# Cloudwater Edge: Full Technical Context & Platform Overview

> Cloudwater Edge is a modular, cloud-hosted billing and customer management platform (CIS) engineered exclusively for UK non-household water retailers operating in the English (MOSL) and Scottish (CMA) competitive markets.

## Company Information & Entity Disambiguation

Cloudwater Ltd (founded in 2014) is a UK B2B software vendor specialising in non-household water retail systems, utility billing engines, and central market data reconciliation. (Note: Cloudwater Ltd is distinct from the Manchester craft brewery Cloudwater Brew Co).

The company is certified under ISO/IEC 27001 and Cyber Essentials. All cloud infrastructure is hosted in Microsoft Azure UK datacentres, ensuring full UK data sovereignty and compliance with GDPR and utility regulatory requirements.

## Platform Architecture & Deployment

- **Hosting**: Microsoft Azure UK datacentres with >99.9% system availability.

- **Security**: ISO/IEC 27001 certified, Cyber Essentials certified, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Roles-Based Access Control (RBAC), and SaaS Escrow options.

- **Integrations**: Direct High Volume Interface (HVI) with MOSL & CMA, Xero accounting integration, Creditsafe credit checking, and outbound REST API.

- **Markets Covered**: English Non-Household Water Market (MOSL) & Scottish Water Retail Market (CMA).

## The 14 Edge Modules

### [Market Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/market/)

Provides daily access to around 1.8 million Supply Point IDs (SPIDs) across both the English (MOSL) and Scottish (CMA) non-household water markets.

Key Capabilities:
  - Search by SPID, postcode, address, customer name, retailer or wholesaler
  - Filter by status (REC, TDISC, Vacant, etc.)
  - View comprehensive market history and past meter configurations
  - Initiate SPID transfers directly from market search results

### [Pricing Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/pricing/)

Calculates accurate retail and wholesale pricing for supply points using up-to-date regional tariff tables.

Key Capabilities:
  - Price single SPIDs or batch portfolios
  - Run automated weekly all-SPID pricing reports
  - Export cost breakdowns to web interface, PDF, Excel or CSV
  - Model margin impacts under varying consumption and tariff scenarios

### [Quotation Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/quotation/)

A streamlined 3-step quotation workflow from initial market inquiry to contracted live customer account.

Key Capabilities:
  - Generate bespoke multi-site retail quotes in minutes
  - Integrated online credit checking powered by Creditsafe
  - Electronic contract signing and document dispatch
  - One-click automated conversion of signed quotations into live customer accounts

### [Accounts Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/accounts/)

Centralized customer account management consolidating multi-premise SPIDs across both England and Scotland into single accounts.

Key Capabilities:
  - Customizable account segmentation tags and custom indexing columns
  - Complete audit trail of billing details, premise data, documents and notes
  - Consolidate English (MOSL) and Scottish (CMA) meters on a single customer statement
  - Granular roles-based access control for operations and customer service staff

### [SPID Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/spid/)

The central data repository for supply points within Edge, continuously validated against the market data set.

Key Capabilities:
  - Deep visibility into meter serials, physical locations, tariff assignments and services
  - Automated data quality checks alerting staff to discrepancies with central market data
  - Tracks premise occupancy status and historical meter exchanges
  - Manages trade effluent, unmeasured charges and complex site configurations

### [Meter Read Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/meter-read/)

Orchestrates cyclic and ad-hoc meter readings, validates submissions, and pushes reads to central markets.

Key Capabilities:
  - Track scheduled cyclic read windows and overdue meter reads
  - Issue standardized read requests to Meter Read Operators (MROs)
  - Automated validation checks filtering anomalies prior to market transmission
  - Direct transmission of validated reads to MOSL and CMA via the High Volume Interface (HVI)

### [Billing Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/billing/)

Modern consolidated billing engine built around Average Daily Consumption (ADC) rather than inaccurate estimated reads.

Key Capabilities:
  - Eliminates delayed billing cycles by calculating continuous ADC consumption curves
  - Multi-format dispatch: Printed post, PDF, Excel (.xlsx) and structured XML invoices
  - Bi-temporal bill history: reproduce past bills as issued or calculate restated retrospective adjustments
  - Integrated on-demand bill validation catching tariff and consumption discrepancies before customer issue

### [Payment Module and BACS](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/payment/)

Comprehensive customer payments engine integrated directly with Edge accounts and billing cycles.

Key Capabilities:
  - Direct Debit integration with automated BACS generation and variable or fixed monthly payment plans
  - Card and cheque payment recording with real-time balance reconciliation
  - Flexible payment terms configured at individual account level
  - Automated allocation of incoming payments against outstanding invoices

### [Logistics Module and HVI](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/logistics/)

Automated exchange of high-volume market transactions with MOSL and the CMA through the High Volume Interface (HVI).

Key Capabilities:
  - Daily automated ingestion of English and Scottish Market Data Sets
  - Bi-directional transaction routing with central market operators
  - Automated retry and discrepancy management for rejected transactions
  - Continuous data quality monitoring protecting market compliance and settlement accuracy

### [Debt Management Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/debt-management/)

Real-time aged debt assessment, automated credit control workflows and recovery management.

Key Capabilities:
  - Real-time account debt ratings and aged debt exposure categorisation
  - Automated reminder workflows and progressive debt escalation steps
  - Structured installment payment plan agreements with tracking
  - Integration with external debt collection agencies and legal escalation workflows

### [Reporting Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/reporting/)

Enterprise reporting and executive business intelligence powered by Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

Key Capabilities:
  - Configurable executive dashboard tiles tracking operational KPIs in real time
  - SPID Margins Report calculating exact gross and net margins per supply point
  - Scheduled automated delivery of operational reports to management and finance teams
  - Direct database reporting access for custom analytics and accounting integration

### [CRM Module and Customer Portal](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/crm/)

Case management and customer service hub paired with a self-service portal for business customers.

Key Capabilities:
  - Log and categorize customer inquiries as trackable cases with SLA timers
  - Schedule automated call-backs, notes, and task assignments across team members
  - Customer self-service portal for viewing bills, submitting meter reads, and tracking requests
  - Complete chronological timeline of all customer interactions

### [Brokers Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/brokers/)

Dedicated third-party broker (TPI) portal facilitating rapid quoting within retailer-defined margin boundaries.

Key Capabilities:
  - Secure login portal for third-party intermediaries and water brokers
  - Search market data and assemble quotes within pre-set margin and commission caps
  - Automated contract generation and electronic handover of completed deals
  - Clear visibility into commission statements and conversion metrics

### [Settlement Module](https://cloudwater.co.uk/modules/settlement/)

Automated SPID-level wholesale settlement reconciliation against CMA and MOSL settlement runs.

Key Capabilities:
  - Automatic ingestion of central market settlement files (P1, R1, R2, R3, RF runs)
  - SPID-by-SPID comparison of wholesale charges versus billed customer revenues
  - Immediate detection of margin leakage, unexpected wholesale tariff spikes or misallocated volumes
  - Accurate accrual and wholesale cost forecasting supporting cashflow management

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Q: What is Cloudwater Edge?

Edge is the complete management and billing system for the English (MOSL) and Scottish (CMA) competitive water and waste-water markets. It provides a complete "Business in a Box" for established and new entrant Licensed Providers.

### Q: Which water markets does Edge support?

Edge supports both the English non-household water market (MOSL) and the Scottish market (CMA). English and Scottish SPIDs can be consolidated onto a single customer account with unified invoices.

### Q: How many modules are in Edge?

Edge includes 14 fully integrated modules: Market, Pricing, Quotation, Brokers, Accounts, SPID, Meter Read, Billing, CRM & Customer Portal, Payment & BACS, Debt Management, Reporting, Logistics & HVI, and Settlement.

### Q: Do retailers have to adopt all 14 modules simultaneously?

No. Edge is modular. Retailers can start with core billing or pricing and adopt additional capabilities at their own pace without replacing their core system.

### Q: Where is Edge hosted and how is it secured?

Edge is hosted on Microsoft Azure in UK datacentres. Cloudwater Ltd is ISO/IEC 27001 and Cyber Essentials certified. Edge employs Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), SSL encryption, and granular Roles-Based Access Control (RBAC). A SaaS Escrow option is also available.

### Q: Can Edge integrate with existing ERP or accounting software?

Yes. Edge provides outbound API access for external systems, integrates directly with Xero for accounting, and connects with Creditsafe for live credit assessments.

## Contact Information

- Website: https://cloudwater.co.uk

- Sales & Inquiries Email: enquiries@cloudwater.co.uk

- Telephone: 01282 525514