Desktop Lifecycle Support
CalidCo Has the Quality Resources, Processes, and Systems to Deliver Efficient and Reliable Support.
Managed
Desktop Services
CalidCo is an experienced provider of managed services to the
public sector. For customers such as Department of
Transportation we have implemented the full range of managed
services from the desktop to the infrastructure in complex,
distributed environments.
At the heart of our managed services practice is a proactive, integrated management approach that has the following objectives: reduce operating costs and downtime, enhance performance, and create opportunities for increased service delivery. Our experience has consistently demonstrated that process-driven services coupled with well defined responsibilities and experience that are actively monitored through service performance measurements, complemented by "front-line" execution and feedback, are the critical success factors (CSFs) for managed services. Our knowledge and experience in planning and implementing managed services has allowed us to formulate a Life Cycle Support for Managed Services methodology, that incorporates best practices for Managed Desktop Services.
Life Cycle Support for
Managed Services - CalidCo's fundamental approach to
supporting managed services is based on the Gartner Group's
model for managed services. Central to this model is the need to
form a successful partnership with the customer during the
"as-is" assessment of the infrastructure. By baselining the
existing IT architecture that includes inventorying a customer's
IT assets, we have the basis to implement a structured
methodology for managed services that is characterized by
repeatability and standard processes in the life cycle service
delivery. This approach provides the framework for migration
to a service delivery model that comprehensively addresses
the four phases for managed services life cycle.
Planning and Definition - Establishment of the program
plan that defines specific hardware and software standards,
technology upgrades and refreshment deployments and strategies.
Critical network topology designs and transition service
activities are determined in this phase. The current IT
infrastructure is baselined and stored in a Knowledge
Management System.
Transition - The activities associated with the migration
from the customer's current, "as-is" state to its "managed"
state. Key process elements include asset acquisition,
preparation and insertion, infrastructure upgrades, customer
application integration, and acceptance testing. At the
beginning of this phase and prior to any procurement, we
normally deploy a transition team to provide a focused effort on
those elements that are critical to meeting the client's service
goals. Procurement is measured by key metrics throughout and
supported by a proven suite of integrated software including an
automated procurement system. Automated asset tracking that
begins as asset-identifying data is entered into an Enterprise
Asset Management Database (EAMD) - an essential tool for desktop
managed services.
On-going Support - The activities associated with
sustaining client operations. These activities include system
administration and network management; asset management;
centralized, Customer Relationship Managed (CRM)-based help
desk; and engineering support and training. Our objective is to
implement enterprise system management using an integrated set
of tool suites. For technology insertions and refresh, we use a
structured approach that begins with formal planning based on
transition team scripting, that emphasizes minimal disruptions
to our client's worksite, and ends with a final quality check.
Importantly, our help desk, structured to meet ISO 9001
requirements, is viewed in operations as the "hub" a virtual
solution center wherein the help desk is the entry point and
closure point for all end user assistance and is integrated with
system administration and network management support. This
integration of technologies facilitates the sharing and
analyzing of data throughout all customer support requirements -
a key strategy in advancing improved customer relationships and
administration.
Project Completion - While we expect our customer
engagements to be long term, there may be customer
organizational or financial reasons to terminate a task. The
transition from CalidCo support to other alternatives is as
rigorously planned and executed as the "transition in". CalidCo
also tracks the asset's fair market value and can provide
contract "buy-out" information from our EAMD.
Best Practices for Managed Desktop Services - CalidCo
employs industry best practices for the Managed Services Model
as a solid foundation for enterprise management of the IT
infrastructure. An Enterprise Management System (EMS) is
employed to provide complete life cycle and configuration
management of enterprise assets. Through an integrated tool
suite, we provide "cradle to grave" services utilizing a suite
of products for standardized, repeatable processes for
procurement, asset management, change management, help desk and
Service Level Agreement(SLA). These integrated products and
processes combine to provide the centralized management,
tracking, and performance monitoring and reporting of a number
of the processes that touch our customer. The EMS database
provides the resource for continually assessing and improving
customer service, in addition to enabling CalidCo to leverage
state of the art technology and tools to support the operational
and reporting aspects of a managed services contract. CalidCo
makes optimum use of its EMS processes and tools to achieve
enterprise management of an organization's IT assets. By using
an integrated approach, CalidCo maximizes the efficiencies of
the program while meeting the day-to-day operational demands.
Through our experiences with other enterprise/data center
operations as well as Managed Services programs, we have learned
how to configure the EMS to support "best-of-breed" processes,
provide SLA reporting, and perform trend analysis to improve
overall performance.
Migration Plan to Managed Services requires baselining
the "as-is" environment as a critical first step in the
migration to managed services. To fully record and characterize
the IT infrastructure, we review and analyze available
documentation, interview current staff and document our
findings. Automated tools are used to collect, analyze, and
validate information about the environment using advanced
network management products for the "auto discovery" of the IT
infrastructure (desktop, servers, and network). Our processes
and automated data tools are designed to collect data for status
review, planning, and decision-making. These data are available
throughout all phases of the Managed Services process. An
automated data repository is establish to estimate the resources
that will be required for purchasing, installing, and supporting
systems. CalidCo uses an asset management tool to support
technology refresh cycles; define maintenance and support levels
by site and by user and group; assess the TCO, cost allocation,
and accounting; make buy/lease decisions; and identify re-market
value among others. Information gathered to support a TCO
analysis includes burdened labor costs for the administration,
preparation, installation, maintenance and operation of the
asset infrastructure, and the number of hours spent on various
asset management and support tasks throughout the organization.
This information provides the basis for planning and assessment
and provides continuous evaluation of the program's successes
and opportunities