---
title: 3 essentials for establishing robust data infrastructure
description: Software decisions the energy industry make will determine the economic and social impact of change, one area causing consternation is data infrastructure.
image: https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20221005-Data-Infrastructure-Part-2-v2.jpg
---

[![flux](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/flux_2023/images/logos/flux.svg) ![flux\_dark](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/flux_2023/images/logos/flux_dark.svg)](https://www.fluxfederation.com)

Platform

##### [![20230822 Flux Nav - Billing -1](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/General%20Images/20230822%20Flux%20Nav%20-%20Billing%20-1.svg) Billing Configurable, flexible energy billing for today, and tomorrow.](https://www.fluxfederation.com/products-billing)

##### [![20230822 Flux Nav - Billing use cases-1](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/General%20Images/20230822%20Flux%20Nav%20-%20Billing%20use%20cases-1.svg) Billing use cases Solar and battery, electric vehicles, time of use, PPA, VPP and more.](https://www.fluxfederation.com/billing-use-cases)

##### [![20230822 Flux Nav - Market Operations -1](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/General%20Images/20230822%20Flux%20Nav%20-%20Market%20Operations%20-1.svg) Market Operations Complete the picture for end-to-end energy retail solution.](https://www.fluxfederation.com/market-operations)

![20230822 Flux Nav - Market Operations use cases-1](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/General%20Images/20230822%20Flux%20Nav%20-%20Market%20Operations%20use%20cases-1.svg)

##### Market Operations use cases

Customer communications, single customer view and more.

##### [![20240314-Flux-Preparing-for-success-Nav-Crop](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/General%20Images/20240314-Flux-Preparing-for-success-Nav-Crop.jpg?width=1386&name=20240314-Flux-Preparing-for-success-Nav-Crop.jpg) Featured resource Preparing for Success: Four key billing transformation learnings. A must-read for energy companies on the precipice of change. Download now](https://www.fluxfederation.com/preparing-for-success)

Insights

##### [![20210608 Flux Icon HOME AUTOMATION CONNECTION BULB\_1 WHITE](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Icons/20210608%20Flux%20Icon%20HOME%20AUTOMATION%20CONNECTION%20BULB_1%20WHITE.png?width=1386&name=20210608%20Flux%20Icon%20HOME%20AUTOMATION%20CONNECTION%20BULB_1%20WHITE.png) Insights The latest updates on everything energy. From growing business value to digital transformation and industry insights. Read more](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog)

![20210608 Flux Icon MOBILE ELECTRICITY PURCHASE\_1 WHITE](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Icons/20210608%20Flux%20Icon%20MOBILE%20ELECTRICITY%20PURCHASE_1%20WHITE.png?width=1386&name=20210608%20Flux%20Icon%20MOBILE%20ELECTRICITY%20PURCHASE_1%20WHITE.png)

##### Resources

A knowledge hub that shares our insight for energy businesses undertaking the changes needed to evolve the sector.

Explore the hub

##### [![20240411-Nav-Featured-Resource---iPad-user-preparing-for-success](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/General%20Images/20240411-Nav-Featured-Resource---iPad-user-preparing-for-success.jpg?width=1386&name=20240411-Nav-Featured-Resource---iPad-user-preparing-for-success.jpg) Featured resource Preparing for Success: Four key billing transformation learnings. A must-read for energy companies on the precipice of change. Download now](https://www.fluxfederation.com/preparing-for-success)

[Why Flux?](https://www.fluxfederation.com/flux-offering) Company

##### [About Find out more about the people behind our leading edge platform, our Executive team and Board of Directors. About](https://www.fluxfederation.com/about)

##### [Careers Find out what it's like to work for a remote-first company designing and building innovative retail software for leaders of the energy transition. Careers](https://www.fluxfederation.com/careers)

##### [![20240212-the-benefits-of-modern-tech-1](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20240212-the-benefits-of-modern-tech-1.jpg?width=1386&name=20240212-the-benefits-of-modern-tech-1.jpg) Featured post The time is now: Why the energy sector must adopt modern billing tech Read more](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/the-time-is-now-why-the-energy-sector-must-adopt-modern-billing-tech)

 Talk to an expert

 Talk to an expert

# 3 essentials for establishing robust data infrastructure

[Flux Federation](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/author/flux-federation)  |  16 October 2022

![20221005-Data-Infrastructure-Part-2-v2](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20221005-Data-Infrastructure-Part-2-v2.jpg)

![blue gradient waves](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/flux_2023/images/bgs/blog-bg.png?width=1386&name=blog-bg.png)

[We recently talked](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/the-challenges-energy-companies-face-in-establishing-strong-data-infrastructure) about the challenges energy companies face in establishing strong data infrastructure and how the sector is dominated by legacy systems. 

It’s easy to see why. 

In an industry that builds dams and nuclear stations to last, unchanged (and therefore usable), for 50–100 years, it is understandable to see how the underlying mentality of keeping with the old has been established. But data infrastructure is relatively ephemeral—it needs to constantly change to remain relevant (and therefore usable).

While it is not unheard of for a legacy system to languish for some twenty-odd years, at some point it will need to be replaced. In this era of data, cloud, and digital technology, maintaining robust data systems through perpetual change is a must-have, so today’s musings are about what to consider when setting up your data infrastructure.

### 1. It’s a lot more flexible in the Cloud

If there’s one thing for certain, the old approach—inevitable at the time—of being locked into individual vendors with proprietary technology is no longer viable. It is now entirely feasible to expect that whenever a new tool is implemented, anything to do with the infrastructure and even the consumption of data will be future-compatible and interoperable. 

The modularity of modern technology means you can reasonably tailor an end-to-end solution by separately purchasing the components that best suit your requirements. While this may be a more complex task upfront, there is merit in being able to configure a solution using different vendors. If that is too onerous, Cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure) offer what we call ‘walled gardens’ in tech, which provide everything you need to get started. While this does favour a single vendor over an ecosystem, you are not exactly locked in as these tools are largely interchangeable. 

Here’s an example. 

An energy company builds (or has built) a machine-learning tool inside one of these walled gardens.  Instead of using vendor-specific components, the code is kept generic. This means that if the company decides to change Cloud providers, they can fairly easily transfer the code into the new provider’s environment. If you keep your code and tools generic, porting to a new provider is entirely possible—after all, the cloud is just someone else’s computer! 

### 2. Make sure you have solid data infrastructure

There is a catch in all this. It doesn’t matter how good a vendor is, or how advanced their tech is, you won’t find an off-the-shelf solution that can work with insufficient or non-existent data infrastructure. 

We’ve seen first-hand and heard accounts of situations where solutions were acquired, consultants engaged and millions of dollars spent, only to find out down the track there wasn’t millions of dollars worth of value realised, all because the data infrastructure was substandard. You can’t expect a sophisticated tool to perform and add value if it’s sitting on top of a swamp. The old Monty Python adage “I built a castle… It sank into the swamp, so I built a second one” is no basis for a system of data governance. 

### 3. Let the specialists do specialised work

Shifting to a modern data practice, one underpinned by robust data infrastructure, is a long journey. It needs commitment across an organisation to move forward in this way, and to bring in the right people, processes, and technology. And while each of these three things have a critical role in digital transformation, we'd would argue that having the right people in the right roles is paramount. 

Ten or so years ago, when digital transformation was still a new buzzword, it was hard to find specialist with a great deal of experience in this area—those skills were still being developed in the workforce. But data has become a much more mature business endeavour and beginning to specialise into a few disciplines, e.g., data science (which is a fairly generic term, but that’s a whole other conversation), data engineering (which is more specific), and machine learning engineering (which is becoming well defined within software and data).

I may be biased as practitioners and strategists, but our advice would always be to bring in the people who know how to do things you don’t know how to do, and give them plenty of runway. And in the interest of being a cliche by including a Steve Jobs quote: 

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” 

If we put this into the context of energy companies, let’s say an energy provider who has only ever run gas power plants wants to move into renewables and build a wind farm. Obviously there will be a range of new skills required to make this happen, for example, specialists to advise on location and configuration. Things can go awry when these specialists are not given the freedom to undertake the project in the way they need to, because their activities may be so foreign to the company hiring them. Understandably, if you’re running a successful company and suddenly someone comes in suggesting something completely different, things can get incredibly uncomfortable. 

The great thing about hiring specialists (and letting them do their thing) is that by exposing your company to these skills and sharing the knowledge, you’ll upskill your internal team much faster and develop expertise that can be called upon in-house. Isn’t that a great win for everyone? 

If your business is operating legacy systems and you need some advice on how to modernise your infrastructure to be fit for purpose and keep pace with the industry, [get in touch](https://www.fluxfederation.com/contact) with the team at Flux.

 

### Continue learning how we can help you

##### [![20240516-streamline-debt-manangement](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20240516-streamline-debt-manangement.jpg?width=1386&name=20240516-streamline-debt-manangement.jpg) Growing business value Streamline debt management and drive profitability Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/streamline-debt-management-and-drive-profitability)

##### [![20240319-4-challenes-for-seller-1](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20240319-4-challenes-for-seller-1.jpg?width=1386&name=20240319-4-challenes-for-seller-1.jpg) Growing business value 4 big challenges for energy sellers, according to the tech experts Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/4-big-challenges-for-energy-sellers-according-to-the-tech-experts)

##### [![20220211-VPP-blue-noise](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20220211-VPP-blue-noise.jpg?width=1386&name=20220211-VPP-blue-noise.jpg) Growing business value Turning virtual into reality: Operationalising Virtual Power Plants Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/turning-virtual-into-reality-virtual-power-plants-for-energy-business)

##### [![20221208-Cost-out-value-in](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20221208-Cost-out-value-in.jpg?width=1386&name=20221208-Cost-out-value-in.jpg) Digital transformation Can you have it all? Driving value in and cost out in a digital transformation Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/driving-value-in-and-cost-out-in-a-digital-transformation)

##### [![20240410-billing-software-for-australia](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20240410-billing-software-for-australia.jpg?width=1386&name=20240410-billing-software-for-australia.jpg) Growing business value How modern billing tech can help energy sellers with the energy crisis Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/how-modern-billing-tech-can-help-energy-sellers-with-the-energy-crisis)

##### [![20240411-Energy-Transition-Blueprint-Refresh](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20240411-Energy-Transition-Blueprint-Refresh.jpg?width=1386&name=20240411-Energy-Transition-Blueprint-Refresh.jpg) Growing business value Invest to stay in the game: Flexible tech is a blueprint for success Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/invest-to-stay-in-the-game-a-blueprint-for-the-energy-transition)

##### [![20231116-customer-retention](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20231116-customer-retention.jpg?width=1386&name=20231116-customer-retention.jpg) Growing business value How modern billing software supports customer retention Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/how-modern-billing-software-supports-customer-retention)

##### [![20240212-the-benefits-of-modern-tech-1](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20240212-the-benefits-of-modern-tech-1.jpg?width=1386&name=20240212-the-benefits-of-modern-tech-1.jpg) Digital transformation The time is now: Why the energy sector must adopt modern billing tech Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/the-time-is-now-why-the-energy-sector-must-adopt-modern-billing-tech)

##### [![20231214-End-energy-user](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20231214-End-energy-user.jpg?width=1386&name=20231214-End-energy-user.jpg) Growing business value Why we mustn’t forget the customer as we power the energy transition Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/why-we-mustnt-forget-the-customer-as-we-power-the-energy-transition)

##### [![20231213-Nic-in-Europe---Collaboration](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20231213-Nic-in-Europe---Collaboration.jpg?width=1386&name=20231213-Nic-in-Europe---Collaboration.jpg) Industry Insights Collaboration: the critical success factor of the energy transition Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/collaboration-the-critical-success-factor-of-the-energy-transition)

##### [![20231009-modern-billing-tech](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20231009-modern-billing-tech.jpg?width=1386&name=20231009-modern-billing-tech.jpg) Digital transformation Why modern billing tech is essential in the new energy economy Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/why-modern-billing-tech-is-essential-in-the-new-energy-economy)

##### [![20230922-Dreamforce-insights](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20230922-Dreamforce-insights.jpg?width=1386&name=20230922-Dreamforce-insights.jpg) Industry Insights Dreamforce 23: Insights into the energy revolution and our roles in it Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/dreamforce-23-insights-into-the-energy-revolution-and-our-roles-in-it)

##### [![20230913-Flux-Dreamforce-product-launch-1000x525](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20230913-Flux-Dreamforce-product-launch-1000x525.jpg?width=1386&name=20230913-Flux-Dreamforce-product-launch-1000x525.jpg) Digital transformation Flux launches world-first product for scaling decarbonisation solutions Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/flux-launches-world-first-product-for-scaling-decarbonisation-solutions)

##### [![Decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalisation of the energy sector](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20230907-Flux---The-3-Ds.jpg?width=1386&name=20230907-Flux---The-3-Ds.jpg) Digital transformation Is the energy sector ready for the 3 Ds? Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/is-the-energy-sector-ready-for-the-3-d-s)

##### [![20230822-Customisation-over-configuration-noise](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Flux%202.0/Blog/20230822-Customisation-over-configuration-noise.jpg?width=1386&name=20230822-Customisation-over-configuration-noise.jpg) Growing business value Configurability vs customisation: 4 tips for your next tech purchase Read the story](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog/configurability-vs-customisation-4-things-to-consider-for-your-next-tech-purchase)

![purple gradient waves](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hs-fs/hubfs/flux_2023/images/bgs/form-bg.png?width=1386&name=form-bg.png)

## Be the first to know!

Sign up for the latest updates in technology, changes, regulations, and new energy products from Flux.

###### Platform

[Billing](https://www.fluxfederation.com/products-billing)

[Market Operations](https://www.fluxfederation.com/market-operations)

[Billing Use Cases](https://www.fluxfederation.com/billing-use-cases)

Market Operations Use Cases

###### Insights

[Blog](https://www.fluxfederation.com/blog)

Knowledge hub

###### Flux Offering

[Why Flux?](https://www.fluxfederation.com/flux-offering)

###### Company

[About Us](https://www.fluxfederation.com/about)

[Careers](https://www.fluxfederation.com/careers)

Contact Us

###### Sign up for the latest news

![flux](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/flux_2023/images/logos/flux_small.svg)

© Flux Federation

[Privacy](https://www.fluxfederation.com/privacy) | [Terms](https://www.fluxfederation.com/website-terms-of-use)

[![linkedin](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/flux_2023/masks/linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/fluxfederation/) [![twitter](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/flux_2023/masks/twitter.svg)](https://www.twitter.com/fluxfederation) [![youtube](https://www.fluxfederation.com/hubfs/flux_2023/masks/youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/@fluxfederation737)