Customer Solution Case Study
/ Major European Carrier Enhances Management Decision Making and IT Management
Overview
Country or Region:Russia
Industry:Telecommunications
Customer Profile
OJSC Rostelecom is Russia’s largest telecommunications operator. It manages the country’s main trunk network, long-distance and international telephone networks, and public telecommunications networks.
Business Situation
With a range of information systems in place, OJSC Rostelecom could not form a consolidated view of its business activities and ensure effective decision making.
Solution
After upgrading its underlying technology infrastructure using Microsoft technology, the company deployed Microsoft® Business Solutions–Axapta® business software.
Benefits
Accurate financial reporting for executives and company shareholders
Reduced costs through centralised IT management
Clear view of management information across departments and regions
Fully customised system to support existing working practices
Collaborative software supports better information sharing / “Now, we can see what is happening across the organisation and use this data to make more informed decisions than ever before.”
Vadim Izotov, Deputy General Director, IT Director, OJSC Rostelecom
OJSC Rostelecom is Russia’s national long-distance telecommunications operator. Historically, the company supported its activities with a range of disparate information systems. These were developed over time to address specific business functions from general accounting to project management. Lack of integration between systems made it difficult to access current management information from disparate departments and regions. In addition, IT management was increasingly complex and expensive. To address these issues, the company deployed a new, centralised IT infrastructure based on Microsoft technologies. Business software suite Microsoft® Business Solutions–Axapta®(now part of Microsoft Dynamics™)was implemented to consolidate financial and other management information across the business. The new technology has enhanced management decision making, increased network security, and streamlined IT management.
Situation
OJSC Rostelecom is Russia’s national long-distance telecommunications operator. The company operates a state-of-the-art digital network that spans the entire country. It delivers a range of trunk network services that support the activities of smaller Russian operators, integrating their own infrastructures into a unified, national network.
The company is Russia’s largest service provider, employing 26,000 people. It is responsible for the central management of the country’s primary trunk network, long-distance and international telephone networks, and public telecommunications networks on Russian territory.
Trunk communication lines managed by OJSC Rostelecom extend for 200,000 km. and provide direct international access to the networks of more than 100 operators in 72 countries. The company interacts with 30 international cable networks and 400 operators worldwide.
OJSC Rostelecom supports its activities with a range of information technologies that were developed on an ad-hoc basis to address specific functions. Theseinclude everything from customised general accounting systems to project management software.
Over time, lack of integration between these complex systems caused a number of difficulties. It was a challenge, for example, to consolidate administrative and financial information stored in disparate systems and to report effectively on the performance of the organisation. It was also increasingly complex and expensive to manage the disparate systems in place.
To improve the accuracy of management information, enhance reporting for stakeholders, and streamline IT management, OJSC Rostelecom decided to deploy a new, fully-integrated IT infrastructure.
Solution
To support a new, unified management system, OJSC Rostelecom upgraded its underlying technology infrastructure. After careful evaluation of available technologies, the Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 operating system was chosen as the best enterprise operating system available.
This technology offers a range of centralised management tools that support remote software deployments and upgrades. In addition, user profiles, access rights, and employee information can be defined and changed centrally, reducing the administrative burden and ensuring excellent visibility across the network.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 communication and collaboration server was deployed to support effective messaging across the organisation. This is fully integrated with all other network elements, ensuring fast, effective management of user inboxes and the entire e-mail architecture.
The company also deployed Microsoft Office SharePoint® Portal Server 2003to enhance collaborative work. This provides virtual workspace where documents can be uploaded and shared by authorised personnel. Using this technology, the company has enhanced teamwork across international boundaries. It has also reduced storage requirements by cutting the number of large documents exchanged through e-mail.
To maximise the benefits of this new, centralised enterprise infrastructure, OJSC Rostelecom deployed a fully-integrated business management system based on Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta® business software. This offers features for enhanced financial management and accounting that can be fully adapted to meet the requirements of individual organisations.
Microsoft Axapta includes applications for financial management, customer relationship management, supply-chain management, human resource management, project management, and analytics. Because the solution is fully integrated with all underlying Microsoft technologies, it offers OJSC Rostelecom a current, accurate view of business activities across all departments and regions.
Because the company operates broadband channels between all its regional departments, Microsoft Axapta workplaces are organised as terminal stations running on Windows Server 2003. This supports central management of the system across all locations and reduces IT administration significantly.
A project team from OJSC Rostelecom was assembled to support the Microsoft Axapta deployment. Gold Certified Partner The AND Project was responsible for integrating the new solution at OJSC Rostelecom headquarters and at six regional offices. At the same time, leading ERP consultancy GMCS delivered administrative support throughout the project.
Benefits
Enhanced Network Security
Thanks to the central management features of Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003, user profiles are always up to date. This ensures that only employees with the correct authorisation can access sensitive corporate data.
Vadim Izotov, Deputy General Director, IT Director, OJSC Rostelecom,
says, “We can now deploy security policies and group policies centrally. This ensures a common approach across the business, while reducing administration.”
In addition, Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 and Microsoft Operations Manager 2000 are used to monitor and manage the network remotely. In this way, any unauthorised access can be quickly identified and addressed.
Izotov says, “Thousands of employees all over Russia have access to our network at any given time. The new levels of integration we have achieved provide increased visibility of any unauthorised use and give us the tools to deal with it.”
Better Management Decision Making
The new Microsoft Axapta management system offers access to accurate, fully-integrated management information across the business. This ensures that executives consistently make the best management decisions.
Izotov says, “Previously, we could not be sure that management information from all departments and regions was accurate and up-to-date. Now, we can see what is happening across the organisation and use this data to make more informed decisions than ever before. We can also demonstrate the effectiveness of our actions to stakeholders, increasing confidence across the board.”
More Effective IT Management
Now, OJSC Rostelecom operates a management system that is fully integrated with all underlying infrastructure elements. As a result, it works with unified technology and administration processes, ensuring optimum efficiency for IT management processes.
Izotov says, “We are managing our IT systems much more effectively. Where maintenance previously required specialized knowledge and costly on-site visits, we can now apply changes centrally and address issues effectively as soon as they arise.”
Minimised Training Requirements
The availability of Microsoft skills at OJSC Rostelecom minimised employee training requirements, both during and after the deployment. The abundance of skilled Microsoft engineers also kept costs to a minimum when compared to proprietary technology deployments.
Izotov says, “We previously worked with a number of bespoke applications. Now, we can harness the enormous range of Microsoft skills that exist in the region to ensure effective management and support for our systems while keeping costs down.”
A Scalable Solution
The integration of the Microsoft Axapta information system at OJSC Rostelecom is one of the largest in Europe, extending to more than 1,000 workstations. In addition, other Microsoft technologies, including the Microsoft Office System of desktop productivity applications have been installed on more than 6,000 machines.
Izotov says, “We have already achieved one of the largest Microsoft deployments ever undertaken in Europe. In addition, we believe that our systems will scale up easily over time as our requirements continue to increase.”
Increased Employee Productivity
The collaborative working features of the new solution have significantly increased employee productivity. This is because staff can access the data they need quickly and effectively from a central location.
Izotov says, “We are enjoying the benefits of new functional capabilities such as collaborative work, streamlined communication, and remote access to the Microsoft Axapta management system. As a result, we have enhanced group work and overall employee productivity.”
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office, which means less of a learning curve for your people, so they can get up and running quickly and focus on what’s most important. And because it is from Microsoft, it easily works with the systems your company already has implemented. By automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship
and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings together people, processes and technologies, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you drive business success.
For more information about Microsoft Dynamics, go to: