Maintaining System Integrity through a Managed Service Contract
Full-Time Employee Attention at a Cost- Saving Solution
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Technologies
The Client
The client is one of the global leaders in transmission and driveline-related solutions. As a global supplier of products, the client has a distribution network of over 100 locations in over 80 countries. With customers ranging from small to large repair shops, franchise resellers, and production rebuilders, the client interacts with customers of all sizes and needs, the client's financials, warehousing, and internal needs to function and coordinate accordingly.
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The Goals
- Transition support for retiring System Admin
- Support backlog
- Supplement and support client dev team
- Server relocation and related operational updates
Key Results
Scheduled monthly maintenance support
Real-time troubleshooting of problem notifications
Manages, prioritizes, & installs PTF updates
Weekly meetings for open communication between client and provider
Project Highlights
The Challenge
The company's IBM i System Administrator was set to retire, but there was a current backlog of projects that they still needed help on. Besides for the standard in-house support necessary for this multi-billion dollar business, the company had plans to:
- Relocate their servers
- Update their Warehouse Management System
- Stay up-to-date with company and industry requirements and needs
Operating without a system admin would leave a large gap in their skills; however a full-time employee was likely not needed as the system was well-kept. While the dev team could help with small projects, they wouldn’t be able to give the attention required to truly administer the system.
The Solution
As System Admin, the Briteskies team handles
- PTF installation
- Troubleshooting issues as they arise
- Ensuring the system is current for all patches
- Preventative site monitoring
- Real-time alerts if any questionable changes in performance
With weekly calls, Briteskies ensures that current and future projects are aligned, that a clear path for upcoming projects and deadlines are mapped, and that any questions or concerns are addressed and solved in the best and quickest manner possible.
As new projects arise, Briteskies is there to assist and lead the client through the processes - which to date have included Warehouse Management System upgrades and API integration, as well as various others.
The Result
Hiring full-time staff can be an expensive undertaking without providing valuable benefits and in reality, the support work needed didn’t require a full, 100% dedicated team to maintain.
Briteskies was hired on a managed service contract to maintain the health of their system and also be on-call as needs arise.
"I install applications, troubleshoot issues, and solve problems. Not only do I manage day-to-day things as needed, but I also look for opportunities for improvement and the support I've offered this client includes handling both technical and bureaucratic issues."
- Rob, Briteskies Senior Consultant
Key Project Benefits:
Within the first year, the servers were seamlessly moved, with Briteskies handling the full direction of the systems administration environment – including O/S updates, PTF and batch job processing, backup and restore processes, and hardware updates and migrations (from Power8 to Power9).
The Details - How We Did it
- Dedicated support hours
- Performance enhancements & software patches
- Enhanced security protections and updates
- Automated & multi-device testing
- Plugin and extension audits
- Amplified site uptime monitoring and alerts
- Reporting & analytics recommendations
- Staff Training
