Case Study: Con Edison Upgrades to Maximo Application Suite 8 with Highstep

Client: Con Edison, NYC

Industry: Utilities

Employees: 15,000+

Customers: 3.5 million

Project Duration: April 2021 – September 2023

Solution: Upgrade from Maximo 7.6 to MAS 8

Deployment: On-premise / Hybrid

15000+

Employees

3.5 million

Customers

29 months

Project Duration

7.6 to 8

Upgrade Maximo

Overview

Con Edison, one of the largest energy providers in the U.S., partnered with Highstep to lead a complex, enterprise-wide upgrade from Maximo 7.6 to the Maximo Application Suite (MAS) 8. Facing end-of-support deadlines and increasing demands for modern maintenance practices, Con Edison seized the opportunity to modernize its asset management capabilities.

This transformation enabled the efficient management of over 15,000 users, improved work management processes, and established a future-ready foundation for continued operational optimization.

The Challenge

Con Edison’s legacy Maximo environment lacked the agility, scalability, and integration needed to support evolving business needs. With IBM sunsetting support for 7.6, the shift to MAS 8 became urgent. Key challenges included:

Managing 15,000+ users across hybrid infrastructure
Adopting containerization with OpenShift, a skillset Con Edison lacked
Maintaining security and continuity during concurrent projects

Key Objectives

The success criteria for the MAS 8 upgrade included:

Improve system performance, availability, and scalability
Enable better integration with third-party systems
Strengthen compliance and security
Train technical teams on MAS Manage and OpenShift
Avoid disruption to end users during the transition

Highstep’s Role

Highstep led project management, infrastructure setup, data migration, documentation, and testing while coordinating closely with IBM and other vendors. We ensured security and compliance while managing sensitive systems—especially permits—during parallel projects.

Training & Enablement

The training and enablement efforts initially focused on the technical teams, enabling them to:

Understand MAS Manage compared to legacy Maximo
Build skills around OpenShift containerization and deployment
Take ownership of daily environment management through SOPs and guides

Our Empower Organizational Change Management (OCM) program supported later phases by helping business units adopt MAS features through hands-on demos and business integration enablement.

Key Milestones

Planning & environment setup
Sandbox testing & phased rollout
OpenShift enablement and deployment prototypes
Final migration and go-live — completed ahead of schedule after client requested an adjusted delivery date

Technical Challenges & Insights

The shift to MAS 8 wasn’t just technical — it required a mindset change. The introduction of OpenShift brought new infrastructure and deployment models unfamiliar to most internal teams.

By working side-by-side with IBM, Con Edison and Highstep directly influenced MAS product enhancements and helped define new best practices for disconnected, on-premises environments.

Results

Con Edison realized immediate improvements and industry-first achievements from the MAS 8 upgrade:

First utility in North America to deploy MAS 8 on-premises
First MAS disconnected implementation with no internet access
15,000+ users efficiently managed on the new platform
Direct impact on MAS product improvements in collaboration with IBM
Delivered ahead of schedule despite competing projects
Developed SOPs and operational guides for internal support teams
Ongoing post-migration support for infrastructure and daily operations

Why Con Edison Chose Highstep

Proven expertise with Con Edison’s infrastructure and hierarchy
Trusted relationships with leadership and vendor partners
Seamless collaboration across cyber, mobility, and Maximo-related applications
Professional execution of a highly complex project, delivered early and securely

Conclusion

Highstep’s partnership with Con Edison exemplifies how deep system knowledge, technical leadership, and cross-functional collaboration can drive large-scale modernization with minimal disruption. As utilities continue to evolve, Highstep remains a trusted advisor for secure, cost-effective, and future-ready EAM transformations.