Utility Cloud Billing: A Staff Augmentation Success Story

Altere, a Norwegian company, sought to enhance their UtilityCloud platform with a sophisticated billing engine system. Their goal was to streamline billing processes and improve overall operational efficiency.

Challenge

The primary challenge was to develop a billing engine that could integrate flawlessly with the existing UtilityCloud platform. The system required scalability, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to manage complex billing processes. Altere’s in-house developer, tasked with other modules of UtilityCloud, needed external expertise to tackle the billing engine module. The project demanded professionals who could construct a robust billing engine by evaluating system inputs and producing accurate invoice outputs.

Solution

Embarking on a project to enhance Altere’s UtilityCloud platform, we aimed to develop a sophisticated billing engine to streamline their billing processes and improve operational efficiency. This solution required a blend of technical prowess and strategic foresight.

• Initial Development and Architectural Planning:

  • The project began with a single developer who set up the development environment and created a project boilerplate. An integration diagram was also crafted to outline the system architecture, ensuring a clear vision for the billing engine’s integration with UtilityCloud.

• Expansion and Integration:

  • As the project’s scope expanded, we introduced an additional developer to the team to add more integrations and functionalities. This phase focused on developing serverless Azure functions for managing invoices and integrating with InvoiceNinja to facilitate seamless billing processes.

• Expertise in Azure Functions and API Integrations:

  • Two highly experienced developers with expertise in Azure Functions and various API integrations were engaged. Their knowledge was crucial in constructing a robust billing engine based on Azure Functions, with multiple integrations to ensure the successful generation of invoices for UtilityCloud.

• Agile Development and Continuous Improvement:

  • Employing agile development practices, our team adapted to changing requirements and market dynamics. We maintained close collaboration with Altere’s in-house team, ensuring that the billing engine evolved in response to feedback and changing needs.

Result

The billing engine was successfully developed and integrated into the UtilityCloud system, marking a significant achievement in Altere’s quest for enhanced efficiency. The collaboration culminated in a billing engine that fulfilled all specified requirements and objectives. Following the successful build, the in-house team assumed responsibility for ongoing maintenance.