Managing the level of service it delivers and the subsequent satisfaction of its outsourced and on-site customers is now a great deal more effective for CS Holdings (Getronics) following its installation of HP`s lastest service software offering, HP OpenView Service Desk 4.0.
CS Holdings (Getronics) is believed to be the first company in the world to boast a live installation of Service Desk since the launch of the solution just a few weeks ago. And it will soon integrate into the company`s broader HP infrastructure, which includes software for managing process, networks and operations.
More than simply a case of a partner implementing one of its primary vendor`s technologies, the Service Desk project offers CS Holdings (Getronics) two principal benefits: it creates a solution for collating information on all the IT services the company operates or manages remotely for its customers; and it gives the company the ability to scope, model, implement and support similar solutions at customer sites.
"This dovetails with our NetWorkPlace go-to-market model - a series of more than 20 business services that are offered to customers through a managed service provider (MSP) or `outsourced` environment, or via an on-site installation," explains Andrew Brummer from CS Holdings (Getronics).
"If we look at the MSP side of the business, much of our time is spent remotely managing our customers` servers, storage, desktops or network infrastructure. While these often span the entire country, all management is carried out from our central facilities here in Johannesburg.
"Tracking the service usage, uptime or alerts that come from these devices is a challenge. Ensuring that we create an efficient workflow process to manage this environment [and react quickly to the alerts] is an even greater challenge. HP OpenView Service Desk makes it possible - and that brings direct service benefits to our customers."
Looking at the other side of CS Holdings` (Getronics) business, the successful installation of Service Desk - installed in record time - means the company now has the skills and the experience to design, implement and support a customised solution for its customers.
"The solution was implemented according to the best practice standards defined by the ITIL methodology - and we would take that approach when implementing solutions for customers," explains Brummer.
While there are no specific horizontal or vertical markets being targeted, it would appear that the local market for help and service desk solutions is, in general, hotting up. Hannes Lategan, the software business manager at HP South Africa, says companies of all sizes are realising the benefits of allowing companies like CS Holdings (Getronics) to remotely manage the help desk.
"Solutions exist for day-to-day processes to be automated and managed, and for operational responsibility to be assumed by a company like CS Holdings (Getronics). When billed on a pay-per-use or outsource contract basis, this drives costs down and efficiencies up. A company`s IT skills can be redeployed where they are needed the most. This makes the whole process more efficient."
Looking further down the line Brummer says that other key HP software technologies used by CS Holdings (Getronics) - including VantagePoint Operations and Network Node Manager - will be integrated into the Service Desk hub.
"In this way, any trouble tickets generated from the operations or network side of our customers` business will be raised directly [into Service Desk]. This further increases our ability to track, deal and solve problems."
For more information on HP OpenView Service Desk 4.0 and the benefits it can deliver, surf to www.openview.hp.com. CS Holdings (Getronics) can be found on the Web at www.csholdings.co.za
Fact file
New features included in Service Desk 4.0 include:
* Service level management: service modelling capabilities, the ability to effectively manage customer service level agreements (SLAs) and outsourced services.
* Enhanced change management: outage planning, window of opportunity, approval.
* Reporting: statistical views, database views for easier integration with external reporting tools.
* Integrations: LDAP interface, data exchange export wizard, delta processing for inventory reconciliation.
* Service Pages: specialist functionality over the Web.
* Authorisation: data separation, status-based entitlement.
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