DIMENSION DATA SUCCESS STORY

Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

Like many forward-thinking organisations, a global pharmaceutical manufacturer recently took the decision to invest in a visual communications solution, in order to reduce costs, enhance employee productivity, and maintain strong relationships through better collaboration and face to face communication. After undertaking a thorough assessment of its needs and having selected the right visual communications technology for its business, making sure the equipment was properly procured, shipped, installed, integrated, tested and operational – at the right place and in a timely fashion – represented the client’s critical next step. That’s where partnering with Dimension Data made all the difference.

Client OverviewOur client is a manufacturer of product ranges including personal care, household cleaning, laundry detergents and prescription drugs. The company currently provides products and services to consumers in over 180 countries.

Business ChallengeThe pharmaceutical manufacturer faced an ongoing and uphill battle to balance the need for regular executive-level communication and interaction with the spiralling cost of international travel, not to mention the negative impact rigorous travel schedules had on the affected executives’ quality of life. The company recognised the potential that visual communications – specifically, a Cisco TelePresence solution – could bring to bear, in terms of reducing travel expenses, enabling meetings to take place more frequently and fostering a healthy work-life balance.

Having taken the decision to opt into TelePresence, the next step was ensuring that the solution was deployed globally, in a risk and hassle free fashion, without delays and budget overruns. A tall order, given the fact that the deployment involved multiple geographies and therefore a host of different cultures, time zones, currencies and import regulations. Also significant was the ambitious rollout schedule – the installation of Cisco TelePresence System (CTS) 3000 and CTS 1000 units to 43 sites needed to be completed in less than ten months.

A number of rollout strategies were available to the client’s IT

Dimension Data orchestrates a seamless multinational visual communications deployment for a global pharmaceutical manufacturerCareful planning and a forward – thinking approach to an ambitious visual communications deployment paves the way to success.

Resultss Dimension Data’s

understanding of customs

regulations and local taxes

ensured smooth delivery of

hardware and components.

s Internal resources were freed-up

to concentrate on core business

issues – as opposed to

co-ordinating multi-geography

TelePresence deployments

fraught with risk.

s Since the visual

communications deployment,

the company has slashed

its travel budget by more

than 40%.

IndustryPharmaceutical

RegionGlobal

ChallengeHaving taken the decision to invest in a visual communications solution, making sure the equipment was properly procured, shipped, installed, integrated, tested and operational – at the right place and in a timely fashion – represented the client’s critical next step.

SolutionDimension Data took responsibility for co-ordinating the deployment of TelePresence equipment to 43 sites across the globe in less than ten months. This decision gave the client access to a dedicated team who used the latest global procurement and logistics and track and trace tools and enabled it to meet its ambitious rollout deadlines.

DIMENSION DATA SUCCESS STORY Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

organisation. Tackling the procurement and deployment of its infrastructure, using in-house resources was one option. Using a mix of in-country vendors to handle deployment at each individual site was another. Leveraging the expertise of provider(s) with global logistical capabilities and on the ground, in-country partners was a third alternative. With heightened executive and stakeholder expectations, the company needed to act quickly and decisively.

“In order to move forward with its visual communication investment with confidence, the client needed to be sure that the equipment would arrive at the right place, at the right time and that it would be seamlessly integrated into its current environment. Given that the deployment involved the installation of extremely valuable equipment at multiple sites, across many different geographies, a host of potential challenges and pitfalls existed,” explains Jeffrey Yauger, Dimension Data’s director, managed services programmes for Dimension Data Americas. “What’s more, in an economic climate that mandates that every cent associated with technology investments be accounted for, the company needed to be sure it could demonstrate ROI as quickly as possible.”

Ultimately, the company’s IT department realised that its key value and relevance came from a focus on developing innovative, high quality personal and healthcare products – not co-ordinating multi-geography TelePresence deployments fraught with risk. Once this was known it was relatively quick and easy to decide how to address the deployment challenge. The company chose to work with a third-party with specific expertise in visual communications deployments – Dimension Data, as well as with Cisco – the manufacturer.

Relationship History In 2007, Dimension Data was appointed to assist with the co-ordination and deployment of the TelePresence solution at 43 sites across the globe on five continents. Upon reviewing the list of countries to which the client wished to deploy the solution, Cisco (who held the primary relationship with the client), realised it needed to leverage Dimension Data’s unique global footprint to ensure the rollout was achieved on time and on-budget. The rollout of 43 Cisco CPS 3000 and CPS 1000 units commenced in the Americas was complete in less than ten months. Dimension Data’s strength in the domain of global procurement and logistics and our unique ability to execute visual communications technologies globally, due to our wealth of skills in TelePresence across the globe, made us the obvious choice of partner. Off the back of this successful engagement, the client recently appointed Dimension Data as prime contractor to deploy Cisco CPS 1000 units at 160 – 200 sites globally, an initiative which forms the second phase of the company’s ambitious visual communications adoption programme.

Services ProvidedDimension Data’s global shipping and delivery approach combines global procurement and logistics specialists, a client support team, an online track and trace system and partnerships with best-of-breed global carriers. With this multi-faceted approach, and our ability to deliver to over 140 countries worldwide, we were able to ensure that the client’s TelePresence equipment was delivered to the right place, at the right time and for the right cost.

For each and every deployment we co-ordinated with the client and our partners to establish the optimal and most cost effective shipping mode and route, as well as provide optimum duty planning to ensure that each shipment was processed without delay, and the risk of penalties was alleviated.

Visibility was maintained throughout the shipping and delivery process, with real-time updates and tracking. Last, but not least, we provided personal client-support, answering any questions the client had and offering advice and guidance on global tax and import laws and requirements. Our Supply Chain Services team remained solely focused on the client and ensuring that its orders arrived safely at the final destination.

DIMENSION DATA SUCCESS STORY Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

Once the IT equipment arrived at each site, we took responsibility for ensuring it was timeously installed, tested and operating. According to Yauger, TelePresence deployments can be particularly tricky, given the sheer physical size (not to mention the value) of the equipment being deployed. “A CTS 3000 TelePresence deployment at a single site typically involves 10 palettes piled high with boxes requiring a minimum 25’x25x8’ footprint in a secure location! You can’t afford to have this equipment – which represents an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars – standing around or worse still having to deal with a situation where the order is incomplete, the equipment is damaged … or it simply doesn’t arrive at all.”

Dimension Data’s experience had taught us that when it comes to visual communications deployments, success lies in the planning, scheduling and logistics – the physical installation of the equipment itself is relatively straightforward. Before we could install the TelePresence systems, significant effort went into preparing the rooms and ensuring that each one was properly remediated in line with Cisco’s specifications and that it was thoroughly ‘TelePresence-ready’. Given the fact that TelePresence involves the transmission of broadcast-quality video, factors such as the room’s paint colour, heating, cooling and sound-dampening systems all come into play. “There are a myriad of facilities-related considerations that need to taken into account and appropriate measures taken upfront,” explains Yauger. “In fact, some manufacturers of visual communications technologies will not release the equipment to you, until they are satisfied that all room-readiness and network assessments have been successfully passed.” Of equal importance is network readiness. A painstaking review of every device along the network path that passes TelePresence traffic was necessary to ensure a trouble free TelePresence experience. “After close inspection of and any needed remediation of network devices, the elimination of congestion and jitter through careful application of Quality of Service (QOS) mechanisms and testing ensured that the client’s network was ready to support TelePresence traffic,” Yauger adds.

How We DeliveredDimension Data demonstrates a holistic approach to Service Delivery with its Services Continuum, allowing clients to engage in at any point and in any order. At each stage, Dimension Data uses proven methodologies, which are governed by industry best practice and integrated toolsets.

Our initial engagement with this client was in the Build Service function where we deployed TelePresence

infrastructure at the company’s premises in 43 locations across the globe. Next, also as part of the Build Service function, we embarked on the second phase of the visual communications deployment programme – which involves the rollout of Cisco CPS 1000 units to 160-200 sites globally.

Value DerivedAlthough the issues faced by the pharmaceutical manufacturer may seem isolated and unique, it’s representative of the broader questions and challenges that many of today’s CIOs face, namely managing critical multi-geography projects with limited staff, smaller budgets and fewer resources.

By engaging with Dimension Data, the global pharmaceutical manufacturer was able to avoid these problems and pitfalls.

s Hassle-free global procurement

We were able to provide the global pharmaceutical manufacturer with the high level of visibility and control needed to manage IT procurement on a global basis while still driving economies of scale, by leveraging our global eProcurement system, Dimension Data Direct. The benefits of eProcurement to global organisations are significant. Global IT departments can make use of Dimension Data Direct across all locations, applying local business rules whilst simultaneously managing global purchasing policy and workflow, reducing the risk of incompatible equipment or over-spending. Additionally, our system provides IT departments with increased transparency around global order status and can improve their ability to plan and budget large projects and cross-border deployments.

“Dimension Data’s global shipping

and delivery approach is a

combination of global procurement

and logistics specialists, a client

support team, an online track and

trace system and partnerships with

best-of-breed global carriers.”

DIMENSION DATA SUCCESS STORY Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

s Risk mitigation

With the fragile economy, the client realised that it could not afford project delays and budget overruns. It’s estimated that international deployments impose two to three times the management load of national ones. Omnipresent complexities and risks often de-rail international projects including finding the appropriate resources in specific geographies … ensuring services are delivered with consistent quality … importation and tax regulations … not to mention a host of potential language and cultural issues. Getting equipment delivered, set-up and running in locations with barriers such as strict import regulations, government trade policies, or broadband limitations can significantly slow or even halt progress and expansion.

“The shipping and delivery of IT equipment to multiple geographies is fraught with potential risk including delays, customs holds and lost or damaged goods,” explains Yauger. “It typically takes three to four times longer to get equipment into countries like Venezuela and Russia than it does the United Kingdom, for example. That is why it’s important to partner with a supplier that has expertise in the import/export of IT equipment into both established and emerging markets – so you can mitigate these risks.”

For more information please visit www.dimensiondata.com/services

s Real-time visibility of orders

We were able to provide the client with realtime visibility and status updates by leveraging Track, our proprietary online track and trace tool that gives clients 24x7 access to order shipping and delivery status. The system provides a single source for up-to-the-minute status information for all of orders. It also centralises and records vital information, thus giving the client access to complete shipping history, delivery and invoice addresses, status of current shipments, and electronic copies of all supporting documentation,

such as proof of delivery.

Less than ten months after electing to deploy the Cisco TelePresence solution, the global pharmaceutical manufacturer’s executives across 43 locations are enjoying regular real-time TelePresence meetings at the click of a button and the company has slashed its travel budget by more than 40%.

The deployment of the second phase of the visual communications rollout to an additional 160-200 sites around the globe, is currently underway. We look forward to growing our relationship with the global pharmaceutical manufacturer in the years ahead, and exploring other opportunities to assist it to move its business forward, from a technology perspective.

Build Support Improve InnovatePlan Manage

Implement

Technology

Break Fix

and Monitoring

Commercialisation

of New Ideas

Strategy and

Evolution

Identify Business

Benefits

Manage

Project Risk

To Reduce Costs InnovationJustify Technology

Investment

Full Lifecycle Support of

Infrastructure and Systems

To Maximise Return on Investment

Service Delivery

(Service Level, Availability, Capacity,

IT Service Continuity and Financial Management)

Service Support

(Release, Change, Problem, Incident and

Configuration Management)

IT Alignment

Service Benchmarking

Breakthrough Use of

Technology

Maintain

(Uptime)

Procure

Integrate

Deploy

Consult

Design

Monitor

Build Support Improve InnovatePlan Manage

Implement

Technology

Break Fix

and Monitoring

Commercialisation

of New Ideas

Strategy and

Evolution

Identify Business

Benefits

Manage

Project Risk

To Reduce Costs InnovationJustify Technology

Investment

Full Lifecycle Support of

Infrastructure and Systems

To Maximise Return on Investment

Service Delivery

(Service Level, Availability, Capacity,

IT Service Continuity and Financial Management)

Service Support

(Release, Change, Problem, Incident and

Configuration Management)

IT Alignment

Service Benchmarking

Breakthrough Use of

Technology

Maintain

(Uptime)

Procure

Integrate

Deploy

Consult

Design

Monitor

Step 1Deploy TelePresence

infrastructure in 43 locations across the globe.

Step 2Manage second phase of

the visual communications deployment programme

involving the rollout of Cisco CPS 1000 units to 160-200

sites globally.