr. Walid Fayad, Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton MENA. "As a region dependent on revenues from oil, this new reality demands a response from GCC producers and exporters to create more resilient businesses able to withstand the market volatility and continue to deliver on major domestic social and infrastructure projects."

Beyond driving down the net cost of oil production, the adoption and integration of technology can also disrupt energy across the value chain, positively impacting utilities and power generators in the region.

"Electricity demand growth of more than 8 percent a year presents the GCC with an energy security challenge that threatens the continued economic development of the region," said Dr. Adham Sleiman, Vice President Booz Allen Hamilton MENA. "Technology will be critical to installing and connecting the grid capacity the region requires whilst making the electricity system smarter, more efficient and more secure."

The report highlights five key trends for 2016. They include:  

1)      Cybersecurity spending is set to rise, as threats will need to be identified and managed well before they have a direct operational effect- replacing the traditional compliance-oriented approach to cybersecurity. About 75% of the oil industry will have a full risk-based cybersecurity strategy by 2019.

2)      There will be a spike in energy demand and associated infrastructure, mainly driven by emerging economies. Innovation will rise correspondingly to meet the unique needs of these markets. The International Energy Agency reports that emerging economies will account for more than 90 percent of net energy demand growth by 2035.

3)      Customer demand for information, service and control will drive digital transformation to touch every aspect of the industry (e.g. information sharing, outage notification, bill payment, sale of energy products and services, in connected-homes).  IDC Energy Insights reports that by 2018, 70 percent of utilities will have launched major digital transformation initiatives.

4)      Advanced analytics will be deployed to drive down overhead costs. The increasing use of Big Data will create an industry where leadership decisions are more and more data-driven. In 2016, a majority of CIOs will push innovation funding to minimize operational costs.

5)      Companies will automate more and more manual processes to reduce effort, streamline functions, and improve results. The demand for next generation IT skills is rising faster than the talent pool in most companies, meaning that the industry will see more training and recruiting over the year.  In 2016, 70 per cent of utilities companies will look externally to source talent for advanced analytics, cognitive systems, cloud and cybersecurity.

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About Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton has been at the forefront of strategy and technology for more than 100 years. Today, the firm provides management and technology consulting and engineering services to leading Fortune 500 corporations, governments, and not-for-profits across the globe. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Booz Allen builds on six decades of experience partnering with public and private sector clients to solve their most difficult challenges through a combination of business strategy, digital innovation, data analytics, cybersecurity and resilience, operations, supply chain, organization and culture, engineering and life-cycle project management expertise. 

With regional MENA offices in Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Cairo, Doha, Dubai and Riyadh, and international headquarters in McLean, Virginia, the firm employs more than 22,500 people globally, and had revenue of $5.27 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, 2015. To learn more, visit mena.boozallen.com. (NYSE: BAH)

Media Contacts
Damian Brandy, Associate Director, Fleishman Hillard MENA Region
damian.brandy@fleishman.com O +971-44502612, M +971-50-8049036

[1] Source: Top Energy Industry Trends for 2016 Infographic, IDC; sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton.

© Press Release 2015