By choosing DX Spectrum, the client saved $1 million in renewal fees from their outdated solution. The implementation, managed by HCLTech's former CA services and consulting team, involved a swift and efficient two-phase deployment. This upgrade modernized their monitoring platform ensuring reliable electricity for over 15 million people in a large western US state.
About the Client
The client provides more than 15 million people with electricity as the primary electric utility company of a large western US state. It is one of the largest subsidiaries of a public utilities holding company and has two separate operations groups: a global services operations center (GSOC) and a telecom control center (TCC).
The Challenge
Inefficiencies in customer-facing processes
Providing 15 million people with electricity is a challenge when reliability rests on aging infrastructure managed by its inefficient and fragmented monitoring platform and command center. The client chose DX Spectrum – then known as CA Spectrum – as the primary manager-of-managers for the GSOC and TCC. The client had limited experience working in an Agile fashion and so entrusted the two-phase implementation to the former CA services and consulting team now at HCLTech.
The Solution
Client embraces Agile in GSOC to CA Spectrum transition
Phase 1: Introducing Agile
A positive experience during the first phase was essential with a client with limited agile exposure. Beyond converting the GSOC to CA Spectrum and CA Performance Management, the client also adjusted to a shift in mindset and culture with increased exposure to the agile methodology. The scrum master set a standard of demonstrating the team's progress in two- to three-week increments, and the client's positive experience in phase one set the stage for the client to be open to using the agile methodology in the second phase.
Phase 2: Expanding adoption
The client and HCLTech experts continued the momentum into Phase 2. This phase included expanding the solutions to the TCC, and the consulting team used Rally (Agile Central). The phase started with a big board planning session to identify stakeholders and define essential features, sprint cycles and key milestones.
- Monitor 7,500 additional devices, including telecom devices that manage the client's electrical grids and the infrastructure systems, networks and hardware that support them.
- The transition from the existing solution to DX Spectrum for infrastructure monitoring and fault management took just over four months, thus allowing the client to cancel the contract for their existing solution. The transition required analyzing existing solution configurations for probes, alarms, event enrichment and view filters and implementing equivalent configurations in DX Spectrum.
- Integration with TL1-based devices for polling and alarms for optical equipment.
Since the client hadn't yet licensed Rally, the consulting team didn't initially share the workspace with them. However, as is common with agile deployments, the services and consulting team eventually created a new shared workspace where the client lead could accept work activity and monitor progress. The shared workspace helped support the sprint cadence of the agile delivery, which called for three-week sprints and releases over 7 1/2 months.
The Outcome
Infrastructure update saves $1M in renewal fees
The team updated the client's aging infrastructure. It delivered a simplified monitoring platform so that the client's grid and telecommunication services operate at a peak level, thus avoiding faults that could cause a service degradation or outage.
The transition from DX Spectrum in just 4 1/2 months saved the client more than $1 million in renewal fees.”
Portfolios migrated — approximately 5,000 devices — including Telenium (Nokia SONET, Coriant DACS), all DPS Telecom T/Mon units (JungleMUX, Pulsar, RFL), Microsemi BITS and Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Because the agile methodology was brand new to the client, accrued ROI down the road will be significant. The company's entire team continued toward maturing this new skill set.
The combined team recently celebrated its success over dinner. One Solution Strategist said, "[The client] commented that the implementation of IBM Netcool took 18 months. With just six months remaining until the IBM renewal.
The agile methodology was the only viable approach to success in such a short timeframe — and succeed we did.”
What’s Next
Project finished under budget, client invests in training
The services and consulting team completed the second phase with 200 budgeted labor pool hours remaining. The client planned to continue following an Agile approach to work through the backlog, integrating DX Spectrum with MetaSolv and BMC Remedy ticketing.
Also, top of mind with the client was investing in education to increase the competency of their in-house talent. Having completed the implementation of DX Spectrum and Performance Management, the client worked through the delivery and integration of Network Flow Analysis and Mediation Manager. Most of the client's team took the formal education courses, and the adoption rate was high in both operations centers. A TCC team member even demoed the new solution set to the client's CIO and his peers.
