Covestic helps major auto manufacturer adopt operating level agreement to facilitate cost-saving project.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
The manufacturer undertook the daunting task of moving the hosting and maintenance of their global sales and marketing Web sites back in-house. An operating level agreement (OLA) was required to ensure that their staff could meet the essential high-availability and reliability demands.

To be successful with in-house support, they were looking at adopting ITIL to facilitate the transition from the current infrastructure to one that could efficiently manage the Web sites internally and improve the consistency of delivery. Their personnel had only basic ITIL training, and managing to service levels had never been a priority in the past, so it would be a significant cultural change to adopt more structured processes.

A clear agreement between operational teams was critical to the success of this much-anticipated, cost-saving initiative. In addition, there was the actual network build-out and transition of support to the new datacenter to consider.

Adding to the complexity, the contract with their existing Web site hosting vendor was due to expire. If they were going to pull this off, the OLA had to be agreed-upon and signed in just six weeks. Missing this deadline was out of the question, because a project of this scale was subject to risks that could adversely affect the operation of the manufacturer's sales and marketing channel.

With significant exposure to risk and low margin for error, the company required a partner with extensive ITIL experience to address their unique cultural and implementation needs within their aggressive timeframe.

COVESTIC'S SOLUTION
Covestic enabled the auto manufacturer to achieve its business objectives by applying a proven, comprehensive method for implementing IT service management (ITSM) - a highly interactive and iterative approach among all key stakeholders who would adopt and manage the Web sites. Given the tight deadline and potential for risk, buy-in at all levels of the organization was critical to the success of this high profile project.

Covestic clearly defined roles and responsibilities using OLA templates that incorporated ITIL best practices. Through stakeholder interviews, all of the company's existing operational processes and available documentation were compiled and used to determine how the company's existing structure could support the requirements of the incoming systems.

A gap analysis identified missing links and related risks that would adversely affect the company's ability to meet the required service levels under the expedited, six-week schedule. Prioritizing the gaps by risk and impact to service levels allowed them to develop a clear and concise mitigation plan for implementing the incoming systems.

RESULTS
Covestic enabled this global auto manufacturer to quickly move its highly visible sales and marketing Web sites in-house within the aggressive, six-week timeframe.

All operational stakeholders agreed upon the critical OLA, giving them the essential steps toward ITIL adoption and implementation. In addition, Covestic provided a concise gap analysis and mitigation plan to enable them to prepare for any risks.

Covestic worked hand-in-hand with the company to successfully implement ITSM to effectively maintain the sites moving forward - instilling confidence across the company in the processes put in place and the operational efficiency of the systems supporting its critical sales and marketing channel.