mobilcom Communicationstechnik GmbH

Story Details

In 2003, mobilcom was facing a major system update to its outsourced J.D. Edwards OneWorld system, which would entail significant costs. The company instead decided to switch to SAP, in part because the software provider offers a solution tailored to the needs of telecommunication companies. mobilcom saw the move as an opportunity to revisit the decision to outsource, so it requested proposals from three vendors for implementing an in-house solution.

The proposal from Sun was a clear winner over the others. Sun had a detailed plan for training and certifying mobilcom's staff to take over their SAP system within six months. Sun Managed Services would provide operational support until mobilcom's staff was ready. The Sun proposal convinced mobilcom to bring its SAP solution in-house.

Working to mobilcom's aggressive schedule, Sun Managed Services built the entire SAP infrastructure in only four weeks. This involved implementing a SAN environment, installing Sun Fire servers and a Sun StorEdge storage system, and successfully migrating data from outsourced systems. Sun experts also installed Sun N1 Advanced Architecture for SAP tools to optimize system performance through service level reports on performance and availability.

For the first six months of operation, a Sun Managed Services team administered basic system operations and offered solutions for other concerns, such as archiving needs. Simultaneously, Sun conducted SAP workshops with theoretical and hands-on training courses to help mobilcom personnel master the system's complexity. Sun's expertise allowed mobilcom employees to achieve SAP certification in only six months. After a month-long transition, during which time the mobilcom team demonstrated its ability to manage the system independently, mobilcom achieved complete in-house system administration. With a well-trained, internal staff at the controls, mobilcom has minimized administration time and saved money by eliminating outsourcing expenses. The SAP system also improves productivity, currently delivering response times under 400 milliseconds.