Innovative Discovery

BACKGROUND

Could you give me a brief description of your organization?

I work for a management program set up by a couple of private entities in a joint venture to manage a state Transportation Initiative Act. Segment 3 of the State Act satisfied a few billion dollars to renovate, rebuild or fix about 365 bridges across the state. The Department of Transportation couldn’t handle that kind of work load so they outsourced it all to a company that I work for.

What’s your role and responsibilities, please?

When I first started there, I was the network architect. I helped build the infrastructure and architecture, and implement a lot of the technologies that were used throughout the program. Now, I’m more of a General Information Systems Lead. I’m the subject matter expert on all the technologies within the program and I serve in a management and operations capacity for most of the close out of the program. We are supposed to be ending the project sometime in the next year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address?

The file of implementation that we had is behind on versions and has been for several years. As such, the people that actually implemented the technology have since transferred off the program and we had no subject matter experts on how to utilize the application. We were using it on a daily basis but we didn’t know anything about managing or administering it. When we started having issues because our version was so far behind, we were no longer supported by IBM so we had to put a call to help us out with this legacy application.

What was the overall impact you were looking for?

We had some shakiness in the system. There was some instability. We were hoping to have Integro do an overall health check of our applications as well as fix up any issues that we might have. We needed them to monitor the books under a support contract for the remainder of the program through 2014.

SOLUTION

Can you tell me about the scope of the work?

We’ve kind of extended the “support definition” of our scope. It was initially just to take a look at our system and get it working again. Since then, we’ve expanded that to be a redeployment of the production system to clean hardware. This entailed building our entire implementation from scratch again and transferring all the data to it. Integro needed to build a development system so that we can do testing next to and parallel from the production system. The work also included support and maintenance of those systems throughout the rest of the program through 2014. We’re kind of taking advantage of them from a support perspective.

They’re doing a lot more than just supporting our implementation. They’re basically rebuilding it, re-implementing it and running it. They have yet to do any training or hand-over. We don’t really have the technical ability to keep up with what they’re doing. We’re developers and IT guys so we just don’t have the expertise to handle this legacy system.

Are there certain attributes about FileNet that your organization finds helpful?

The decision to go with FileNet preceded me. It came from previous contractors. We used a FileNet implementer from Texas initially. I think it was just because the document manager at that time was used to that application.

What was your process for selecting Integro?

We did a typical state process where we put out an RFP and solicited a few inputs and pursuits from other applicants. We ended up with three vendors from our process and Integro was by far the best.

Can you give us a sense of that initiative in a dollar figure?

The initial scope was just for support and then we’ve expanded that to the redeployment.  We estimated that it was going to be somewhere in the $150,000 to 200,000 range. We’re right on target so far.

When was the project completed?

There was a completion date for the initial health check, the follow up fix, and the troubleshooting efforts. We had separate milestones for the redeployment effort. They’ve met all of them. The health check came back with fantastic documentation. The re-implementation or redeployment that we’re doing right now is actually the final milestone, the cutover to the new production systems is happening this Friday.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have stats or metrics to track improvement?

It’s mainly uptime calculations and the system functioning correctly. The bridge program is pretty small these days. In our heyday, we were upwards of 400 people but now we’re down around 20. We just need to make sure that the workflows continue functioning as they’re supposed to throughout the rest of the program. There is not a whole lot of metrics we need to track at this point.

How has Integro performed so far?

Exemplary, they are fantastic. They always pick up the phone, Mike Baney and David Starkweather. David is the PM. He’s eminently professional, communicates the perfect amount. Mike Baney is a wiz when it comes to the legacy FileNet application as well as some of the newer applications. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the application. He has always been able to answer questions.

What’s unique or special about Integro compared to some other vendors you may have encountered?

Their knowledge of legacy applications is really what brought us on board, plus their professionalism. The other folks that responded to our RFP had IBM FileNet experience and expertise but not specifically with the versions we were looking for. There was a lot of licensing issues and pushes for some custom development and that sort of thing. We weren’t looking for a vendor to come in and build new applications for us. We needed somebody to help us with the one we already had and Integro seemed to grasp that right out of the gate.

Is there any area that you think they could improve upon or maybe you would do differently?

I don’t think there are any negatives. They have offices in Colorado and Mike is actually in Phoenix. Other than their geographic distribution making phone support a little tricky, they’ve managed perfectly well.

BACKGROUND

Could you describe your company?

We’re an investor in public utilities, operating in seven states. For our utility business, we have power plants in three states. We provide independent power generation and we conduct oil and gas exploration in the Midwest.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm currently the Director of Corporate Compliance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the project with Integro?

We worked on a couple of projects with them. We've worked with them on email management, records manager or IER, and their product, Integro Email Manager. We have ICC for email, EDA and IBM FileNet P8 Suite. The ultimate goal of our work was to facilitate and enhance our compliance with regulatory standards. 

What does the IBM ECM solution suite offer your organization?

I’m only speaking with respect to the ECM solution. We may or may not use IBM tools and products across the enterprise in other areas. We started out with common floor or what is now known as ICC for email. It was maybe the only product at the time that allowed us to do email searches. That was back in 2006.

We have built upon that by adding the P8 platform, which includes content management. It’s the process management and information content collector, as well as records manager or IER. 

Integro’s email management product is not an IBM product. These tools allow us to easily search through huge amounts of email and become more efficient. We like IBM.

SOLUTION

What parts of the project did Integro handle?

They've worked with us on installation and upgrades for several years. They also offer advice to employees on how to best utilize the systems. They are IBM experts so we rely on them for IBM ECM advice. They also help us with document management and E-discovery. 

What was your process for selecting Integro as your solution partner?

IBM recommended them to us. After discussing our business needs and requirements with them, we decided they would be a good fit. 

Could you provide me with a sense of the size the initatives?

I would say the largest project was the P8 upgrade and it was roughly $150,000 in total.

When was the most recent project competed?

It was completed in December, 2012 and there is ongoing work also.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work delivered?

I really don't have any statistics or metrics to share with you. I can, however, tell you that they completed everything on time and under budget. They actually do what they say they’re going to do. 

When working with Integro, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to other solution partners you've worked with in the past?

I’ve worked with a lot of vendors or partners including IBM services. Integro actually delivers. They do what they say they’re going to do and they do it very well. They have excellent documentation. They are very responsive. If you run into an issue, somebody get in touch with you immediately. They never keep you waiting. They seem to have communication down to a science. They have an extremely competent group of people. They know how to translate technical details down to the business level. I haven’t had a single negative experience with anybody at Integro. I think they’re probably the best vendors I’ve ever worked with.