Orion’s strategic partnership and technology transformation initiatives with a Big 4 Accounting firm resolved complex operational challenges, resulting in a 15.5% reduction in Total Cost of Ownership in the first year.
For more than two decades, Orion has been in partnership with a Big 4 Accounting and Professional Services firm, that span across 160+ countries. This collaboration positions Orion as a reliable technology transformation partner. Together, we leveraged technologies to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and drive sustainable growth. Despite the positive transformation, the outcomes exposed challenges, particularly a bottleneck due to the lack of coordination between operational and transformation teams.
Challenge
Managing a complex tech environment with over 80 applications, 50 bespoke applications, and critical off-the-shelf (COTS) business applications, posed challenges for the client. Orion recognized the urgency to address this issue and proposed the creation of a dedicated Operations (Ops) team.
The complexities increased during the transition from in-sourced teams and three vendors, coupled with a lack of documentation. The absence of an application support process, first-line support, and the use of non-standard service management tools hindered harmonization. The challenges were further compounded by excessive manual operations, a surge in service requests, and limited proactive monitoring.
Overall, the lack of structure and coordination created a significant obstacle to achieving operational efficiency for the team. Adding to the intricacies, the infrastructure operations were initially handled by a different vendor, employing a distinct process that proved non-cooperative. This initial setup was later transitioned to Orion, necessitating additional adjustments to align with a more collaborative and streamlined approach.
Solution
To address the complex challenges, Orion strategically implemented a comprehensive solution. The approach involved conducting a thorough landscape analysis, encompassing people, processes, and systems. We executed a phased transition across vendors, developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) from scratch to navigate a hostile transition environment. A discovery tool was used to map applications, infrastructure, and dependencies. The implementation of an ITIL-based support framework, integrated monitoring, and standardization of processes and tools were key. We adopted NewRelic for application operations and integrated various tools to establish a Manager-of-Managers framework, providing a unified view through the Service Management tool Jira. Additionally, a global governance model was implemented to ensure effective oversight and coordination. This holistic strategy aimed to bring structure, efficiency, and coordination to the IT operations, aligning with the goal of establishing the ops team to address immediate concerns and refine the transformation roadmap iteratively.
Impact
The solution had a significant impact, achieving a 15.5% reduction in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) during the first year. This decrease in TCO reflects the successful optimization of diverse aspects within client’s IT operations, resulting in diminished overall expenses related to the management of the complex tech environment. The implementation of a Single Plane of Glass and multi-layered reporting has also enhanced operational transparency, providing stakeholders with a comprehensive view of the organization’s processes. This visibility empowers the business with insights into workloads, facilitating more informed and strategic planning.
Overall, the combination of cost reduction measures and improved reporting underscores the transformative success of this initiative, demonstrating tangible benefits in operational efficiency and financial outcomes.
