Arch Medical - Case Studies

Novartis International AG - Case Study

Written by Arch Technology | May 28, 2019 3:24:33 AM

Managing over $10 billion in IT infrastructure worldwide, we are the leading provider of IT support and independent maintenance services for Fortune 500 companies, large businesses, carriers, US Federal Agencies, and the back line support provider for almost all third party support companies.

Who?

As one of the top three pharmaceutical companies in the world, a current client of Arch Technology Solutions manages more than seventy manufacturing sites and several sales-centered facilities. The company generates more than $50 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 100,000 workers around the globe.

The global healthcare company focuses on delivering science-based innovation to create better outcomes for patients while meeting the challenges presented by a changing healthcare environment.

The Challenge

Burdened by multiple service level agreements (SLA) and an extensive inventory of hardware, this Arch Technology Solutions client was already making a significant investment in the service and support of their technology network. Yet, they often found that in moments of crisis their service agreements fell short of providing the coverage needed to support minimal impact on the business. Over time, equipment and SLA purchases ballooned while support failed to meet their needs.

Leaders within the company recognized the need for an agnostic evaluation of their technology assets and service agreements. The company was struggling to understand how their current SLA applied to in-house hardware and how those SLA were meeting the needs of the business.

Multiple sites, each with varying support needs, and data maintained in discrepant configurations and locations made uncovering an accurate picture of the current state challenging. However, with spending that topped $12 million a year on service level agreements, understanding and optimizing coverage was critical to meeting the goals of the business.

The Solution

Arch Technology Solutions experts began with a careful analysis of all equipment held by the client company. The study included current and retired hardware across all sites. Arch experts cross-referenced each device with both purchased and entitled service level agreements to create a comprehensive picture of the company’s technology assets and support.

Through collaboration with the client’s team, Arch Technology Solutions defined the appropriate service and support levels for each device at each site. This “tiering” exercise ensures the appropriate level of service support based on the criticality of the device and the site.

As part of the analysis, Arch Technology Solutions also performed a “true-up.” Often, when hardware is retired, the SLA covering the equipment is abandoned. However, if the SLA is still effective after the hardware’s retirement date, the company is entitled to a credit for the unused portion of the agreement. The “true-up” identifies entitled credits for retired equipment and ensures that new hardware is included in existing SLA.

Finally, the experts at Arch Technology Solutions created a contract management database to enable the client’s team to see device-specific support data quickly. The database houses device identifying information, device location, current service and support level, and all applicable entitlements.