The Economist Group leads with Sostenuto. Media heavyweight implements Sostenuto for global ITSM operation

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1 The Economist Group leads with Sostenuto Media heavyweight implements Sostenuto for global ITSM operation

2 Introduction Software s Sostenuto as its new global IT service management application. Mike Goodson The Economist Group has a global reputation as one of the heavyweights of the press world, delivering analysis on international business and world affairs through its range of newspapers, magazines, conferences and electronic services. As one would expect, IT plays an important role for the media group, which, just a year ago, selected Sunrise IT services manager Mike Goodson explains how far his team has come since implementing the software, as well as new processes, modelled in parts around the ITIL framework: We have successfully put in place a global application which provides our management team with access to information at the click of a mouse. The improvement in our performance as an ITSM operation has also helped raise awareness of IT among our staff. The project originated a few years ago when a survey was carried out across the Group s EMEA region, outlining areas for improvement. A need was identified to bring consistency among the various global offices, introducing service level agreements (SLAs) and reporting. Sostenuto leaps off the page Sostenuto really stood out for us. It was not just the look and feel which scored highly, but we also liked the fact that every part of the software is interconnected. We had three or four demonstrations from different vendors, and Sostenuto really stood out for us. It was not just the look and feel which scored highly, but we also liked the fact that every part of the software is interconnected. For example, incidents and problems are tightly connected and impact each other, rather than being isolated as they are in other products. Sostenuto just flowed and looked eminently professional. Mike remembers the software selection process: Initially, we began by using Gartner for a list of suppliers, he says. But we soon felt that, aside from a few, the products referred to were overkill for what we wanted. We needed to take a pragmatic approach and were interested in the Audis and Mercedes of the ITSM world, not the Bentleys. The whole team was given ITIL awareness training, and the department adopted the aspects of the framework that were appropriate for its needs. With operations in Europe, Dubai, Hong Kong and New York, one of the project s critical success factors was to get the respective teams and managers on board. After some online training sessions, they have now fully embraced Sostenuto and the new processes. Page 2

3 We started by implementing incident and problem management, then introduced change after a few months, says Mike. We tailored the system to some extent to suit our requirements, but now it just runs itself. The way Sostenuto displays the different areas of functionality is really clear, which means that new people joining the team can pick it up easily. Now everyone follows common processes, so for example if new equipment is ordered, the purchasing department will notify IT that the laptops need to be built, and the users will be notified as well. One of the benefits I ve seen has been the increased recognition that the third-line team in particular now receive for their work, says Mike. All of their activity is now formalised, and although we re not about to start carrying out time and motion studies here, it s a lot more satisfying for them that the rest of the organisation is aware of the amount of work they do. Self service Self service has brought a great deal of transparency to our IT (...) and this has given the business a lot of confidence in our service. The Economist Group staff are able to log their own calls in Chameleon, Sostenuto s end-user interface. Once their call has been opened by an operator, they receive an automatic with a ticket number, which is tied in with the SLA, allowing them to better monitor the progress of their call. Self service has brought a great deal of transparency to our IT, says Mike. Issues simply cannot be swept under the carpet, and this has given the business a lot of confidence in our service. Now users receive regular communication throughout the lifecycle of their call, and they decide when the issue is fixed, which has resulted in excellent feedback. Page 3

4 Working with Sunrise This is the kind of project you would always wish for: seamlessly smooth and delivered on time. This has been a positive experience throughout, says Mike. Sunrise has delivered at all levels, right from process design to going live and a few months later, helping us implement our change processes, as well as providing us with first class support. This is the kind of project you would always wish for: seamlessly smooth and delivered on time. The Director s View The Sostenuto modular design and its ability to switch on new features allow us to continue to expand our use of the system as our requirements grow. Global IT Services Director Colin Davies comments: The Sostenuto system has enabled us to deliver a global IT solution for The Economist Group by unifying our regional IT Service Desks and integrating with other information systems. The Chameleon web interface has given benefits to both customers and IT Services by providing transparency which has ultimately led to improvements in performance levels. The Sostenuto modular design and its ability to switch on new features allow us to continue to expand our use of the system as our requirements grow. It now forms a key part of our ITSM strategy. Page 4

5 About Sunrise Sunrise was founded in 1994 and is a leading independent provider of IT service management solutions. Our customer base includes over 1,000 blue chip and public sector organisations, including: Sunrise offers a range of solutions, including helpdesk software, IT service management software and solutions for external facing service centre operations (MSPs): Sunrise 20/20: a fully browser-based ITIL service desk solution suitable for organisations looking for an effective and affordable best practice product. Sostenuto ITSM: an advanced IT service management suite that empowers organisations and in particular managed and outsourced service providers to maximise their service performance and reap the commercial benefits. This is IT service management software going way beyond the basics that ITIL dictates (Computer Weekly) Contact us Visit our website: us at: welcome@sunrisesoftware.co.uk Or call us on: Page 5