Knowit supports Helen with the data required for the green transition

Knowit's Microsoft team has been keeping Helen's key systems up to date for 10 years. They are tasked with refining the data that flows from operational systems to mobile apps and online services such as My Helen.

A few years ago, AWS experts had the opportunity to help develop a solar calculator that allows anyone to calculate the solar power potential of their roof.

Today, cloud computing is increasingly focused on Microsoft Azure, Data Lake and Databricks. The Knowit team has been involved since the design phase of the data platform, carrying out architectural design and thinking about which components will be used on the platform. Thereafter, the team was called upon to build a variety of data pipelines from different sources and to refine the data for purposes such as production reporting and optimisation, as well as other support processes, such as sales and the electricity exchange and electricity and heat distribution.

Increasing demands for real-time data and the explosive growth in the volume of data are placing new demands on the data platform.

- We were not aiming to carry out a single large project. Instead, we have received important help in many areas from the Knowit team. We have a long history of good, flexible cooperation together. The Knowit team possesses wide-ranging expertise in user interfaces, visualisation and the cloud, and they also understand legacy issues, says Mikko Muurinen.

The Helen customer account is the responsibility of Henri Parkkonen at Knowit. He has been very pleased with the increase in collaboration in recent years.

- We provide Helen with experts who have worked on a wide range of data projects for different types of entities. We actively monitor the development of our offering and keep Helen aware of innovations in the field. We aim to be an important partner for Helen in their data strategy, says Henri Parkkonen.

One important area of cooperation between Helen and Knowit is the utilisation of Power BI, an analytics and reporting tool that supports business operations. Knowit's Maxim Tuovinen plays a key role in this regard.

- I guide Helen's analysts in their work, enhancing their competences and creating good practices. I am like a Power BI Personal Trainer for analysts, Maxim Tuovinen says.

In the last year and a half, Helen has created dozens of different Power BI applications and several reports. Among other things, Power BI has enabled operational reporting to support the everyday work of employees, not just senior managers. One application is used to monitor and steer the performance of customer service. Another is used to verify that Helen's Electricity Network satisfies the quality criteria.

Reporting applications are an important part of measuring and supporting everyday performance, both for internal employees and external partners.

Employee safety is paramount to Helen, and it is monitored using a safety dashboard built on Power BI. The aim is to minimise accidents on worksites and at power plants. All employees can view reports on the safety dashboard. Once a month, a safety toolbox talk is produced as a video for everyone to watch, and it presents figures from the dashboard, reviews them, and shares the lessons learned from safety incidents.

Images: Helen Oy