In the survey of 151 North American senior-level utilities executives, 17% said they are prepared to manage the data deluge today than they were one year ago.
The survey, however, found that majority still say they are underprepared and utilities report slight improvements in information sharing and using information for strategic decision making.
According to the survey, fewer than half of utilities today use smart grid data to provide alerts or make other direct customer service improvements.
About 62% said they have a big data skills gap including those who say they are prepared for the smart grid data influx.
Oracle said two out of three utilities are considering cloud-based solutions for smart grid/smart meter data management and analysis and only 26% are actually planning, implementing or maintaining a cloud solution today.
Oracle Utilities senior vice president and general manager Rodger Smith said the study shows that while more utilities today, over last year, are completely prepared to handle the big data influx from smart grid, most still struggle to get business value from the information they collect.
"The most progressive utilities are transforming themselves now into data-driven businesses to accelerate the opportunities big data and analytics can bring to improving customer service and operational efficiencies," Smith said.
