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The multi-billion-dollar media company was facing several challenges in their IT environment. They were experiencing issues with VoIP and UCaaS quality, which were causing call failures, latency, dropped calls, and overall call quality challenges. These issues were problematic for employees and frustrating for network operations (NetOps). The company also faced time-consuming certificate expiration issues that impacted customer service. Their contact centers and regional offices without local IT support required visibility for troubleshooting SD-WAN performance issues. The company was also undergoing a migration of their SD-WAN solution, which was being deployed in their remote locations to assure business continuity for their employees before, during, and after transition. Additionally, they were experiencing intermittent performance degradations following network equipment upgrades and maintenance enterprise-wide, which were challenging to troubleshoot.

The BPO hosts numerous business applications in one of their technology centers, including an internally developed billing app. This billing application provided a crucial function in the healthcare’s day-to-day Contact Center operations. When a client called the healthcare’s Contact Center regarding a billing issue, the Customer Service Representative (CSR) workflow initiated a look-up from the BPO’s data lake to populate that caller’s insurance billing information on the CSR’s user interface. However, over time, the CSRs began experiencing “screen freezes” during billing look-ups, leaving them to explain these delays to customers with standard Contact Center speaking points – “The computer is running a little slow today,” for example. These scripted explanations aside, what actually happened involved the BPO’s billing application repeatedly timing out, setting, and resetting. While this represented an intermittent performance issue that inconvenienced healthcare clients on a callby-call basis, it was something that impacted Call Center Operations and CSR execution for more than one year.

The health care industry is heavily reliant on information technology (IT) for its daily operations. Services critical to patient care, such as electronic medical record (EMR) applications, telemedicine, mobile health, and BYOD initiatives, are putting unprecedented strain on networks, servers, and databases. This creates significant challenges for health care providers. In addition, the health care industry is heavily regulated, with acts such as the HIPPA Act and the HITECH Act requiring strict privacy and IT security regulations. This has shifted a significant amount of responsibility onto the IT departments of health care organizations. Specific challenges faced by IT professionals in the health care industry can be segmented into three main areas: insights into the network or visibility, operational efficiencies, and user experience.

EMC Insurance Companies was looking for a scalable solution to extend network visibility from the main campus and two data centers to 16 branch offices and five service centers in a cost- and resource-effective manner. They needed to assure high-quality service performance and optimal responsiveness to end users while keeping pace with new service roll outs and new technologies. The company’s core networked business services include insurance policy transaction processing, claims processing, image processing, email, Voice over IP (VoIP), video conferencing and Internet. Most of the claims and transaction processing applications are programmed in-house using Unisys’ Business Information Server (BIS) programming language and database. These business-critical applications run primarily on two Unisys mainframes where the bulk of EMC’s business-critical information is processed and stored. Web servers provide the front- end interface between the independent agents and policyholders, and the mainframes.

Cerner Corporation, a healthcare technology company, faced the challenge of assuring performance, availability, and quality for its cloud-based service for digitized patient information across medical offices and hospital systems. The company needed to maintain system responsiveness and carrier-class level network uptime of 99.999% availability. It was also crucial for Cerner to assure network and application service-level performance to protect the end-user experience. Over the years, Cerner has seen substantial growth, including a threefold increase in the size of its network, users, and the number of applications and user sessions. As a result, instant access to information both internally and externally became a critical component to Cerner’s services and a major factor in assuring customer satisfaction. In the past, when there was an issue, limited visibility resulted in Cerner operations teams diving into a lengthy investigation and resolution process that impacted and possibly jeopardized compliance with contractual SLAs. Due to the critical nature of the services offered by Cerner, SLA violations can result in negative operational and financial consequences to their clients.

The hospital has recently undertaken several major IT initiatives that impact all functions of the IT department. One of the most significant projects is an institution-wide rollout of a Cerner® Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system that connects and provides critical care collaboration between physicians, staff, and patients. The Cerner EMR solution also automates processes between departments such as emergency care, laboratory, surgery, radiology, and pharmacy. The new EMR system also includes a hospital-wide Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) system and Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS). The EMR system is cross integrated into a number of different applications such as Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems as well as the Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems that transfer patient data between caregivers and are extremely critical to the hospital operations and patient care activities. Other applications and services that are vital to the operation of the hospital include Microsoft® Exchange®, Oracle®, and Lawson™ ERP systems. In addition, Voice over IP (VoIP) along with telemedicine video conferencing have become an increasingly important application for the hospital as they facilitate real-time consultation between medical specialists located on and off campus. The ability to provide always-on access to all of these systems is critical to the effective operation of hospital and patient care services.

Denver Health, a healthcare provider for the city and county of Denver, Colorado, was experiencing substantial wireless usage growth. They run VoIP, PACs and EMR applications throughout their network. The network team needed a network and application performance management solution to detect and diagnose problems that might arise with their applications with the escalating growth. They were also implementing a critical Voice over IP (VoIP) pilot project and needed to manage performance of voice traffic alongside other critical applications such as Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), and streaming video during a time of unprecedented growth in network usage.

Distribution Paral, a family-owned company specialized in dairy product distribution based in Quebec, was facing challenges in managing its growing number of transactions and increasing sales. The company had diversified its products and acquired new businesses, leading to a significant increase in transaction volume. The company needed a solution to efficiently manage its inventory, orders, accounting, sales, and more. The challenge was to find a system that could manage two different companies with one single tool, provide an e-commerce solution for online orders, be compatible with suppliers' management systems, offer a mobile solution for sales representatives, and scale with Distribution Paral's needs and growth.

Rocheleau, a Quebec wholesaler specialized in hardware for kitchen furniture and cabinets, aimed to increase its sales volume without increasing the size of their sales teams. In 2012, the company decided to integrate a B2B e-commerce platform with its ERP software system. The company had two main goals: to automate its sales processes to compete internationally and to increase its sales without hiking up the number of employees. However, the company quickly realized that the management software they chose two years ago, despite its being a world-renowned brand, could not easily integrate an online sales site. Problems in communication between the ERP developer and the integrator complicated the project that much more.

Ficodis Group, an industrial supplies distribution group, has been on an aggressive acquisition spree since 2012, acquiring more than ten companies. This rapid expansion strategy aimed to broaden its product and service offerings, increase its geographic presence, and enhance customer proximity. However, integrating these new companies into the group posed significant challenges. The group needed a tool to streamline business processes, facilitate department specialization, and manage inventory, purchasing, and sales effectively across all branches. The challenge was to find a solution that could integrate data from all branches, allowing each to access the inventory of the others, and streamline administrative functions like accounting and purchasing.

Coractive, a designer and manufacturer of innovative optical fibers and fiber lasers, was experiencing rapid international growth. However, the company found it difficult to make fast decisions based on reliable information. The company's data was managed through Microsoft’s Excel and Access software as well as Sage for basic accounting. However, these documents did not communicate with each other, resulting in data silos and time-consuming report assembly for business analytics. Furthermore, in their key Asian markets, the intensifying competition had led to dropping prices. To remain competitive, Coractive needed more precise control of its costs and profit margins. The company needed a solution that could offer system flexibility to accommodate growth, be simple to use, deliver a rich set of functions, process the scientific data required for the manufacture of fiber optic products, integrate seamlessly with existing systems and applications, and be cost-effective.

La Petite Bretonne, a famous pastry and bakery brand in Québec, was looking for an ERP system that could meet its needs and goals. The company wanted a system that could handle changes in business realities and support them for many years. They were looking for a developer, not just an integrator, who could adapt the ERP system to their requirements. The company also wanted to spend less time on data entry and more time on data analysis and strategy implementation. The invoice buy-back process was a crucial point for La Petite Bretonne, and they needed a system that could handle this process efficiently.

Jacmar Automation, a component parts distributor and systems integrator, was using a DOS system that was no longer able to meet their expectations. They needed a system that would improve the tracking of project costs, ensure a more rigorous inventory management and allow them to complete transactions online. In short, they needed a more efficient system that would save time and provide more control. The company had been wanting to make this change for 20 years.

Gusta Foods, a fast-growing vegan food products company, faced several challenges as it aimed to transform digitally and avoid the pitfalls that many start-ups encounter. The company's strategic plan outlined a vision for a paperless, employee-friendly, Industry 4.0-ready, and agile business. However, realizing this vision required overcoming several constraints, including ensuring clean data entry, implementing an ERP system while moving to a new plant, and complying with industry food safety standards. The company needed an ERP system that could support its growth and help it achieve its strategic goals.

Distribution Paral, a growing SME specialized in the distribution of dairy products in Québec, was facing the challenge of managing a growing number of transactions and increasing sales. The company's growth was hampered by a lack of integrated tools and the use of manual processes. The agrifood distribution sector is a very competitive industry, and access to real-time information is a major asset. Up until then, Paral had no online ordering system to manage its sales processes. Its sales force did not have access to customer information in real time and the increasing transaction volume had become too complicated to manage. Alain Parent and Denis Parent also owned Total Alimentation, a distribution company that catered to food service establishments. For them, it had become a necessity to invest in an integrated management system.

Baron Tools, a fast-growing distribution company in Greater Montreal, was facing major challenges due to its rapid movement of inventory. The company was managing product flow with paper documents and accounting software stretched beyond its capacity. As a result, Baron did not have an accurate ongoing view of its stock position or profitability until the end of an accounting period. The lack of visibility into company processes greatly impacted productivity and profitability. The company was using outdated tools and dealing with a lot of paper. The software and systems simply couldn’t keep up with the aggressive sales goals of the company.

St-Donat Bakery, a family business with nearly 100 years of experience in Quebec and Ontario, was facing operational issues due to its expansion and ongoing growth. The bakery used many different tools that did not communicate with each other, leading to difficulty in finding reliable information and lack of agility. The billing and ordering process was complex and prone to errors as St-Donat manually encoded its invoices from a large number of distributors. The bakery did not have a centralized system to track inventory for its 6 external warehouses from which distributors get supplies at varying frequencies. As production and shipping data was manually entered on a daily basis with no possible control, it could lead to situations where the bakery produced 1,000 pies from one batch per day and shipped 1,500 without tracking the discrepancy. As part of its LFSC22000 certification for food safety, not all products could be traced during the annual recall exercises performed by St-Donat.

3 Sigma Corporation, a leading provider of custom adhesive and top-coated materials for the pressure-sensitive industry, was using an antiquated back-end system that ran on MS-DOS. The system was so outdated that employees were increasingly resorting to pencil and paper to complete orders and other critical tasks. The company needed a new, modern system that could handle its growing needs and allow it to compete in larger markets.

Big Heart Pet Brands, the largest standalone producer, distributor, and marketer of premium-quality, branded pet food and snacks in the United States, was finding it challenging to run its increasingly complex operations on the company’s existing ERP systems, which were both cumbersome and costly to upgrade. The company needed a more agile, state-of-the-art system that could not only help them cost-effectively simplify their current systems’ complexity, but could also automate manual processes and better accommodate corporate plans for growth. They were looking for a flexible system that easily adapts to business changes, such as new acquisitions, while also offering enterprise-class capabilities.

Scott Fetzer Electrical Group (SFEG) was formed by merging three individual organizations, France Power Solutions, Northland Motor Technologies, and Kingston Products. Each of these companies had been using versions of an on-premise ERP system, which was hastily reconfigured to serve the newly merged enterprise. However, the system had severe limitations such as lack of visibility, difficulty in use and configuration for fast-changing business needs, weak reporting capabilities, and no workflow/approvals capabilities. It quickly became apparent that a more modern system was needed to enable the consolidated organization to better compete in a world where its diverse products are used for a wide array of applications. SFEG needed a robust system that would improve visibility and agility while ensuring smooth and seamless operations.

Merrow Sewing Machine Company, a small family-owned business, has been a pioneer in the textile industry since 1838. The company invented the overlock stitch, which is still used in most garments today. However, the company faced challenges due to the high levels of complexity and costs of customization. They were continually building custom sewing machines for a variety of customers and applications, which was becoming economically challenging. Additionally, their recent innovation, ActiveSeam, a new stitch and business model, required seamless order tracking, robust reporting, and tight inventory control. Their prior on-premise ERP systems were limiting and unwieldy, unable to support their growth and innovation.

Del Monte Foods, one of the largest consumer food and pet products companies in the U.S., was facing challenges with its on-premises corporate ERP. The system was not only costly, but it was also increasingly difficult to deploy to new lines of business, and was nearing the end of its support life. The company needed a new ERP system that could easily adapt to their growing business needs and reduce costs. The acquisition of Natural Balance Pet Foods presented the perfect opportunity for Del Monte to begin the rollout of a new ERP system.

Primus Power, a company delivering clean-tech energy storage solutions based on advanced battery technology, was in need of an ERP system. Their existing QuickBooks and Excel apps were no longer sufficient as the company began to deliver real products. They needed a system that could be implemented quickly, had a low total cost of ownership, was cloud-based, had an engineering focus, strong supply chain collaboration capabilities, and simple-to-use, accessible-from-anywhere functionality. The company was already using the cloud-based Arena Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for their design and engineering activities, so it was essential that the new ERP and existing PLM system integrate seamlessly.

Unionwear, a custom-made baseball cap, tote bags, and apparel manufacturer based in Newark, NJ, operates in a challenging market. The clothing and apparel industry in America has seen a significant decline, with the percentage of clothing and apparel consumed by Americans that is made in America dropping from 95% in 1960 to about 2% today. Additionally, the apparel spending by the average US household has dropped from $4,300 to $1,700, and the percentage of household spending on apparel has dropped from about 10% in 1960 to 3.5% today. As a result, the apparel industry employment has contracted from an average employment of 902,000 in 1960 to about 136,000 today. Unionwear, however, has been able to succeed in this challenging market by embracing lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.

Northeast Lantern, a manufacturer of handcrafted, solid brass and copper lighting fixtures, was relying on a system of management by spreadsheet. As the company grew, the spreadsheets became more of a problem than a solution. With no formal system for inventory or engineering and no single database, the company was struggling with growth. They had no control over their inventory because they didn’t know at any one time what they had in inventory for a specific part, finished good or subassembly. Reporting was also a manual task that was time-consuming and inefficient. The company knew that further growth would require a modern ERP solution.

As OSI grew, maintaining their high-quality metrics became increasingly difficult due to their reliance on an older, locally developed ERP system with limited capabilities. Many of their production, operations, and quality processes were managed manually, relying on spreadsheets and even pen and paper to record and track data. This resulted in errors, slow processes, and a lack of visibility into costs, inventory, time, compliance, and more. OSI needed a solution that could modernize their operations and eliminate these barriers to growth.

Pioneer Motor Bearing, a family-owned company that has been repairing, manufacturing, and designing fluid-film bearings for the power generation and industrial markets for 100 years, was struggling with an on-premise ERP solution. The system was unable to provide a 360-degree view of a customer, which was crucial for improving customer relationships and providing quick access to relevant information. The company was looking for a streamlined order processing system that could seamlessly transition from RFQ to quote to sales order. However, their on-premise ERP system required them to re-enter all of the same product information. Estimating, a critical process in Pioneer's job-shop environment, still required lots of manual processes and didn't capture historical customer information in one place. Reporting was another issue. The company realized that it would take major implementation work and disruption to their business just to keep their on-premise ERP system active.

In 2015, Summit Imaging was encountering growing pains from increased demand from healthcare facilities seeking their high-quality products and services. They had been using manual processes to enter data into three disparate systems, and this solution was not providing the instant information that was needed to continue to serve their customers. The company, which repairs ultrasound and mammography equipment, found that their old way of doing things was preventing growth. Everything was done by paper or with redundant data entry. Reporting was frequently completed a month after the transactions closed. Their three separate systems didn’t communicate with each other. They had no access to critical data from a mobile device. But perhaps most frustrating of all was the fact that as a repair company, they needed instant repair information to refine operations.

Aphria Inc., one of the largest and fastest-growing cannabis companies in the world, was facing growing pains due to its rapid expansion. The company had to increase production capacity and manage it optimally to support strong growth and supply emerging cannabis markets. This was complicated by their worldwide footprint, with offices spread across the globe from the Caribbean to Australia, Africa to South America, encompassing more than 22 locations. The company was also faced with a daunting need for efficiency, productivity, and control due to the highly regulated nature of the cannabis industry. Their situation was exacerbated by their lack of modern, enterprise-ready technology. They needed more control, but also technology that could support their compliance demands.

North Bend Medical Center (NBMC) was struggling with a manual, spreadsheet-based system to track HR and payroll data for its employees. The system was inefficient and could not tie HR and payroll data together, making it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing employee information. The management team often had to wait for information such as the number of sick days an employee had left or how much they had contributed to their 401(k) plan. The company urgently needed a better system to process these requests in a timely and accurate manner.