Major Bulgarian Utility Chooses InfoNet For Effective Network Management 

ViK Lovetch Utility Looks to Innovyze Solution to Manage Its Extensive, Complex Water Network

Broomfield, Colorado USA, January 24, 2012 — Innovyze, a leading global innovator of business analytics software and technologies for wet infrastructure, today announced that ViK Lovetch, the water utility serving the Bulgarian city of Lovetch, has opted to utilize the powerful analysis and business intelligence capabilities ofInfoNet as its network management system. The purchase will represent a significant step up for the utility’s capabilities in this area.

ViK Lovetch, established in 1959, also provides water and sewerage services for 100 towns and villages within the north-central Bulgarian administrative region — a total of 100,000 people, including 44,000 within the city of Lovetch. The utility operates a complex and challenging 1,114 mi (1,792 km) water supply network across its widely varied region. Just 65 mi (104km) of the network lies within the city. It also handles over 100 major pumping stations and chlorination facilities and more than 260 water sources and tanks.

Two years ago, the utility’s new management team — Executive Director Ilian Iliev, and Deputy Executive Director Danail Sabevski — decided to leverage the power of contemporary technologies to manage the system’s substantial water and sewer system dataflows, which had been documented with paper plans, registers and CAD drawings. Their aim was to introduce a GIS-based system that would ultimately mesh with the utility’s existing CRM and accounting systems.

Specialist consultancy and Innovyze channel partner Aquamod was chosen to undertake the pilot project. Aquamod Managing Director Alexander Litchev explains: “Several options were considered but InfoNet was the perfect choice due to its powerful functionality directly out of the box, user friendliness and fast learning curve. The utility managers were especially impressed by InfoNet’s professionally-designed data model, unlimited possibilities for future interconnections with our existing MS SQL server databases for CRM and accounting, and perfect price-quality mix.”

The pilot project has three key targets: to introduce InfoNet; to convert existing network records for the Lovetch water supply system to the InfoNet database; and to provide training for the utility’s technical staff. Early this year, the company is aiming to integrate InfoNet within the SQL environment, enabling a direct link between the utility’s network, operations, finance and other databases.

“We are delighted that InfoNet has been chosen as the network management tool for this important Eastern European region,” says Andrew Brown, Director of International Operations for Innovyze. “We’re impressed by ViK’s commitment to leveraging innovative technologies to boost its service offering, and proud to support it.”