One of the main topics of discussion today at OSIsoft's User Conference was Enterprise Agreements (EAs). These agreements were recently introduced by OSIsoft to make life easier for them and for their larger customers.
When a company enters into an EA with OSIsoft, they write one check per year to cover all licensing fees, training, and some services. OSIsoft likes to call these agreements "all the PI you can eat".
If your company does seven figures annually with OSIsoft, it is likely that an EA is a good idea. Two end users, DT Energy and Amgen, cited the following benefits of their EAs:
1. They used to annually generate scores of purchase orders for upgrades to more tags, new modules, new installations, training courses, etc. Each PO required justification. They now generate one PO per year, part of which is typically allocated internally to capital expenditures and part allocated to maintenance.
2. The EA lets them install OSI products anywhere it makes sense. In fact, OSI will perform the install as part of the EA.
3. The EA provides for 24/7 remote monitoring and remote fixes from OSI's Network Operations Center (NOC).
4. OSI provides expert advice in two areas: system architecture and domain specific analytics. End users appreciate the advice from salaried technical professionals assigned to their accounts as opposed to a salesperson.
5. The overall level of expenditures with the EA can be less than with individual POs.
According to their CEO and founder Dr. Pat Kennedy, OSIsoft has about 15 of these EAs in place. OSI plans to expand their EA business and is investing in internal resources to support the program.
For the end user, an EA can be a good way to have OSI expertise at their beck and call. Data historians and the analytics associated with them are a specialized area, and it often makes sense to outsource part of the support.
