In today’s tough energy market, it is critical for oil and gas workers to be able to communicate and share information with colleagues quickly and efficiently – anyplace, anytime. Swings in supply and demand, volatile prices, and shifting worldwide energy policies have made E&P more complex than ever. As the industry expands globally and work teams are dispersed among multiple locations, enabling instant communication is a prime focus for oil and gas IT departments.

To investigate industry attitudes and practices related to this communication imperative, Microsoft and Accenture recently conducted their third annual survey of 205 professionals within international, national, and independent oil and gas related companies. The goal of the survey was to understand the factors that drive increased collaboration among professionals and determine current thinking about the business value of collaboration tools to enhance processes and workflows. The newest survey amplified key trends compared to previous survey findings.

The need for collaboration tools is growing
Industry professionals are collaborating more than ever. More than one-third (34%) of those surveyed reported spending more time collaborating in 2010 than the previous year, and respondents consistently identified the capability to interact with colleagues, partners, and customers from anywhere at any time through any device as a technology enhancement that would further company success.

The rise of the digital oil field draws attention to this need because it requires the optimization of communication processes between field workers and management at home offices. While it is essential for management to securely capture and analyze the constant stream of data flowing in from the field, it is more vital for field workers to have access to technologies that enable them to collaborate with management and receive real-time feedback for critical decision-making.

Large amounts of information are being shared among colleagues in disparate office locations, and there has been an enormous increase in the amount of collaboration that is taking place with experts outside a given organization. There is no question that the need for a secure exchange is crucial.

Pic of Cellphone and laptop

As the industry expands globally, enabling instant communication is a prime focus.

Although the vast majority of those surveyed agree with this assessment, nearly 40% of them said when they use instant messaging (IM), they used public IM tools for business collaboration, while only 27% are using company IM tools. Respondents listed email as the primary method for file sharing, both inside and outside the organization, followed by the use of physical storage devices like flash drives and USBs. With employees using various forms of company and social media to communicate, there is potential for sensitive information to be compromised.

Another critical point is that many industry professionals are using older, non-secure methods to share information and files, a process that unwittingly puts a company at risk for sensitive data to be lost or stolen. Management needs be aware of the need for secure sharing environments.

Unified communications solutions
To enhance collaboration across work groups and ensure the security of information exchange, it is clear that oil and gas companies must make fundamental changes to the way they communicate by integrating collaboration technologies and introducing remote collaboration tools into a unified communications system. A number of forward-looking companies in the oil and gas industry already are adopting unified communications technology to gain the new efficiencies they require as the industry evolves. Unified communications solutions allow users to see the “presence” of colleagues to determine who is available to communicate and then collaborate by instant message, voice call, and/or one-to-one video conferencing to exchange files and see one another’s desktops.

Indonesia’s MedcoEnergi Internasional, for example, recently sought to upgrade its unified communications capabilities so every employee could stay connected. This approach also was expected to reduce costs across the organization. In 2010, MedcoEnergi Internasional deployed Microsoft’s Lync unified communications solution in combination with IP phones so even employees without computers could stay connected and have access to presence information. By deploying Lync Server, MedcoEnergi has been able to provide more resilient phone service at remote sites at a fraction of its previous cost. By “virtualizing” its servers, enabling one server to run many different operating systems and applications, the company has seen a 50% reduction in required hardware.

Royal Dutch Shell also has gained efficiencies and cost improvements with its Microsoft communications server. Its 104,000 employees work in more than 110 countries and territories in locations as diverse as upstream exploration sites, downstream refineries, and trading floors. Eighty percent of its teams are global teams, with members in multiple locations around the world. Microsoft technology has streamlined the company’s communications significantly. Shell employees can switch easily from one communications method to another. With one click, a user can change an IM conversation to a voice call or video conference. Moreover, employees’ phone numbers and voice mail are not fixed to a specific phone device. Calls are routed to wherever the employee is logged on.

Because Shell employees work in so many different time zones, determining who is available in any given geography often was a challenge. Employees now can look at an icon next to a person’s name and know whether that colleague is online, out of the office, or busy.

Unified communications also is reducing Shell’s technology costs because a centralized VoIP system based on its unified communications solutions lowers the cost and complexity of managing multiple private branch exchange (PBX) systems at global offices. The system centralizes all call control, collaboration, and management servers into three data centers. Shell anticipates retiring more than 200 pieces of PBX equipment as a result of its switch.

Shell also gains savings from the consolidation of audio and video conferencing into its Microsoft solution. The company previously had maintained more than 600 video conferencing rooms. That number will decrease as Shell continues to deploy its unified communications technology globally. Shell expects to significantly reduce the charges received from its hosted audio conferencing service as well, with users transitioning to calls via unified communications.

When oil and gas companies apply technology such as Microsoft Lync for communicating – whether from headquarters to jungle operations or from senior workers to new recruits – they have begun to control costs, improve productivity, provide enriched support for their remote workforce, gain operational efficiencies, and become more responsive to changes in their business environment.

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