Computacenter's OneDesk service helps ensure that IT at
communications company Thus runs smoothly
- Business description THUS is a provider of
data, telecoms, Internet and contact centre services to corporate
and SME customers
- Business challenge To reduce IT operating
costs while still retaining high-performance systems and customer
service
- Solution Outsource the end-to-end management of the company’s
desktop environment to a trusted IT infrastructure services
provider
- Services Managed desktop service, encompassing
systems installation and systems support
It’s a long time since the first desktop computer was used by
businesses in the late 1970s - since then, more than 1bn PCs have
been shipped across the globe, according to analyst Gartner.
Trying to conduct business without desktops or laptops would be
unthinkable for most companies, which means it is essential that
the hardware deployed to end-users is reliable, scalable, and
supported round-the-clock. Making such provisions can quickly eat
into the IT budget and tie up valuable internal resources.
To combat these challenges, many companies are opting to
outsource their desktop management requirements to external
providers. This trend towards managed services is growing to such
an extent that researcher Total Romtec predicts that by 2004 the UK
corporate desktop and network outsourcing market will be worth more
than £700m – compared to £565m in 2002.
When THUS opted to embrace this model in 2001, it awarded a
five-year managed services contract to Computacenter for its
desktops and some of its network PC servers.
The company was established by Scottish Power in November 1994 to
provide telecommunications services to customers in central
Scotland. THUS has since grown into one of the UK's leading
providers of voice, data, internet and contact centre services,
with customers from Aberdeen to Brighton.
Most of the company’s customers come from the business
community, with its contact centre services being used by a variety
of organisations such as Compaq and the US Embassy. Through its
Demon brand, it is consistently recognised as the quality leader in
the ISP market having built a reputation for first-class customer
care and product innovation.
THUS, whose revenue exceeded £268m in 2001/2, split from
Scottish Power in early 2002 to become one of Scotland’s leading
PLCs. THUS employs more than 2,200 staff at a number of sites
throughout the UK, all of whom require access to state-of-the-art,
reliable technology. Managing this technology presents IT
departments with a range of challenges, as Bob Baxter, architecture
and standards manager at THUS, explains.
“Businesses in general are relying more on technology for
mission-critical processes, and for gaining competitive advantage.
So not only do IT departments have to cope with the day-to-day
management of their infrastructures, they also have to be looking
at strategic ways to enhance the use of technology. Plus, there is
a constant need to find ways to reduce the total cost of ownership
of IT systems.”
At one with technology
To help alleviate these pressures on internal IT resources and
reduce its IT overheads, THUS decided to outsource the management
of its desktop estate and its file, print and e-mail servers. “We
were looking for a partner that could work with us to control and
manage our costs effectively,” comments Baxter.
“This meant we needed someone who would be open and transparent
about what they were doing, and how they were doing it, as well as
being able to demonstrate the benefits to us as an organisation. We
needed a scheme that allowed flexibility, and tapped into the
intelligence of both organisations.”
Computacenter already had a 10-year relationship with Scottish
Power, and thanks to its ability to demonstrate flexibility and
scalability, THUS decided Computacenter was the right partner to
deliver a managed desktop service.
“Computacenter was able to prove that it had the resourcing
capacity and expertise to scale its services according to the needs
of the business,” adds Bob.
The five-year contract started on April 1, 2001, with the
OneDesk service going live across THUS. OneDesk is the umbrella
heading for all the services delivered by Computacenter, which fall
into four broad areas: helpdesk; installations, moves and changes;
end-to-end desktop management and file, print and e-mail server
support.
OneDesk draws on a range of Computacenter’s core skills, as
David Patrick, service delivery manager at Computacenter, explains:
“Computacenter has extensive experience in delivering desktop and
server managed services, and tailors every contract to ensure it
provides cost savings and business benefits that are relevant to
each customer.
Our multi-platform experience and end-to-end technical expertise
means we are able to advise on how new technology and processes,
such as using remote software distribution tools, can help
customers improve the efficiency of their IT and enhance their
return on investment.”
Maximising efficiency
The 2,800-plus desktop and laptop estate is currently based on a
range of both Compaq and Dell models, running a variety of
operating systems. One of Computacenter’s responsibilities as
THUS’s desktop services partner will be to assist with a
standardisation programme.
"By the end of the year, we expect most of our desktops to be
running Microsoft Windows 2000. Windows 2000 will provide us with a
more stable platform, along with various tools for remote support,”
says Baxter. “We are taking a gradual approach to the
transformation, which will enable us to benefit from greater
control over our infrastructure and the associated costs.”
Standardisation is just one element of THUS’ strategy for
enhancing the management of its desktop environment.
Rationalisation of the estate has also been identified by THUS as a
key way to help improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of
its IT Infrastructure.
“OneDesk gives us a framework where we can continually identify
and implement changes that will enable us to take advantage of new
technology and streamlined processes. For example, we have already
been able to reduce the number of helpdesk calls and support costs,
by introducing more remote fixing capabilities,” comments
Baxter.
“However, OneDesk isn’t just about reducing IT costs, it’s also
about using technology to make our processes more efficient,
whether through an online IT procurement system or the remote
distribution of software.”
OneDesk has been structured to encourage best practice beyond
just the desktop estate, as Michelle Baer, service delivery analyst
at THUS, explains. “We are also looking at consolidating our server
environment, which is quite heterogeneous at present, and becoming
what you might consider legacy.
As THUS is also in the throes of consolidating its properties,
there is quite a lot of change within the business. Computacenter
has been very flexible when responding to these changes, and has
been able to provide additional services as required.”
This has included taking on the support function for THUS’s
production servers, which run various internal applications, in
addition to managing the 35 Compaq and Dell print, file and email
servers.
A commitment to succeed
To ensure the IT department can respond to the changing needs of
the business, there are regular reviews of OneDesk and the service
levels achieved by Computacenter. “It is very much a living
agreement, with services currently being delivered by a 24-strong
team from Computacenter,” comments Computacenter's Patrick.
This team is complemented by Computacenter’s extensive support
service centre in Milton Keynes, which acts as THUS’s IT helpdesk.
“There have been a number of new application roll-outs within our
contact centre, and the helpdesk team has been very proactive in
ensuring that they can provide the level of support required by our
users,” comments Baer.
“Before OneDesk we had individual teams for different business
units which made it difficult to deliver the same level of service
throughout the company. Under OneDesk the support function has been
enhanced and unified.”
Thanks to the success of OneDesk, THUS expects its relationship
with Computacenter to go from strength to strength. “Obviously the
property consolidation is going to necessitate a lot of IT moves
and changes, but we are confident that Computacenter will rise to
this challenge,” says Baxter.
“Computacenter has made a clear commitment to helping us achieve
best value from our IT, and the unique structure of OneDesk gives
us variability, visibility and value, which are key factors for the
business as it goes forward.
"Computacenter has successfully managed to reduce our IT costs,
but at the same time helped us build an IT strategy that is stable
and flexible, and can respond to the changing needs of the
market.”
This article was part of Computer Weekly's managed services
business channel, sponsored by Computacenter.