Boost Project Management

"From a project management point of view, Netmosphere has increased our efficiency tenfold. This is extremely important. It translates into better communication for all participants and, most importantly, into faster, less expensive projects for our clients."

-- Phil Whitehead
Managing Partner
Intrax Technology Group, Ltd.

Background

Intrax Technology Group provides supply-chain consultation and optimization for an impressive array of companies worldwide.

Using mathematical modeling, Intrax ensures that a company's supply chain operates at peak efficiency. Many global large and midsized businesses have redesigned their supply chains to leverage Intrax's in-house expertise and cutting-edge technology.

Intrax consultants travel the world to design and implement solutions that synchronize a company's business practices with its material flow. With a streamlined, optimized supply chain, a company is able to reap substantial benefits, such as decreased inventory, shorter cycle times, reduced operating expenses, and ultimately, greater revenue and profits.

Challenge

For Intrax, the key to any successful project can be summed up in two words: project management. Why is that?

Redesigning the supply chain of an organization is a highly complex task. In today's business world, many companies operate globally, with manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and business offices in various countries across numerous time zones. Moreover, a company's supply chain has to stretch beyond its own borders to include its business partners, such as suppliers and customers.

Therefore, to rework a supply chain, many different locations and third parties must be involved. To accomplish this task, real-time project management and constant, instant communication is key. In the absence of these conditions, a project can easily get off track.

"Effective management is essential for all our projects, and that requires timely communication," said Phil Whitehead, managing partner for Greenville, South Carolina-based Intrax. "Our projects tend to be very large-scale and complex. Everyone involved in the project, no matter where they are located, has to understand and constantly be aware of the project status and goals."

For instance, Intrax's consultants and customers---as well as relevant third parties---must know if deadlines have been met. They also must know which pieces of the project are on, behind, or ahead of schedule. Furthermore, they must recognize which tasks are forthcoming and where resources need to be deployed to meet those tasks.

For Intrax, the Internet was the only medium that could provide such real-time communication across organizations, national boundaries, time zones, and computer platforms. The next step: to find a solution that would provide robust project management, as well as a reliable, secure connection to the Internet.

"Project management is central to our livelihood," said Whitehead. "So, we searched for a total, reliable solution that would guarantee the flow of our company's mission- critical information."

Solution

Intrax implemented a comprehensive solution based upon Netmosphere ActionPlan project management software and a Cisco wide-area network infrastructure.

Together, these products have provided Intrax with the availability, high performance, security, and reliability that the company needed from an Internet-based project management solution. Now, all parties can communicate and collaborate on projects without regard to geographic or time restraints.

"Our clients needed to know that we were capable of transmitting project-related data securely over the Internet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Whitehead. "With this solution, we have that high level of assurance."

Maximum Security

For years, Intrax had been a Cisco shop. According to Whitehead, Cisco consistently delivered best-in-class equipment and service. So, when he chose to expand the company's core network to support the Netmosphere application, he again looked to Cisco.

This time, however, Whitehead decided not to upgrade Intrax's internal network. Instead, he outsourced his WAN to PAXnet Communications, a value-added Internet service provider colocated in Greenville. According to PAXnet, Whitehead had one central condition before agreeing to the partnership: PAXnet must base its network on Cisco equipment.

Fortunately, PAXnet already provided Internet connectivity through Cisco 1900 switches, Cisco 3640 routers, and Cisco IOS software. The Cisco solution permitted PAXnet to offer the reliability, availability, and high performance demanded by Intrax.

"Not many people come in to see the equipment that we have in place," said Jim Mundy, president and CEO of PAXnet. "But Phil (Whitehead) did. He literally looked around and was very pleased to see that we broadly support Cisco products."

What most impressed Whitehead? Through Cisco hardware and software, PAXnet provided industry-leading virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow Intrax to send and receive data over the Internet with maximum security.

"The Cisco IOS (software) offers the VLAN functionality that gives our clients the security they expect," said Mundy. "They know their traffic is secure."

Results

Since its implementation in early 1998, the Cisco and Netmosphere solution has made a world of difference to Intrax.

Cost savings: According to Whitehead, the solution has saved Intrax 30 to 40 percent in travel expenses alone. Beforehand, Intrax consultants often had to travel long distances in order to hold meetings between team members. Now, travel time and expense has been slashed, thanks to the constant communication among consultants, clients, and business partners.

Efficiency: Projects proceed much more efficiently. Team members no longer need to have frequent conversations about the status of projects. All status information is readily available through Netmosphere ActionPlan. Moreover, all team members have the most up-to-date information on schedules, budgets, and plans. As a result, projects tend to be completed more quickly and on budget, leading to a quicker return on investment for clients and happier employees.

Management: Whitehead can easily view the status of any project or subproject throughout the world and can transmit messages, directions, and changes instantly. In addition, messages relevant to an entire project team can be broadcast to many different sites.

Customer relations: Intrax's clients and their business partners are kept informed constantly throughout a project. By accessing the application, they immediately are aware of the status, challenges, and completion dates of a project.

"From a project management point of view, Netmosphere ActionPlan has increased our efficiency tenfold," said Whitehead. "This is extremely important. It translates into better communication for all participants and, most importantly, into faster, less expensive projects for our clients."

Peace of Mind

For Intrax, the Cisco and Netmosphere solution also has become a key marketing tool. With Netmosphere ActionPlan, clients are more confident that Intrax can deliver genuine, quantifiable business benefits quickly. Cisco hardware and software assures clients that their data will be transmitted quickly and securely. Sometimes, clients insist that Intrax run Netmosphere Action Plan over their own network. But, even then, the network typically is based on a Cisco platform.

"We show people a configuration sheet of our network," said Whitehead. "But most people already know that Cisco stands for quality. It's never a tough sell."

The solution also delivers peace of mind to Whitehead.

"The system really never goes down," he said. "The technology just works. It's as solid as a rock."

In the end, the Netmosphere and Cisco solution provides what technology should deliver: a way to enhance and grow a business through efficiency, enhanced communication, and a global reach.

"I never have to worry about the technology," concluded Whitehead. "When I don't have to worry about that, I can focus on the things that really matter, like revenue, growth, and profitability."