Conectiv’s switch to Microsoft® Windows® 2000 will cut IT costs and speed service to 3,800 employees and 1.1 million customers.
Customer Profile
Visalign, LLC is a $43 million global consulting services company. Headquartered in West Chester, Pa., Visalign also has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Atlanta. Visalign, formerly known as Forté Systems, was one of four finalists for the 1999 Microsoft Certified Solution Provider (MCSP) Partner of the Year Award. There are 7,000 MCSPs in the United States.
Microsoft Windows 2000 Helps Conectiv to Channel its Energy
Staying ahead of technology's curve is essential for Conectiv, a Wilmington, Del.-based company (NYSE:CIV) serving 1.1 million customers in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia. That's hardly surprising, considering that Conectiv, the product of the 1998 merger of Atlantic Energy and Delmarva Power & Light, provides vital services that support its customers' busy lives, including electricity, gas, heating, cooling, and telecommunications.
For the $3.1 billion company, system down time can mean lost revenue and compromised customer service. And spending too much time maintaining a widely distributed infrastructure is costly for the IT team. That's because many of Conectiv's 3,800 employees are demanding applications that enhance collaboration and customer relations. If the IT team can't support such applications, the business units, which pay for IT services, can contract with outside vendors. "We'd like to be competitive," says Chuck Bakley, strategic architect in Conectiv's infrastructure management department. "We'd like to be the prime source to avoid any future problems."
One of the solutions is Windows 2000. The combined desktop server operating system offers Conectiv substantial cost-reduction opportunities, improved manageability, and a steady platform for cutting-edge applications, particularly those with an Internet emphasis.
Visalign Uses Microsoft Products to Keep Conectiv on the Leading Edge
Conectiv began preparing for Windows 2000 as early as February 1998, after the merger dropped two different operating systems, Banyan Vines and Windows NT®, into its corporate IT lap. To solve the dilemma, Conectiv worked with Visalign, formerly known as Forté Systems, a $43 million global consulting services company. Conectiv decided to implement a Microsoft technology platform. The first step was to migrate more than 3,200 desktops and 200 servers to the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 operating system, which provided a firm computing foundation for the company. "We had it in our minds all along that we would move to Windows 2000," says Bakley, "and the Windows NT 4.0 architecture provided a much easier migration path."
By launching the new operating system on 100 IT desktops and 30 servers before internal clients began clamoring for it, the team could undergo extensive training, create a consistent deployment procedure, and carefully plan the active directory's architecture. Windows 2000 clearly offers technical advantages. The new operating system's familiar desktop will significantly reduce user training and support costs. Windows 2000's unified and highly manageable server will reduce the administration required to run the network. Ultimately, Conectiv can save a staggering $421,612 in system management costs alone. Windows 2000 will keep Conectiv competitive and focused on customer service, too, providing greater user application-development capability and enhanced customer relations. "The IT department is positioned to support Conectiv's go-to-market strategies," Bakley says.
And, the Windows 2000 strategy will save IT dollars and speed service to clients and customers. Clearly using technology for competitive advantage, the Conectiv and Visalign partnership unleashes the power of world-class technology solutions to demonstrate clear market leadership.
