Implementing SharePoint integrated service delivery in enterprise ready to grow substantially

Q3's global sourcing model gives the maximum benefit to customers in terms of cost savings, improved quality, access to highly talented professionals, flexibility of operations and reduced time to market.

Company Profile

 

• Client is a leading software developer for the architect, engineer and construction (AEC) industry. Founded nearly a decade ago by long-time construction professionals who have applied their industry knowledge to develop cost effective, user-friendly software for AEC firms. Serving customers primarily throughout North America, it also helps companies in Europe, Middle East, South America, Australia, and Asia with solutions. The customers include general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, homebuilders, architects and engineers.
• Client has an impressive record of revenue growth over its history, and has been named one of “Constructech’s Hottest Companies” in 2006 by Constructech Magazine.

Business Situation

 

Client wanted to minimize barriers to collaboration and information exchange, improve operations efficiency, and increase employee productivity:

 

• Corporate focus on centralization of hardware and services
• So much information is generated within different teams that effective organization and categorization of content is important.
• Leaders need to assess high level summaries and key documents as well as disseminate information across the organization.

Technical Situation

IT departments provide so many options for use of resources that the workers tend to spend time wondering how to use technology optimally while ignoring core activities. Employees from around the globe and from different disciplines need to access most current information and document versions. At the same time, technical problems arising due to dilemma over storage locations of data, collaboration requirements within very large teams and difficulty in finding information relevant to specific tasks and departments required a structure which could address these problems with optimal use of technology and efficient flow of processes.

Solution

 

• Q3 set up a dedicated IT team consisting of specialized experts in share point server implementation and a team lead to monitor and guide the client-vendor partnership.
• Q3 ensured a transparent and flexible relationship by putting the right combination of people and technology under detailed consultation with technical managers.
• Centrally hosting SharePoint Products and Technologies addressed many of the issues client wanted to resolve, including the high costs for underutilized platforms, disjointed support processes, scalability limitations, and lack of content expiration.
• Q3's ownership of the information worker strategy allowed the team to design a solution that spans requirements from individual employees to the enterprise as a whole.

Benefits

 

Fewer Platforms to Support - reduced costs and increased efficiency in managing and supporting user content in the following ways:

 

• Decreased number of servers possible due to sharing of services and technology.
• Storage area network allows integrated flow of data for storage and retrieval. Increasing traffic volumes can be accommodated by adding additional front-end servers.
• Consolidated content onto scalable storage, thus reducing unused capacity that occurred with the more distributed storage approach.
• Features to configure default content expiration policies and identify obsolete content that could be archived or removed to free disk space for active content.
• Information sharing and document collaboration, which increases individual and team productivity.
• Leveraging available knowledge for business decisions across the company by making relevant information easier to find with enterprise and portal search capabilities.
• Allowing information workers to focus on business issues while reducing IT costs for common site services. IT achieved economies of scale by centrally implementing shared best practices and offering common high volume service.