Accenture Publishing Solutions 1
Transformational
Managed Network
Services
Accelerating your transformation
to an IP world.
The Challenge
Enterprises today are finding it increasingly
difficult to reconcile the demands that their
businesses are placing on network capacity and
performance with the commercial imperative of
rationalising investment and driving operational
efficiencies.
As businesses have continued to grow many have been forced to make incremental and non-strategic investments in their network. These investments have often resulted in complex and inefficient
infrastructures that are characterised by high fixed costs, limited scalability and an inability to effectively support IP based business applications. Additionally, many enterprises are finding it increasingly challenging to secure the required network resources and are diverting valuable focus away from managing their core business. Specifically, common challenges include:
Rising network and service management costs
Rising network operation and maintenance costs
Imminent infrastructure investment requirements
High fixed to variable cost ratio Rising service management costs
Multiple networks, technologies and third party contracts
Multiple voice and data networks with varying technologies and protocols
Complex network topology that has evolved over time – sometimes through mergers and acquisitions Multiple service provider contracts
providing limited term and volume discounts
Limited scalability and restricted functionality
Ageing technologies and designs with limited scalability
Inability to support IP based business applications
Sub-optimal network and service management performance
Lack of clear accountability for delivering an end-to-end service Lack of clear governance
mechanism for defining, managing and reporting the required quality of service (QoS) and service level agreements (SLAs)
Increasing battle for skilled resources
Skilled resources increasingly more difficult to find
Required skill profiles becoming more expensive
Increasing risk to the business
Natural disasters and power outages
Malicious security breaches Virus infections
Internal abuse or misuse of systems Fraudulent activity
The Solution
Accenture and BT jointly offer a Managed
Network Service (MNS) solution that can directly
address these issues. Our solution is built on
best-in-class network infrastructure and
management capabilities and can offer a
compelling and highly price-competitive service
that can improve performance at a lower cost.
The MNS solution is delivered as part of an outsourcing agreement under which Accenture and BT take management responsibility for, and potentially ownership of, your network infrastructure and transform it to an IP based platform.
We then continue to manage the day-to-day operations for the duration of the contract period, allowing you to focus on your core business.
Our solution incorporates new technology options such as Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), which delivers the fast switching capability of layer 2 technology with the flexibility and scalability
advantages of IP.
We can accommodate the specific needs of your business and can tailor the MNS solution to align with your requirements, for instance:
Where full IP-Telephony (IPT) is not economically viable we can deliver pragmatic partial Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions that can carry voice traffic over the WAN but utilise the existing PBX estate. Services from other network
providers can also be accommodated, yet we still provide end-to-end management of the environment. Using our proven programme management capabilities we can ensure the transition to your new infrastructure is seamless to the daily operations of your enterprise. The result is a converged IP network that can be integrated with Wireless LAN (WLAN) and mobile networks to deliver applications and solutions across multiple platforms and devices.
IP Xelerant
In order to fully understand how our MNS solution can deliver benefits to your business we have developed a six-week network diagnostic – IP Xelerant.
The objective of this diagnostic is to identify the technical, operational and commercial benefits of a Managed Network Service through a detailed study of the As-Is network and the business requirements. In particular, the diagnostic will provide: An assessment of the As-Is voice
and data networks
An assessment of the network requirements based on the needs of your enterprise
A To-Be network design based on converged IP voice and data technologies
Quantification of the business benefits associated with an Accenture/BT MNS solution
Our MNS solution involves a number of key elements:
Design and implementation of an Accenture/BT transformed managed IP network, including:
Transformation of the voice and data networks to a converged IP platform
Refresh of the voice and data network infrastructure to support the converged platform
Transition and transformation management to ensure a seamless migration
Transfer of network management responsibility to Accenture/BT, including:
Novation and consolidation of existing third party contracts
Ownership of the end-to-end service delivery for the As-Is voice and data networks
Operation of the To-Be network, including:
Day-to-day responsibility for service delivery and network management
Voice and data network service provision
Proactive voice and data network monitoring and management Hardware and software
maintenance and repair
Management and maintenance of remote access services (RAS), Internet access and security firewalls Management and maintenance of
Automatic Call Distributors (ACD)
Network capacity planning Service management including SLA
and QoS management Tier 2 and 3 Helpdesk with
dedicated support
Management and deployment of network Installations, Moves, Additions and Changes (IMACs) To deliver the solution, we can leverage our combined scale and alliances with leading equipment manufacturers such as Cisco. At the end of the contract period you choose to either extend the outsourcing relationship or take on the day-to-day operation of the new network yourself.
Key elements Outputs
IP Xelerant
• 6-8 week diagnostic
• Opportunity assessment to validate the potential benefits based on your usage/profiles and business benefits
• Baselined network usage profile • IP network transformation roadmap • Value realisation statement with key benefits
MNS
• 5+ year outsourcing contract
• Transformation of your network to an IP based future next generation infrastructure • Management of day-to-day operations with low-cost model and guaranteed quality
of service
• Transformed IP network
• Lower cost future-proof architecture • Proven managed service with guaranteed
delivery
Our MNS solution maximises the benefits
of convergence by providing an integrated
approach to network transformation,
For a typical large enterprise with high-volume internal traffic we can: Help reduce your total network
costs by between 15-40% by consolidating existing service provider contracts and transforming your network to the Accenture/BT converged IP network model Deliver back to you a next
generation IP platform with an exit cost that can be significantly lower than your projected base costs Transfer your current fixed cost
base to a more flexible variable profile with options for reducing (and eliminating) CAPEX
Deliver you enhanced network performance with guaranteed service levels
– Network availability of 99.95%* – Implementation of clear
performance/QoS metrics and SLAs – Formalised performance
reporting process and governance structure
– Provision of a single point of accountability for managing the end-to-end service
Help simplify your operating model by consolidating third party contracts and billing arrangements Bear the transformation risk on
your behalf – helping to reduce your exposure to commercial, delivery, security and performance risks, allowing you to focus on running your business
Provide you with a transformed network that positions you for advanced IP based business applications such as VoIP, IP video conferencing, unified messaging and telecommuting
*Dependent on the network design agreed with the client
The Benefits
The Accenture/BT MNS solution can provide
you with a converged managed network for a
fixed price that includes the infrastructure
required for transformation.
“This is an excellent illustration of where two enterprises have mutually compatible capabilities that can be combined to deliver real value to the marketplace."
(Mark Bryant, Chief Executive, Communications & High Tech Accenture UK and Ireland)
“Our alliance is based on a very successful relationship that has evolved over many years, and reflects both the ambition and intent of our enterprises to succeed in this market." (Andy Green, Chief Executive, BT Global Services)
Highly price-competitive solutions
By successfully winning a number of MNS agreements we have
demonstrated that our solution is highly price-competitive in the market. Our combined scale and our relationships with hardware and software manufacturers allow our clients to benefit from a number of procurement based advantages. Furthermore, we are committed to carrying out ongoing price reviews to ensure we continue to deliver competitive, high performance solutions.
Best-in-class capabilities combined
Accenture is a leading provider of Business Change and Business Process Outsourcing services, and BT is a leading provider of network and infrastructure services.
Accenture has been delivering high-value, long-term outsourcing services for more than 13 years. By leveraging functional experience and industry knowledge, Accenture has helped
transform many clients’ non-core business processes into sources of competitive advantage across multiple sectors. As an indicator of success, almost 20,000 Accenture employees now work in outsourcing, serving 450 clients across 21 industries and 34 countries. BT has been providing network and infrastructure solutions to large enterprises for 17 years, working with 80% of the FTSE 100. BT has the most extensive network coverage in the UK and is the leading provider of Wide Area Network (WAN) and IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions, with 24% market share.
Guaranteeing results
Accenture and BT have established an alliance to
deliver outsourcing solutions to our clients. This
alliance has full board level support and is
underpinned by a joint executive committee and
a sales and solution team focused on delivering
compelling managed network solutions.
Accenture and BT are currently working together to jointly deliver a transformed Managed Network Service for Sainsbury’s. As part of a broader IT and network transformation programme, Accenture and BT transformed the existing legacy WAN and LAN networks in 2002 to create the largest MPLS platform in the UK. This network covers over 700 sites, including 535 stores, 238 petrol filling stations, 5 regional offices, 2 data centres and 50 depots.
Accenture and BT continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the data platform, including network monitoring, management and maintenance.
The provision of data services is absolutely critical to the daily operations of the Sainsbury’s business and supports a real-time supply chain management system, a credit card authorisation system, and on-site ATMs. Accenture and BT worked together to deliver the refreshed
WAN in only three months, whilst ensuring that the programme was seamless to the daily operations of the business.
We are currently in the design phase of a WLAN (Wireless LAN) solution for stores that will be used to support real-time updates to the supply chain management system via mobile barcode scanners and printers. This will create a fully converged mobile and fixed IP platform capable of supporting IP applications across the business.
“This has been a tremendous example of what can be achieved when people work in a partnership to achieve a goal” (Sainsbury’s Project Manager)
Real credentials
Accenture and BT have a proven track record of
delivering Managed Network Solutions. We have
worked both individually and together to help
deliver compelling propositions that can deliver
sustainable value to our clients.
“Together, Accenture and BT can deliver compelling end-to-end solutions that leverage our individual best-in-class capabilities to help deliver sustainable business benefit.” (Pierre Danon,
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills, and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With approximately 90,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$11.8 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2003. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
About BT
BT is a UK wide communications solution provider with a global reach in the business market. It has a customer base that includes 700,000 homeworkers, 845,000 SMEs, 5,500 corporates and 80% of the FTSE 100. With over 104,000 employees, BT generated net revenues of £20.2 billion for the fiscal year ended Mar. 31, 2004. Its homepage is www.bt.com.
Copyright © 2004 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
Copryight ©
British Telecommunications plc 2004. All rights reserved.
BT and the BT logo are trademarks of British Telecommunications plc.
