Data Everywhere [From the Editor]

HOW QUICKLY THINGS CHANGE! The subject of asset management was introduced into the business aspects of utility operation quite recently. It was loosely defined as a new paradigm for governing the deregulated and restructured power industry by being bottom-line oriented and mindful of profit maximization and shareholder satisfaction. Indeed, the May/June 2005 issue of this publication was devoted to the subject and pointed out that time-honored procedures such as scheduled preventative maintenance were no longer a matter of course but a parameter in an overall and rather involved algorithm.