Endeavour Energy is an Australian energy company operating in some of the fastest growing regions of the nation.
As one of three electricity distributors in New South Wales (NSW), it is responsible for building, maintaining and operating an electricity distribution network that connects 2.7 million people to traditional and renewable energy sources in homes and businesses across 25,000 square kilometres covering Sydney’s Greater West, to the mountains, and South Coast.
With aspirations to lead the market through energy innovation and reducing its carbon footprint, Endeavour Energy is successfully utilising sustainable technologies. This includes exploring new technologies to give customers more choice and control over how they use and receive energy, including advanced analytics projects and initiatives to enable the management and trading of distributed energy resources (DER) like rooftop solar systems, batteries, smart meters and electric vehicles.
“The electricity grid will change more in the next 10 years than in the last century, and the decisions we make today will affect the lives of future generations.”
Michael Caltabiano Manager Technology Portfolio Delivery. Endeavour Energy
New state-of-the-art data centre
When Endeavour Energy recently sold and relocated its offices, it needed to move its large, complex legacy data centre environment to a smaller, more agile state-of-the-art footprint. This presented the opportunity to uplift capability and address challenges with aging infrastructure.
According to Leo Coco, Technology Infrastructure Program Manager for Endeavour Energy, one of the challenges the organisation faced was an accumulation of technical debt, including old legacy systems and aging infrastructure. “Every corner we turned, there was a technical challenge, we were pulling apart environments that hadn’t been touched for a very long time, riddled with risk.”
The technology strategy became critical and focused on moving from on-premise to co-located services at the new location. All infrastructure, applications, and production data had to be moved in a very tight timeframe, including mission-critical systems that run the electrical grid, making a move without interruption to service delivery vital.
The new data centre would provide the technology, innovation and cyber security capabilities to ensure Endeavour Energy achieves the growth needed to succeed in the future, and the co-location will help support decarbonisation goals.
Michael Caltabiano, Manager Technology Portfolio Delivery at Endeavour Energy, explained, “NSW has an ambitious growth plan for Greater Sydney and regional areas, with five of the six growth areas serviced by Endeavour Energy. Future-proofing our electricity supply to safely integrate renewable energy while offering customers more choice and affordability is one of our biggest opportunities. The electricity grid will change more in the next 10 years than in the last century, and the decisions we make today will affect the lives of future generations.”
DXC and Cisco worked together to implement a fit-for-purpose, world-class co-located service within a certified strategic data centre that Endeavour Energy can leverage for the future.
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Laying the foundation for a brighter future
One challenge with the project was the timeframe in which the data centre move had to occur. Tracking and meeting milestones became essential, so a collaborative approach was needed.
As a trusted long-term technology partner of Endeavour Energy, DXC Technology was engaged to provide the expertise, planning and structure in moving the data centre without impacting production services.
With meticulous project planning required from start to finish, DXC established a comprehensive program structure, including a project management office (PMO) master scheduler and various project managers for different streams. Work included an audit, high-level design, low-level design, detailed migration plan, and third-party vendor management. While DXC has a tried and tested methodology, a customised approach is always used to address specific customer concerns.
The project’s complexity necessitated significant change, with around 300 IT change management documents approved and pushed through quickly. Rob Naccarella, Technology Project Manager for Endeavour Energy said, “DXC knew how critical it was to keep the lights on, and our team was confident in their expertise, in-depth technical know-how, understanding of the business, and capacity to change plans on the fly.”
Caltabiano explained, “Key factors in the selection for this project included a proven track record in helping others move and migrate their data centres and the collaborative and supportive way in which they worked.”
Coco, added, “Cisco was selected as part of the consortium since we were an existing customer with a strong working relationship. As a market leader for decades, their technology was at the core of our network, and they are focused on a greener future, including significant power efficiencies in their products, which aligns with Endeavour Energy’s broader vision. Cisco provided a great resource with solid experience in data centre activities, and it made sense to maintain our relationship while leveraging all the available new technology.”
Morgan Dryburgh, Account Manager for Cisco, explained, “As one of Cisco’s gold partners globally, DXC and Cisco have worked with Endeavour Energy on several projects over the past five years, developing a deep insight into what the business is trying to achieve. Together, we provide the best bespoke solution to ensure the best possible outcome for the customer.”
“The success of this project is proven by the fact we relocated all our primary technology and essential services, including people, without anyone from the business noticing.”
Rob Naccarella Technology Project Manager, Endeavour Energy
Keeping the lights on
DXC and Cisco worked together to implement a fit-for-purpose, world-class co-located service within a certified strategic data centre that Endeavour Energy can leverage for the future.
Legacy equipment was replaced, and the environment is now more efficient, safer and secure. By encouraging an ongoing culture of innovation and continuous improvement, DXC is supporting Endeavour Energy to prevent recurring technology debt.
Naccarella summed up the project’s success by saying, “Endeavour Energy now has its production data centre in a state-of-the-art facility, which sets us up perfectly for hosting the required technology capabilities for our future.
“The success of this project is proven by the fact we relocated all our primary technology and essential services, including people, without anyone from the business noticing.”
Coco added, “Working seamlessly with DXC, we achieved a phenomenal result, with a non-negotiable delivery date we thought was impossible when the project began. We now have the required security posture, and the foundations have been laid to deliver on the technology strategy to help us achieve our ambitious business goals.”
Leo Coco Technology Infrastructure Program Manager, Endeavour Energy
Future proofing electricity supply
DXC delivered a project that has laid the foundation for Endeavour Energy to embark on a broader, more detailed transformation journey. Coco concluded, “I would recommend DXC to other organisations, and there is no doubt we will work with them in the future. The DXC team’s commitment, professionalism and expertise across the technology landscape are best of breed. The way they engage, the collaborative approach, and the continuous improvement mindset are all the positives I look for in trusted technology partners. I’d also recommend Cisco – its technology is proven, and its reputation is consistent and solid.”
