Cloud Apps Critical Requirement No. 2: Regularly Delivered, Vendor-Managed Updates–Rolling Upgrade Program

A cloud application is a single version of software that is regularly updated, often several times a year, for all customers. To realize the true cost benefits of SaaS, the provider should be managing all of those elements to adopt the latest capabilities in the updates on their own timelines. Software that has to be upgraded at the customer’s expense, even if the vendor hosts it, does not meet the requirements for a cloud application.

The update v. upgrade approach benefits both the vendor and the customer. The customer is not burdened by IT upgrade projects, while the vendor can focus on what it does best, which is maintain its own software. Vendors have a strong technical understanding of the software they developed, but the on-site world requires vendors to share this knowledge with customers, which is not an easy feat. When customers do not have deep insight into the software, or have difficulty obtaining employees or contract workers skilled to work on that software, the result can be problematic and even result in failed upgrades.

Vendor-managed updates deliver continuous improvement and allow companies to stay compliant with new laws and regulations. Traditional software vendors might offer some big, new changes every four to five years. With Locus, for example, customers receive consistent improvements through updates several times a year, and do not have to pay extra for any of them.

Locus Achieves a Microsoft Gold Application Development Competency

Locus demonstrates best-in-class capability and market leadership through demonstrated technology success and customer commitment

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., 30 July 2013 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the leader in cloud-based environmental compliance and information management software, today announced it has attained a Gold Application Development competency, demonstrating a “best-in-class” ability and commitment to meet Microsoft Corp. customers’ evolving needs in today’s dynamic business environment and distinguishing itself within the top one percent of Microsoft’s partner ecosystem.

To earn a Microsoft gold competency, partners must successfully complete exams (resulting in Microsoft Certified Professionals) to prove their level of technology expertise, and then designate these certified professionals uniquely to one Microsoft competency, ensuring a certain level of staffing capacity. They also must submit customer references that demonstrate successful projects (along with implementing a yearly customer satisfaction study), meet a revenue commitment, and pass technology and/or sales assessments.

“This Microsoft Gold Application Development competency showcases our expertise in and commitment to today’s technology market and to providing our customers with the most advanced technology and functionality available,” said Neno Duplan, President & CEO of Locus. “We plan to accelerate our customers’ environmental data management success by combining this and other advanced web technologies with our deep domain expertise.”

“By achieving a gold competency, partners have demonstrated the highest, most consistent capability and commitment to the latest Microsoft technology,” said Jon Roskill, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “These partners have a deep expertise that puts them in the top one percent of our partner ecosystem, and their proficiency will help customers drive innovative solutions on the latest Microsoft technology.”

Earning the Application Development competency helps partners differentiate themselves as a trusted expert to their customers through development and deployment of commercial or custom applications built using core Microsoft technologies.

Locus Ranked Second Largest Environmental Firm in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Business Journal ranked the biggest environmental firms by the number of professionals in Silicon Valley. Locus Technologies is second out of twenty-five.

Preliminary Fracking Study Boasts Promising Results

A recent federal study on hydraulic fracking has brought a small victory to the natural gas industry. The study, conducted by the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, shows no evidence of chemicals from the natural gas drilling process contaminating drinking water aquifers at a western Pennsylvania drilling site.

After one year of monitoring, researchers found that potentially harmful drilling fluid chemicals have stayed approximately one mile beneath any drinking water supplies. This conclusion was reached by tagging drilling fluids with specific markers, and injecting them 8,000 feet into the ground. After closely tracking these fluids, it was ultimately concluded that they did not reach any higher than 3,000 feet below the surface.

This study is a first of its kind; never before has a drilling company permitted government scientists to monitor fracking fluids like this. However, the study is still ongoing and the results remain preliminary at this time. While the findings may be a boost of confidence for the natural gas industry, they do not mean that fracking can’t be a form of pollution.

Despite the promising results, reservations still linger. The fact remains that many aspects of the drilling process can cause pollution when not managed properly. Also, a lack of transparency by drilling companies in revealing certain chemical formulas often leaves the public feeling uneasy.

The preliminary results of this study will not erase the controversy surrounding fracking overnight, but they do pose a few important takeaways. For example, one such key point is that the best way to avoid possible danger and contamination from fracking is to engage in it responsibly, and continuously monitor water quality around drilling sites. This way if leaks do occur, they will be discovered early and contained. Early detection of water contamination is just as crucial as it is with many debilitating diseases. With early detection a cure could be quick and simple, whereas if it goes undetected, the chances of a positive outcome diminish with time. A similar analogy holds true for subsurface water contamination as well.

When it comes to fracking, monitoring for leaks is key and a small price to pay in order to guarantee the protection of our water resources. Designing a comprehensive monitoring program to ensure the proper management of applicable fluids and chemicals is critical for natural gas drilling. With the swift advancements in technology today, companies engaging in fracking are able to take advantage of state-of-the-art software systems, such as Locus’, to assist with the tracking and organization of this pertinent information. The more that this takes place, the more secure we will all be from the potential negative effects of fracking.

Locus Featured in Sustainability Management Software Report by Independent Analyst Firm Verdantix

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., 17 July 2013 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the leader in cloud-based environmental compliance and information management software, has been recognized as one of the top 15 global sustainability management software suppliers in the report “Green Quadrant® Sustainability Management Software, July 2013.” This report by Verdantix, an independent analyst firm who provide data, analysis and advice in the areas of energy, environment and sustainability, reveals that Locus offers solid data management and sustainability reporting capabilities.The Verdantix report acknowledges Locus for its strengths in data input, data management, and data modeling. Locus has been a strong presence within the industry for more than 15 years now, and continues to present its customer base with a wide variety of functionality offered through the cloud. This includes the full gamut of data input options, from meter integration to third party software integration, and aesthetic features to view and manage information.

“For the data management capabilities, Locus Technologies offers the best-in-class solution for geographic information capture,” says Samantha Price, Industry Analyst at Verdantix and author of the report. “The software offers full data capture and management capabilities integrated with mapping tools, displaying full environmental and sustainability data on a web-based, interactive GIS system.”

The report also recognizes that Locus has designed its EH&S software platform, ePortal, to deliver impressive reporting functionality for CDP carbon, GRI and mandatory GHG reporting requirements including U.S. EPA Mandatory Reporting, EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) for which it is certified.

“The concept of enterprise sustainability management may be slightly different from company to company, but its importance remains steady and undeniable, states Neno Duplan, President & CEO of Locus. “It is crucial that we properly balance our resource usage in the present, so that these resources are not depleted for future generations. Locus built its sustainability software to do just that while also providing another equally important functionality to its customers—to lower their operating costs by optimizing resource consumption.”

ABOUT VERDANTIX

Verdantix is an independent analyst firm. We provide authoritative data, analysis and advice to help our clients resolve their energy, environment and sustainability challenges. Through our global primary research and deep domain expertise we provide our clients with strategic advice, revenue generating services, best practice frameworks, industry connections and competitive advantage.

For further information, please visit www.verdantix.com.

EPRI Groundwater Protection Workshop and NEI RETS-REMP Workshop Recap

Combining the NEI RETS-REMP with the EPRI Groundwater Protection Workshop solidified a theme to unify efforts as utilities gain experience implementing protection programs.

Obama Speaks on the Fight Against Climate Change

Yesterday, 25 June 2013, President Obama braved the heat and took to the stage at Georgetown University to give a speech on his climate change plan. Addressing his audience, Obama began with a bold statement that brought the real impacts of the subject at hand immediately to the surface. “It was important for me to speak directly to your generation, because the decisions that we make now and in the years ahead will have a profound impact on the world that all of you inherit,” he stated.

The president proceeded by defining the reasons for why this speech was necessary, and why climate change is such an important topic in the United States today. He stated the scientific facts: that the measurement of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has dramatically increased since the 1950’s, and that 12 of the warmest years in recorded history have occurred in the past 15.

Obama further emphasized the evidence by referencing the droughts, floods, storms, and heat waves that the U.S. has recently experienced- all weather events that may not have been caused by global warming, but were directly affected by it. The progress made in recent years, such as the reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase in both sun and wind generated electricity was addressed, but ultimately referred to as a ‘good start’.

President Obama stated that he would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to put an end to the excessive carbon pollution from power plants, and create standards for new and existing power plants. Other highlights included Obama’s call to develop a better plan to help us prepare for climate change impacts, and his pledge to seek greater international engagement in regards to climate change.

On par with every other hot political topic, the president’s speech did not come without controversy, and certain parts were hailed by some and criticized by others. However, a few key takeaways are as follows: the severity of the United States climate change situation and the urgency to make this a top priority have been made clear.

This means it is more important than ever for organizations to take full responsibility for their GHG and carbon emissions, and energy consumption. The need to properly track and manage all their operational environmental and compliance information is apparent, and will play a crucial role in the fight to subdue climate change. Locus will continue to work it’s hardest to develop the most comprehensive software available to assist companies with the management of their critical, big data, and provide them with the necessary tools to not only comply with new and anticipated regulations, but also to harvest their data for actionable information to lower operating costs.

Locus to attend and present at NEI’s RETS-REMP Workshop and the EPRI Groundwater Protection Workshop

The RETS-REMP Workshop is a forum to exchange practical experiences and issues related to the Radioactive Effluent Technical Specifications (RETS) and Radiological Environmental Monitoring Programs (REMP) at commercial nuclear power plants.

GRI G4 & the Sustainability Reporting Competitive Advantage

A recent hot topic in the arena of corporate sustainability is the new Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 guidelines that were just released. GRI is a network-based organization that provides all companies from around the world with a comprehensive and voluntary sustainability reporting framework. It’s no surprise this new G4 milestone is receiving such publicity, given how popular sustainability reporting has become today, and the fact that this is the first major overhaul to the GRI guidelines since the G3 version in 2006.

One main difference is that the new guidelines place a strong focus on materiality- more explicitly requiring that organizations reporting efforts be centered on impacts, risks, and opportunities. While this idea is not entirely new, the G3/G3.1 framework did not have this as such a specific and strong focus.

The new GRI framework also attempts to quell the problem of companies feeling overwhelmed by the number of options provided. G4 draws a line between requirements and guidance; so companies understand the differences and do not feel compelled to report on every single metric described. The G4 framework offers many other updates and changes, a few of which include up-to-date disclosures on governance, ethics and integrity, supply chain, anti-corruption and GHG emissions.

While the G4 framework is an important milestone for sustainability reporting, there are various other guidelines being implemented around the world as well; for voluntary, as well as financial and mandatory reporting. It is clear that corporate sustainability has become a much more recognized business approach as of late, and that including it as part of a company’s identity can both ensure environmental responsibility and enforce a positive public image. However, while some organizations fully embrace the benefits of being transparent about their ‘green’ strategy, some others may be just starting to dip their toes into the water, and quite a lot remain stagnant and unwilling, or perhaps ignorant on how to take the plunge.

No matter what category a company falls in, it’s important to remember that employing the help of a sustainability management software application, such as Locus’ ePortal Resource Management Module (RMM), can be a great advantage in reaching your sustainable goals. Having the necessary tools to create powerful reports and track KPIs such as resource consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and water and wastewater usage across the enterprise can ensure reporting success. Also, the information you collect and organize during the reporting process will help to lower your operating costs by reducing resource consumption.

Whatever you do, don’t wait much longer- the time to reap the benefits of the sustainability reporting competitive advantage is now.