Alloy Software Serves Leo Burnett’s Growth

The Solution

Alloy Navigator

Benefits realized

• Flexible and scalable system to manage company growth and the fast pace of their activities
• Leveraging a multi-level ticketing process to support their unique service demands
• Workflow automation that streamlines service support by automatically routing tickets
• Providing compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
• Empowering end-users and enhancing satisfaction with a web-based Self-Service Portal and Knowledge Base

Implementation

When Aboukhater first began his association with Leo Burnett Dubai, the company had been growing steadily year after year. However, despite this continual growth, there was no ITSM and ITAM tools in place — that is, until Aboukhater discovered Alloy Navigator –  IT Service Management and IT Asset Management  solution from Alloy Software on the web.

Over the years, he continued to upgrade all the way to Asset Navigator V4.5. In the process, he identified two new pressing requirements:

• The ability to  audit networked Mac workstations and laptops, since these are used heavily in the advertising field
• To implement a fully integrated solution that would help LBG handle their staggering growth rate

When Aboukhater contacted Alloy about these issues, Alloy responded in kind about its impending Alloy Navigator solution. When Alloy released a new version of Alloy Navigator, Aboukhater immediately upgraded. “New Version would answer all my questions,” he states.

After installing Alloy Navigator, they created a new blank database, then used the Active Directory Import tool to automatically import persons from the Active Directory. Next, they used the Network Inventory module to automatically audit all hardware and software assets on the network and populate the new production database with all of their infrastructure assets. Aboukhater tested the new system for about three to four weeks before officially implementing it. “All in all,” he reports, “it’s been a good experience.”

Favorite Features

“Alloy Navigator has tons of features,” Aboukhater states, “and we’re not even scratching the surface yet.” These features include the Library, Reports, and Business Logic. About the Business Logic function, Aboukhater says, “I’ve done some rules, and I can see the potential for supporting specific applications.”

For example, emails can be sent to a specific mailbox, then be automatically converted into support tickets, and then be automatically assigned to a specific technician group.

He says, “This is really, really powerful, and I like the way it works.”

One element of Alloy Navigator that Aboukhater truly appreciates is the design of its user interface. He says, “What I really like about your software is how intuitive it is, and how simple it is to use. It has a lot of functionality in a very elegant way. Alloy Navigator has one of the best user interfaces I have ever seen.” He adds, “It’s really simple, and doesn’t require a lot of training and reading to use the product.”

Streamlining More Processes

Several other service-related processes that Aboukhater says have benefited from their implementation of Alloy Navigator include:

• Change Management – Using Alloy Navigator’s Change Request tickets to officially authorize changes to their infrastructure
• Knowledge Management – Using the Knowledge Base to publish “how-to” articles that can answer end-users’ questions about such common applications as Word and Excel
• Facilities Management – Including setting up phones and other tasks relevant to a constantly changing work environment

Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance

Leo Burnett Dubai is also using Alloy Navigator to help ensure its compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, known informally as “SOX.”

One of the major provisions of SOX is that public corporations furnish independent annual reports to verify to auditors that internal control and structure exists for ensuring accurate financial reporting.

IT has a major role in these internal controls, since financial reporting is driven by IT systems.

Aboukhater states, “We need it for SOX compliance. It’s a great tool to keep track of everything. SOX mandates a lot of things, makes you responsible for things. SOX compliance puts a lot of pressure on IT for compliance. There are lots of controls and procedures, and we need to prove authorization. The tracking in Alloy Navigator is excellent. Whenever you need to prove these things, the Alloy Navigator requests and Work Orders are a big help.”

He continues, “SOX mandates that you should be able to prove what you say you’re doing.” Aboukhater cites the hiring of new employees to illustrate a specific example: Whenever a new employee is hired, a representative from their Human Resources department submits a request to the IT department that a new person is coming on board. To submit their requests, Aboukhater provides all LBG end-users with the option to use any one of three support channels:

• Phone
• Self-Service Portal
• Email (sent to a Help Desk account and automatically converted to Incident tickets)

Once the IT department receives this request, they’ll create a new network account for this person. Their Active Directory is synchronized with Alloy Navigator’s database; that is, whenever the Active Directory Import tool is run by Alloy Navigator’s Automation Server, a new user account for this person will automatically be created in the database.

If 90 new employees were hired in a given year, according to Aboukhater, the SOX auditor would want to see documentation about all these new hires.

In this case, he can go right back to the Alloy Navigator database and show the initial requests to order and install new computer systems for these new employees.

He can also use the activity logs in Incident and Work Order tickets to easily demonstrate an accurate trail of all the tasks related to getting new employees up and running.