Large Multinational Computer Corporation

Developed a web-based program management application to allow staff members to review and manage requests for inventory and usage.

The Client

The multinational computer corporation's Partner Solutions Center (PSC) is a state-of-the-art facility located in Washington State. It brings together a community of partners to design, build, and implement the multinational computer corporation and partner-led solutions. The PSC is key in enabling the clients partners to develop cutting-edge solutions (applications, consulting and deployment) based on the multinational computer corporations platform and technologies. The PSC houses approximately 100 million (USD) in IT equipment such as servers and network hardware, along with training rooms, conference rooms, customer labs and data centers.

The Challenge

The PSC is in high demand from the multinational computer corporation's customers, partners and sales people. The PSC is run as a business and optimizing the scheduled use of its assets is essential to ensuring that as many customer solutions as possible are being developed and hosted. Pcubed was asked to help define best practice management processes and build them into a tool to collaboratively manage requests, inventory and usage.

Other key challenges included:

• The need for a more agile business process to create a fact-based decision-making Center for the PSC
• Tools for real-time views of resource utilization, enabling more valuable planning and increased customer satisfaction for those who use the Center
• A clear understanding of the IT requirements needed to make the inventory and the assets that accompany them accessible and prioritized

The Pcubed Solution

Pcubed determined that a web-based program management application would improve the facilities management process. Utilizing Microsoft ASP.net technology, a user interface was designed to give customers a simple way to request an engagement with the Center. Staff members are alerted by email and are able to review, approve and schedule assets for the engagement or project. In addition:

• The resource engine in the tool ensures that available inventory is highlighted as resources which can be booked and the solution allows for conflict resolution
• The inventory can be edited by staff either online or through Excel uploads
• The system is further enhanced with SQL Reporting services, which generate valuable high level business performance and issues management reports on the facilities' utilization
• Other reports are created for partners and hardware donors for their own business need

This streamlined process has brought together many different work processes and items of operational data that were previously held by different, unconnected applications. The new solution integrates those applications and compiles all processes into one workflow-based solution and database. Richard Evans, Pcubed's Client Account Manager says "Pcubed was able to take a very chaotic situation, understand the client's needs and deliver a simple web-based tool in a short matter of time. Before this tool, there were some real horror stories around, such as servers accidentally being torn down whilst still in use, and staff having to spend a lot of time figuring out whether they could host a new solution. Now the PSC can really get the most out of its assets."

Key elements of the solution included:

• Reports can now be created for partners and hardware donors for their own business needs
• This streamlined process has brought together many different work processes of operational data that were previously unconnected applications
• The new solution integrates those applications and compiles all processes into one workflow-based solution and database