An Axpo Informatik AG Newsletter Issue 02/12

spot-on

Modern renewable energies such as solar and wind energies

are taking on an increasingly important role in the Swiss

power supply sector. This poses new challenges for the man-

agement of power production and power grids, because more

and more small power plants are generating power locally

and on a specific schedule. This necessitates a “Smart Grid”:

a networked power grid through which the individual com-

ponents – producers, transmitters and consumers – can com-

municate with each other.

Smart Metering

The “Smart Meter” is becoming increasingly important in the

consumer sector. On the one hand, this meter allows you to view

energy consumption in real time, enabling consumers to optimise

Continued on page 3

“CKW Smart Metering”

their consumption behaviour thanks to this newly acquired trans-

parency (replacing high rates with low rates and saving energy).

On the other hand, it allows public utilities to offer innovative

energy rates which are more market-oriented – that is, with effect-

ive supply and demand – thereby unburdening the power grid.

Just like other distribution system operators, CKW is conducting a

field test on the topic of “Smart Metering”. About 1,000 Smart

Meters have been installed at the homes of CKW’s consumer

customers, which record energy consumption at 15-minute inter-

vals and send the data to the central accounting systems. CKW

hopes to gain valuable experience not only with this state-of-the-

art technology but also in regard to acceptance by customers of

new rate models.

Direct customer presence with the mobile app

Leo Condrau (right), CKW, together with Roland Stadler, Axpo Informatik, with the innovative mobile app.

Dear Readers:

The current discussion about the future of the energy sector is

characterised by uncertainties, open issues and controversial opin-

ions. In such an environment it is important to get the Axpo Group

“ready for the impending storm”. Both for our customers and for

ourselves this means saving costs and increasing efficiency. How-

ever, above all it means thinking outside the box, detaching

ourselves from our old way of thinking and doing and continuously

questioning and adapting. Let us embrace this new adventure and

use our excellent starting position to design a successful future.

For us as an IT service provider it is important to review the costs

and the quality of the services we offer. And in almost all cases it is

these two “parameters” that are available to us. Have we de-

veloped an easy-to-use, streamlined application that meets cus-

tomer requirements? Can we do without an additional test system,

for example, and can we switch to a more cost-effective storage

system? If need be, can we also decrease customer requirements?

Can we get over an eight-hour system outage? And finally: Do we

offer a comparable service for a competitive price? These are

questions that we are currently discussing with customers in order

to find an optimal solution together.

In This Edition

1 Main Story 8 CAG Access 12

13

14

Reputation Management

9 Internet Content Filter Project 7app

The Office 2007 Shortcut Keys

7 Cherwell

5 SharePoint

Axpo spot-on

02 | 03

Due to continued efforts to reduce costs, the topic of the “cloud”

is also being debated in many places. We are of the opinion that

this is not merely an “IT trend”. Rather, the fundamental considera-

tion behind the cloud offers a range of advantages for customers:

services can be procured flexibly and very quickly, they cost little

and can also be cancelled again within a short period of time. Of

course, a basic condition does apply: the services are highly stand-

ardised. Axpo Informatik is now making the advantages for the

customer usable and offers the corresponding services from the

AXI cloud. Customers can bank on the reliability of our data

centres and processes while still benefiting from the advantages.

Read more on the topic in this issue.

This edition of Spot-on also features many other interesting topics,

such as: “Can we develop mobile apps in the future in cooperation

with Swisscom and distribute them throughout the company, how

should we proceed with the new client based on Windows 7, and is

it possible to identify yourself at CAG using the new mobile phone

token?”

I hope you enjoy reading our current issue of Spot-on.

Hyperion Boost10

Robert Gebel, CEO Axpo Informatik AG

Continued from page 1

For example, there’s the new “CKW Smart Fix” rate (with four

fixed rate levels based on time of day) as well as the “CKW Smart

Dynamics” rate, which is based primarily on market developments

and whose rate times for the next day are re-determined every day

based on the data of the European Energy Exchange (EEX). The

pilot customers who have selected this rate are informed daily

about the rate times that are valid for the next day.

Such a flexible model assumes that customers are ready to em-

brace the possibilities of energy consumption optimisation and are

willing to adapt their personal behaviour – of course, without loss

of comfort – to the respective valid rate times. The CKWdirekt

customer platform offers various options for analysing one’s own

energy consumption. However, hardly all customers will want to turn

on their computers and log in to the CKW portal in order to check

their energy consumption, costs and rate times on a daily basis.

“CKW Smart Metering” mobile app for iPhones

This is where the innovative “CWK Smart Metering” mobile app

comes into play. Originally developed within the framework of an

Axpo Informatik innovation project, CKW was quickly convinced

to take part in a production run within the scope of a Smart

Metering field test. To this end, the app – which was initially

only available for the iPhone – was expanded with specific CKW

functions so that now the rate times valid for the next day are

also directly displayed on the home page, for example. This

way customers always have this information “in their pockets”

(or in their purses) and can check the rate times any time they

need to.

In addition to the technical

aspects, the field test also aims

to gain experience regarding

customer acceptance. Hence,

in addition to a few critical

comments, a lot of positive

customer feedback has also

been collected.

What customers are saying

• “Thanks to the energy con-

sumption indicator, I saw

immediately that my heat

pump heating was running

fully on the electric auxiliary

heater. Had I not found this

out until at the end of the

billing cycle, it would have

cost me about 500 francs.”

• “The energy consumption

indicator made me aware of the high consumption of the elec-

tric boiler. By setting it to a maximum temperature of 60 C°,

I was able to significantly reduce my consumption.”

• The Smart Meter greatly increases energy awareness.

The entire family is sensitised to dealing with energy.”

• Critical customer feedback: “Identifying the energy

consumption of individual devices is either very difficult

or impossible.”

Porting for Android

It was not surprising that several users wanted

a version for Android phones. Because it was

decided at the start of the innovation project

to develop an open mobile app based on web

technology (compared to a specific iPhone

app), the mobile app was able to be ported

into the Android platform with little difficulty. This was done

with great dedication by Marc Joho in the IATE (ECM & Collabora-

tions CC) team, which today also provides application support

for CKW.

A particular challenge in this respect was the test process, be-

cause contrary to the Apple models, it was not possible to acquire

and test all Android phones that are currently on the market.

Thus, a representative phone selection in regard to manufactur-

ers, screen sizes and price classes was established, which turned

out to be sufficient based on the positive customer feedback

received.

Continued on page 4

“Thanks to the visualisation of energy consumption, customers have the necessary tool

to impact their energy consumption. The dynamic rates with various

prices increase the incentive to do so.”

CKW Project Manager Leo Condrau

Rate times graphic

Fixed model: CKW Smart Fix

Day 1

Day 2

...

Day 1

Day 2

...

Time window

very low rate low rate high rate very high rate

low rate average rate high rate

Time window

Dynamic Model: CKW Smart Dynamics

Axpo spot-on

04 | 05

Thanks to the streamlined application architecture and the use of

tried and true interface technology, the mobile app can be oper-

ated very efficiently. CKW Project Manager Leo Condrau says:

“The mobile app relies on our existing Smart Metering system

architecture, so that no significant additional costs are incurred

for its operation.”

Today the mobile app is operated by CKW itself, and both of the

app’s versions are successfully in operational use. Axpo Informatik

offers assistance within the scope of manufacturer support and

provides assessment and implementation of individual wishes.

What are the next steps?

In order to acquire well-founded experiences about long-term

effects, in particular about customer behaviour, the pilot run

should remain in place until the end of 2013. Thereafter, the

experiences will be evaluated and the next steps will be defined.

The “CKW Smart Metering” mobile app still has a lot of potential:

various individual wishes – adjustment for retina display, collec-

tion of usage statistics, integration of a GPS sensor for energy

charging stations, expansion of the analysis functions, visualisa-

tion of energy consumption in real time – have been put on hold

for the meantime within the scope of the pilot project but can be

revisited at any time. The mobile app can also be developed as a

communication platform that could be used by Marketing without

a direct Smart Metering basis.

As soon as the mobile app leaves pilot operation, the app is sure

to be subjected to a comprehensive test process. But at that time,

additional provision options will be available, e.g. through the

Apple Store or the Android market. The experiences which could

be amassed to date are very helpful and are helping CKW evalu-

ate this new technology. And the mobile app will help CKW serve

their customers even better thanks to its presence on their mobile

phones.

Continued from page 3

“The easiest way to find out the technical points of failure is to conduct

a pilot project yourself. But the experiences also show that a Smart Meter alone

is not enough for customers to fundamentally change their energy behaviour.”

CKW Project Manager Leo Condrau

Roland Stadler, Project Manager

«We must differentiate between sensible functions and that which is technically

feasible. By concentrating on the important things we will arrive at a focused

communication channel that no public utility will be able to do without.»

Roland Stadler, Project Manager

Interview with Julian Ün

Julian Ün, why is Axpo In-

formatik now also offering

the collaboration software

SharePoint by Microsoft as a

cloud solution? Couldn’t I

simply procure this from an

external service provider

somewhere on the web?

The big advantage of Share-

Point as a cloud service resides

in the fact that the data of the

offered solution are saved in an

Axpo Informatik data centre. Of

course there are other service

providers that offer cloud-

based SharePoint – but in those

cases the data are stored on

any old server with any old

security guidelines somewhere on Earth. Not all countries accord

data security the same importance as Switzerland. If the server of

an external cloud service provider in another country is confis-

cated by a judicial officer, for example, or if it is hacked into by

data thieves, then customers have no chance of getting to their

data. With our offer, customers know that their data are stored

according to Swiss law and in a private cloud according to the

highest data security standards. Give up data sovereignty? No,

thanks!

How does SharePoint from the private cloud work?

All of our customers’ employees can order the service in the it4me

web shop. After approval by their superior, the standard Share-

Point site is immediately activated and made available to the

respective employees. The ordering party (customer) manages

access rights to the application. People outside of the Axpo Group

can also be granted rights to the respective SharePoint site, which

makes cooperation with external partners or companies (e.g. CKW)

even easier. The “on demand” principle is another advantage: The

individual employee orders the SharePoint site when it is needed

and then returns the service after the respective project has been

completed. Another plus is the appealing monthly rates as well as

the free 30-day trial period.

Working Together Faster, Conveniently and Cost-EffectivelySharePoint from the private Axpo Informatik cloud

Once a project has ended and the service cancelled, are the

data lost?

No, regular backup copies are made of the data during the sub-

scription period. If the service is cancelled, Axpo Informatik will

ask the respective data owner what should happen with the data.

The site will not be conclusively closed until after this decision has

been made.

So the SharePoint service in its full version has competition

from the cloud?

Only partially, because the two solutions appeal to a different

target group. With cloud service customers receive a pre-set

standard at an unbeatable price with the highest security level.

However, support and adaptations must be paid for. An online

video (guided tour) provides assistance for using the standard

solution. The respective data owner – the person who ordered the

service – is responsible for access as well as for the stored data.

After returning the service, this person must ensure that the data

are moved to the company’s rightful archive.

The “classic” SharePoint service from the it4me web shop is a

customised solution with a nice home page and an overview of all

existing Share-Point sites as well as various additional tools.

Continued on page 6

Axpo spot-on

06 | 07

Info Box

S5420 AXI PROJECT COLLABORATION

IN THE CLOUD https://order.edok.ch

Features

• Own URL: Project management for selected users with the corresponding access rights

• Central document management: creation, saving, approval and deletion of documents, images and data; folder creation, version management and control, check-in and check-out standard

• Meeting organisation (calendar, address book)

• Open issue administration (assignment of tasks, collection of approvals)

• Project tasks and lists

• Announcements, news

• Own user administration (rights)

• Publication of entries of various levels (e.g., public, confidential, secret, etc.) about comprehensive rights

• Notification functionality: automatic information about changes via email

• Fully indexed search

• Data security, back-up, virus protection, round-the-clock availability

• Intranet access (Citrix environment or locally at Axpo)

• Encrypted Extranet access Price for Web application

Free for the first 30 days, then per month CHF 39.00.

With this solution the company has control of all the data on a

company server at the data centre. Here too it is possible to set

up access for external parties who are working on a project

together with company employees. Naturally, this premium

package includes support, with the service being based on an

SLA (Service Level Agreement).

Which version is better suited to which needs?

The traditional SharePoint solution is particularly interesting for

companies that have already developed a SharePoint environ-

ment. For example, even when all of the project management has

to be done through SharePoint, it must be possible to use addi-

tional applications on the respective pages and the goal is to

maintain an overview of all of the company’s projects, the classic

SharePoint premium package is the better choice.

If a company does not have its own SharePoint environment, then

the private cloud solution is an attractive option in order to

enable cost-effective, secure and quick cooperation in all types of

projects between internal and external project participants. Files

over 50 MB can also easily be made available to authorised

persons in the SharePoint cloud. The clever check-in and check-

out function ensures that the most up-to-date document is always

on SharePoint and that project participants can edit documents

together independent of their locations.

This way there are no multiple document versions making the

rounds and taking up unnecessary space in the respective com-

pany’s classic file storage system.

My recommendation: Use the opportunity to try out the Share-

Point cloud for 30 days for free and you will see which solution

suits you better.

If you have any questions about the SharePoint solution, Julian Ün,

SharePoint Project Manager, will be glad to assist you.

Since its foundation, Axpo Informatik has been relying on

“iEnterprise”, an IT Service Management Solution (ITSM). The

introduction of ITSM effectuated a change in the industry from

the original information technology to customer-oriented and

service-oriented IT.

Such “platform applications” contain and link all the systems that

are required for an IT organisation to provide the best support for

a company’s business processes. The scope of performance of

such software includes guaranteeing and monitoring the business

services, i.e. the IT services visible to the customers. This way the

efficiency, quality and cost-effectiveness of an IT organisation can

be continually improved.

The iEnterprise landscape is antiquated and must be exchanged

with a powerful, future-oriented replacement. That’s why Project

Manager Stefan Spiess is searching the market for a tool that is

able to cover the following requirements:

• A central, comprehensive ITSM solution for all Axpo Informatik

business areas

• Process mapping similar to the tried and true “ITIL Good

Practice” standard

• An ideal price/performance ratio: The new system should be

modern and versatile in its use while at the same time being

cost-effective to procure and operate.

A total of 15 providers of ITSM solutions were intensively vetted.

“Cherwell” was able to best fulfil Axpo Informatik’s requirements.

Executive management gave the green light for implementation

after the concept phase in June 2012. In addition to complete

mapping of ITIL processes, Cherwell also offers sustainable

processing of all the key aspects of an IT service provider with

practical, out-of-the-box implementation:

• Incident, problem, change and knowledge management

• Processing of service tasks efficient processing of service orders

and small orders

• Service management: Creation and maintenance of service level

agreements, clever service data administration and smart

accounting for services

The new platform application is founded on a modern, complete,

Microsoft-based architecture and features “codeless” develop-

ment, open interfaces and convenient access, including by smart-

Cherwell@AXI – The Clever Management SolutionITSM platform according to the ITIL standard

phones and tablets. Cherwell also means a chance for process

optimisation. That is why, over the course of the introduction, all

existing processes at Apxo Informatik were inspected and revised

wherever necessary and brought up to the “ITIL Good Practice”

standard.

Thanks to Cherwell, primarily the reporting system and the in-

ternal accounting process for services (hardware, software, user

accounts and options) will improve at Axpo Informatik due to the

launch. Currently, Stefan Spiess and his team are working on

adapting Cherwell to the company’s

specific requirements:

“We will launch Cherwell@AXI on 3

December 2012 at our company. It’s a

challenge to develop the core of our

IT process organisation. But it’s also a

lot of fun. In December a separate

access will be introduced for our

customers,” says Spiess.

For customers’ IT operation (IT em-

ployees, information managers, etc.),

Cherwell offers more transparency,

more service and better access to important KPIs and information

with its integration into the upcoming IT customer portal:

• Structured incident documentation as a report sent to the

Customer Service Desk

• Information managers have an overview of their company’s

incident tickets

• Overview and approval of one’s own service orders (directly

from the it4me web shop)

• Tips and tricks for services that can be ordered

• Review and status of the it4me orders and submitted

small orders

• Assignment of the revised small order (customer request > →

Axpo Informatik offer > customer approval/order > processing

by Axpo Informatik > customer acceptance)

• Automatic allocation of email traffic to the corresponding

solution ticket

Stefan Spiess, Project Manager Cherwell@AXI

Axpo spot-on

08 | 09

You want to work from home, just got comfortable in your

home office, the WLAN is lit up green, you are full of energy

to get things done, get ready to log in and ……. Darn it!

Where did that CAG token go? Wasn’t it in the laptop case?

– Are you sick and tired of this endless searching?

We certainly are!

That is why Karl Dürr and his project team have now come up

with a solution where your personal smartphone becomes a token.

That’s because most people always have their cell phone with

them and it’s more difficult to lose this device than a small token.

“Those who use Internet banking in their personal lives have

certainly run across the new SMS authentication. This solution is

just as secure as the token,” explains Karl Dürr, when it comes to

accessing the Citrix Access

Gateway (CAG) using the

new system.

The procedure is almost the

same as before: You first

register your smartphone at

https://myOTP.prod.axpo-

net.ch (only possible while

logged in to the company

network) with your regular

user name and password

that you usually enter to log

in to the system. You then

Easy, Secure CAG Access via OTP-SMSGood-bye to tokens!

go to https://icag.axpo.com/ and enter your username and pass-

word in the CAG screen as usual for the first authentication level.

The next screen then appears, which requires a code to be

entered. It takes between 2 and 15 seconds until you receive a

flash SMS on the registered smartphone. This SMS entails a

one-off valid code that you have to enter in order to enter the

CAG portal.

Internet access from your mobile phone is a prerequisite for using

this service. Then this solution will work worldwide. However,

delays in sending the SMS may occur abroad due to the network

of the respective foreign provider. “In Europe, other than slight

time delays receiving flash SMS is a seamless process; but on

other continents it makes sense to use the classic OTP (one time

password) token as a back-up,” recommends Karl Dürr.

The OTP-SMS service S1075 is now available on it4me. The old

CAG service has been deactivated in the meantime. In addition to

the easier handling, the service price also speaks for the SMS

solution. The service with token costs CHF 20.00 per month and

the SMS service only CHF 12.00. Those who opt for the SMS plus

token will continue to pay CHF 20.00 for the new, improved OTP

token, which is being introduced with this offer’s change.

If you have any questions about OTP-SMS, Karl Dürr will be glad

to assist you.

Karl Dürr, Project Manager CAG

The Internet has become an essential part of our daily work-

ing lives. We research, use services, share our knowledge and

communicate through social media platforms in our personal

lives and, increasingly, in our professional lives as well. The

changed work habits of the coming generations of employees

places a company before the fundamental question of

whether and how one should make certain Internet services

accessible to employees. That which has already been estab-

lished at large international corporations can now also be

used at the Axpo Group: WCC (Web Content Control) enables

customised Internet access to companies, departments and

teams in our Group.

“Up until after the summer holidays we reconfigured the Internet

access so that it is possible to block certain Internet pages and

even individual applications on specific Internet pages. WCC is an

interplay of URL filters and application inspection,” says Karl Dürr,

explaining the solution. Axpo Informatik has used a “basic control

system” for years now which reliably guarantees the basic security

for customer protection from hackers, malware and spam. It is

now technically possible to switch to an “advanced control sys-

tem”. The customer (usually the information manager or security

officer of the respective company) can select from 60 different

categories how he or she wants the customised Internet access for

employees to be.

“Glancing at the categories you can see that they are very Americ-

an-oriented. For example, military sites are also blocked. In

Europe we have a liberal viewpoint. Early customer requests show

that, of course, all types of pornography shall be blocked. But

Internet services such as auction sites, games and gambling sites,

Skype and messaging services such as Twitter, music and social

networks like Facebook are also a topic of discussion. In addition,

even video and audio streaming as well as web-based email can

be restricted,” says Karl Dürr.

With WCC, “basic control” is included in the price of CHF 11.00

per month. The customised “advanced control” for specific

categories is available for a charge of CHF 2.00 per month.

However, as a customer company it is also possible to simply

express a warning instead of implementing a block. When an

employee accesses a certain site, a pop-up will appear stating

that this website is not one of the sites authorised by the company

and that remaining at this site will be recorded. If an employee

ignores this warning and continues to surf, then this can be ad-

dressed within the scope of a monthly report (per company, not

itemized down to employee-level) at the request of the security

officer of the respective company.

The nice thing about WCC is that the company does not need to

close itself off from new media entirely. Blocking of sites and

applications can be restricted to certain times. This means that a

progressive company can allow access to personal social media

during the lunch break between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM, for

example. Additionally, there is the possibility of granting certain

groups at the company special authorisation: For example, a

communication department that conducts research and needs

audio and video streaming for its daily work activities can be

individually authorised.

Karl Dürr is convinced the solution is the right way to go: “A great

feature of the system is its versatility – almost nothing is im-

possible and it gives the company as much control as possible, as

much access as possible. For example, you can also only suppress

general file transfers – or how about allowing Facebook in prin-

ciple but suppressing individual components of the application,

such as games? Based on a no-obligation preliminary discussion

with our customers we can find out their requirements and submit

suggestions as to how to implement customised Internet access

without the employees feeling restricted in their everyday busi-

ness activities.”

If you have any questions about Web Content Control (WCC),

Karl Dürr, Project Manager WCC, will be glad to assist you.

Internet Content Filter Customised Internet access for companies

Axpo spot-on

10 | 11

The central, “Oracle I Hyperion-based” “Corporate Perform-

ance Management (CPM) Suite” supports the Axpo Group

with financial consolidation, strategic financial planning as

well as risk management. Thanks to the latest version, the

programme is faster and more economically priced than ever.

In the spring of 2011, Axpo Holding AG together with Group

members Axpo AG, EGL AG and CKW decided to replace the

existing CPM hardware platform and to migrate the “Oracle I

Hyperion” platform to the newest version 11. The various reasons

leading up to the migration were decisive. For example, a system

failure in November 2010 resulted in data loss. Furthermore, the

hardware platform had reached the end of its life cycle, which

necessitated replacement. However, the most important factor

was that the system had reached its performance capacity, a fact

that manifested itself particularly clearly during year-end closing

tasks. In addition, reporting using Hyperion SmartView (Excel)

was too slow.

Because the old system environment was not compatible with

Office 2007 and Internet Explorer 8, Hyperion client users were

forced to work with the antiquated Office 2003 version. Added to

this was the fact that Oracle announced it would be discontinuing

Premier Support for version 9 as of January 2012. Because the

Axpo Group did not wish to do its year-end closing on software

that is not supported, there was an urgent need to guarantee

seamless compliance, support, stability and performance optim-

isation.

Manufacturer involvement and repetitive procedures

decrease risk

The project was started in May 2011 – only a few weeks after the

latest Hyperion release appeared. The risk that such a new release

will exhibit growing pains should not be underestimated. What’s

more, migration of an almost five-year-old application harbours

major uncertainties. In order to minimise the existing risks a

“proof-of-concept” (POC) was carried out on a single server

before the actual migration. This procedure proved very useful.

For example, several bugs were found. In addition, an infrastruc-

ture, migration and authorisation concept could be established

together with the manufacturer. These concepts served as a

guideline for the development of the testing and production

platform.

In order to comply with the requirements regarding availability,

stability and accuracy, a shared multi-server platform was de-

veloped together with external specialists. The architecture was

also tested by Oracle and approved. Function and performance

tests were performed in an earlier phase during the development.

A repetitive procedure was selected for the actual

development. First the entire test platform was

built and documented in detail and tested by Axpo

Informatik. Based on a comprehensive protocol,

the affected customer companies subjected the

new platform to detailed testing. The experiences

gleaned from this testing could hence be incorporated into the

development of the productive solution and any difficulties that

arose could be resolved. Then the respective applications were

migrated and tested according to the migration concept. Thanks

to this procedure, all objectives were achieved and the new

platform could be activated on time on 1 February 2012.

Under Axpo Informatik project management, all hurdles could be

surmounted in a timely manner thanks to pragmatic cooperation

with our partners. The customer companies (Axpo Holding AG,

Axpo AG, EGL AG and CKW) were closely involved in the plan-

ning, especially in order to coordinate the test phases with the

month-end closing schedule. This contributed significantly to the

successful completion of the project and to achievement of the

set goals.

Hyperion Boost and FaceliftAxpo Holding: Hyperion successfully migrated to the newest version

“The migrated CPM platform is running stable and, thanks to decreased wait times, is

resulting in a significant increase in efficiency. The project itself was implemented in a

target-oriented and timely manner. We are satisfied all around.”

Patrick Brunner, Controller GB Production and Network

Replacing the old, antiquated hardware platform and updating to the

newest Hyperion version 11 have paid off. The Axpo Group wins on all

fronts:

• The platform operating costs were decreased by 17%.

• Overall performance increased by 50%–70%. Even large reports can

be accessed about 60% faster; a complete Group consolidation

happens twice as quickly as before.

• Handling of the Hyperion application is now a lot more convenient,

with user acceptance increasing significantly.

• The most-recent Office products implemented in the Axpo Group

are supported on the HS11 Citrix client; this simplifies data

exchange and data processing and enables more efficient work

processes.

• The currently used Hyperion version (11.1.2.1) is maintained and

supported by the manufacturer.

• Compliance, support and stability are guaranteed.

Andreas Hohenadler, Project Manager Hyperion

Financial planning at the highest level – the advantages of the

CPM Suite at a glance:

Axpo spot-on

12 | 13

Communication in social media is no longer limited to the

exchange of holiday photos between friends. Social debate

and political mobilisation are increasingly taking place here.

Reason enough to implement social media monitoring – as a

supplement to the classic media review.

Public utilities have critical customers and no fans. Public utilities

produce goods that “are in need of explanation” and no cool

gadgets that are fun to play with. We are not Apple, and there-

fore we have to discuss the way we do business and the social

significance thereof with a critical public.

However, this critical public is less and less writing letters to the

editors to newspapers and is more and more communicating via

blogs, Facebook and Twitter. It is in these media that new senti-

ments are quick to arise, influential opinion leaders come to the

forefront and opinions are made.

However, social media can no longer be manually evaluated due

to the sheer size of the data quantities. That is why AXI is devel-

oping an “energy industry” showcase with Dübendorf-based

company Netbreeze. This cloud-based IT solution conducts

targeted searches for social media contributions relevant to the

energy industry that correspond to pre-defined search criteria,

collects these data in a database and graphically illustrates the

results in a dashboard.

The search criteria regulate which contributions concerning

energy industry topics (e.g. the acceptance of certain forms of

energy) or that are connected to the reputation of the brand and

its exponents are analysed. But the search criteria should also

help us discover new market trends and developments early on

and respond to them.

Keyword “nuclear energy” in social media

The first experimental results are in: In August 2011, Axpo was still

listed just as often in the context of a nuclear phase-out as in the

context of renewable energies. But in February 2012, renewable

energies predominated. It is noteworthy that, although the

“Axpo” brand is often associated with terms from the atomic

energy sector, Axpo CEO Heinz Karrer is primarily seen as

someone who is involved in politics and social debates.

Of course, social media monitoring tools cannot replace human

analysis competence. Hence, the above-mentioned results still

need to be carefully tested for their relevance. However, they

provide a fascinating look into discussions which were recently

still being had - quite discretely - in the pub or the living room.

Social media monitoring tools will provide corporate communica-

tion departments with important information about how to get

involved in shaping the discourse about energy industry topics in

social media.

Attila K. Miehle, IT Consultant

Reputation Management in Social MediaListen, analyse, participate

The migration from the XP

operating system to the new

Windows 7 has been full

speed ahead since the end of

last year. AEW, Litecom and

the majority of Axpo AG have

been rolled out in the mean-

time and are able to benefit

from the advantages of the

new client.

Nowadays, if you want to grab

your coffee before your system

boots up after logging in you

will have to hurry. Daniel Schori,

Overall Project Manager for

7app, is satisfied with the

project’s progress to date: “We

had to overcome a challenge or

two, especially at the start of

the project. Overall, the conver-

sion went very well, something which can also be attributed to the

excellent support provided by the affected employees on site. We

were warmly welcomed everywhere and were able to replace the

workstations quickly and efficiently.”

The 7app team in currently on the road in Europe, because the

numerous EGL locations are also slated to be switched to Win-

dows 7. One highlight in particular will remain in the project

team’s memory for a long time to come: “The rollout at the mega

construction site Linth-Limmern was an unforgettable experience.

When switching out the hardware at 2,500 metres above sea level,

we had the unique opportunity to experience the construction

site the way only construction workers typically can,” continues

Daniel Schori. The next milestones on the rollout programme are

Axpo AG Kernenergie, ZWILAG and, as the crowning finale, EKZ.

For current information and photos on the 7app project, go to our

blog (in german only) in the Axpo Informatik Insider:

http://insider/insider/axi/de/services/informatik/7app-blog.html

Daniel Schori, 7app Overall Project Manager

Project 7appSwitching to Windows 7 on the home stretch

Quantity of hardware that had to be replaced during the switch to Windows 7.

Axpo spot-on

14 | 15

MS Word shortcut keys

Key combination Explanation

Alt + 1 Assign style sheet header 1

Alt + 2 Assign style sheet header 2

Alt + 3 Assign style sheet header 3

Ctrl + # Subscript

Ctrl + + Superscript

Ctrl + - Insert a protected hyphen

Ctrl + End Go to the end of the document

Ctrl + Enter New page / switch pages / page break

Ctrl + Shift + B Bold

Ctrl + Shift + I Italics

Ctrl + Shift + U Underline

Ctrl + Shift + space Insert a protected space

Shift + Enter New line / switch lines /line break

Ctrl + Tab Insert tab inside a table

MS Excel shortcut keys

Key combination Explanation

Ctrl + 0 Hide column

Ctrl + # Hide/show formulas

Ctrl + Home Jump to cell A1

Ctrl + . Insert current date

Ctrl + Shift +. Insert current time

Ctrl + + Insert line/column

Ctrl + - Delete line/column

Ctrl + Enter Line break within a cell

Ctrl + Page up Scroll through the sheets to the right

Ctrl + Page down Scroll through the sheets to the left

Shift + F11 Create new worksheet

Home ¬¬ Go to the top of a cell

F2 Edit a cell

Shift + arrow Mark cells in this arrow direction

Fast and SmartShortcut keys in MS Office 2007

Key combinations – or shortcuts – make your daily work a

bit easier. You can execute commands that you need often

fastest using these shortcut keys.

With just a little training you will soon have a good grasp

of your personal shortcuts list.

General Office shortcut keys

Key combination Explanation

Alt + F4 Close the active programme / the active window

F1 Help

F12 “Save as” dialogue box

F7 Spelling and grammar check

Ctrl + A Select all

Ctrl + C Copy

Ctrl + F Find

Ctrl + F4 Close the active file / the active window

Ctrl + H Find and replace

Ctrl + N New blank document

Ctrl + O Open

Ctrl + P Print

Ctrl + S Save

Ctrl + V Paste

Ctrl + X Cut

Ctrl + Home Go to the top of the document

PowerPoint shortcut keys

Key combination Explanation

Shift + F5 Show the current slide (presentation mode)

F5 Show the first slide (presentation mode)

Ctrl + M New slide

Tab Mark all objects on slide (non visible objects included)

During the slide show

Home First slide

End Last slide

Page number + Enter Jump directly to this slide

W or , White screen

B or . Black screen

Ctrl + t Show taskbar

Outlook shortcut keys

Key combination Explanation

Ctrl + 1 Switch to Inbox

Ctrl + 2 Switch to Calendar

Ctrl + 3 Switch to Contacts

Ctrl + 4 Switch to Tasks

Ctrl + 5 Switch to Notes

Ctrl + F Forward an email

Ctrl + R Reply to an email

Ctrl + U Mark as unread

Ctrl + Shift + B Show the Address Book

Ctrl + Shift + M New email/memo

Axpo Informatik AGSpot-on Editorial OfficeBruggerstrasse 68 | CH-5401 BadenT +41 56 200 33 66 | F +41 56 200 33 67spot-on@axpo.ch | www.axpo.ch Picture credits: Rolf Jenni, Bildraus.ch, iStockphoto.com