The Situation
A major utility company needed help managing their desktop computer “IMAC” (Install, Move, Adds and Changes) and Refresh (upgrading with a new computer) programs. POSDATA partnered with the utility company’s IT service provider to supply the warehousing and computer configuration required.
The
Challenge
The IT service provider found that the utility was in the middle of converting their 15k plus computer users over to a new system with an updated operating system. The utility at the time had contracted with a company that was falling far short of their expectations. Problems reported included service requests lost or delayed past their contracted agreement times and numerous reports of misplaced, lost or stolen inventory.
The Solution
The client, having been a long-term customer of POSDATA, developed a plan that combined the expertise of both companies to present the utility with a comprehensive solution for the management of their computer environment.
The solution for the utility included the following parts:
Part 1: Purchasing/Receiving
The client would purchase the inventory and have it shipped from the vendor directly to the POSDATA warehouse. POSDATA responsibilities included receiving the product into the warehouse and updating the client’s inventory system.
Part 2: Configuration
The end-user agreed to install one of their servers in the POSDATA warehouse. This setup gave POSDATA access to their network and all software and custom images required to configure the computers prior to installation. The end-user also supplied POSDATA with the user names for each computer and a list of all the programs necessary to custom build each computer for the individual user.
Once the utility customer placed an order with the service provider for a system installation, the information would be passed to POSDATA who would pull the order from their inventoried warehouse and ship it directly to the
end-user designated location.
POSDATA would be responsible for the daily delivery of the computers and all peripherals to the different sites for installation by IT service provider.
Part 5: Refurbish/Donate/eScrap
POSDATA would be responsible for the pick-up of the “Salvage Equipment”. POSDATA would either ‘Refurbish” the computers for redeployment into the field or process them for “Donation/Scrap”.
- Refurbishment consisted of performing any hardware repairs necessary and reinstalling the custom Windows image and all necessary software for redeployment.
- Donation/Scrap required POSDATA to perform a “DOD” wipe of all the hard drives in the computers to remove all the data. POSDATA would schedule with the customer's chosen “Donation / Scrap” company for pickup of all the computers and peripherals that were not redeployed.
The Result
The partnership between the IT service provider and POSDATA proved
to be a winning combination for the utility in various ways.
- Enabled the utility to substantially lower their daily / yearly cost of tracking their inventory
- Seamlessly provided the utility with a means to schedule their computer installs and upgrades
- Efficiently and accurately met the service / install requests over 99% of the time
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For additional information contact:
POSDATA, a Division of Control Solutions Inc.
5775 Soundview Drive, Suite 101E
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
800-852-3282
www.posdata.com
