Accenture's IT Challenge

Presented by TechVibe

The World of Accenture

Accenture

Competitors Clients

Introduction to AccentureA management consulting and

technology services companyNet revenues of $11.57 billion for

2002 fiscal yearMore than 80,000 employeesMore than 110 offices in 47

countries

CompetitorsTridion, a management support

and content delivery specialist serving Europe and based in the Netherlands

A.T. Kearney, another multinational firm with management expertise

Teleca USA Incorporated, a multinational firm based in San Diego, California specializing in technical services

ClientsDell, with a need to upgrade their

manufacturing infrastructure and reduce inventory

AT&T, with a desire to learn the science of supply chain management

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines which wanted a new IT system and online booking

Fiat Auto which wanted to be the first European car manufacturer to embrace the web as a way to purchase cars

The IT ProjectWhy undertake the project?Upgrade or Rebuild entirely?Outsource relocation requirements4 days of documentation, 2 days of

relocation, 2 weeks to setup overall

Hierarchy of the IS DepartmentManager – Designs the

infrastructure. Known as “The Boss.”

Supervisor – Allocates tasks compliant with design specifications to liaisons

Liaisons – Actual implementersAssociates – Responsible for the

infrastructure and troubleshooting

IT Hierarchy Figure

Manager

Liaison

Supervisor

Liaison Liaison Liaison

Associate

Associate

Associate

Associate

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TechnologySwitches and RoutersDomain ControllerLotus NotesSQL – Structured Query Language

– Examples – MS SQL Server, OracleActive DirectoryFDDIWindows NT ServerSAP – Systems, Applications, and Products

in Data Processing– Example – mySAP Business Suite

The Reborn IT Structure1 PDC server, 1 SQL server, 1 mail

server, 1 Lotus server, 1 print server, and 1 test server

Remember the IS Hierarchy – it applies here as well

IS Department Manager – “The Dictator”– Has access to all domains– Grants or restricts access

Access Figure

User

DC

Domain 1 Domain 2

Domain 3

Resource 1 Resource 2

Resource 3

WORK DATABASE

Connections Between Servers and Domains

BDC

SQL

MAIL

TEST

LOTUS

PDC

SERVERS

DOMAIN 1USERPOOL

RESOURCES

DOMAIN 3USERPOOL

RESOURCES

DOMAIN 2USERPOOL

RESOURCES

EXTERNALSERVER

USERS PRIOR TO VALIDATION

DOMAINSETTINGS

BenefitsAdheres to accepted IS concepts of

Automation, Security, and ComplianceAutomatedTest server for testing new updates

without affecting the “real” structureStrict Security – Access is based on

employee job descriptionMore Security - Only those that

implemented the system are allowed to change it

System monitors

DrawbacksDatedSome upgrades must still be done

manuallyOnly prominent problems will trigger the

system monitorsUses a RAID 1 system, versus the

currently more popular RAID 5Based on the Windows 9x architecture

and thus inherits every flaw and instability problem and so has a weak foundation

Overall ImpressionDespite problems, the IS department is

never overworkedMost problems encountered are minorEven though the foundation may be

weak, it was the best at the moment of implementation

Still manages to meet the IS goals of Compliance, Security, and Automation

Overall Grade: A

All graphics were used without the expressed permission of the author(s).