The shift towards outsourcing has increased rapidly in the last few years, and according to market research from Vanson Bourne, almost half of UK companies outsource parts of their IT department.

The key to doing this successfully is to select carefully which parts of the business should be outsourced, and to choose a company that will fit in with the organisation as a friendly partner.

Owens Corning understood these subtleties, so selected the specific challenges of supporting its technology and users, which are both distributed across the globe, when it agreed a selective outsourcing contract with Computacenter. This partnership allows Owens Corning to tap into the most up to date knowledge, and enjoy an extremely proactive support service, thus helping to reduce the cost of its infrastructure operations, while retaining total control over its IT destiny.

Manufacturers, engineers and designers across the world owe a great deal to glass fibre. Without its invention, today's cars, computers, tennis rackets, bridges and pipes would all be missing vital components. Since discovering glass fibre in the 1930s, Owens Corning has become the world's leading producer of glass fibre composites. It has also successfully diversified into the home building market, offering a range of roofing, glazing and insulation products.

Owens Corning employs more than 19,000 people in research, sales and manufacturing in its US headquarters and regional sites around the world. Like many other companies, Owens Corning uses a complex mix of technology to provide the cost-effective, efficient business systems it needs to operate on a global scale. All this technology, however, requires an equally complicated support function if it is to meet the demands of Owens Corning staff based in different time zones, using a range of languages.

The benefits of outsourcing international IT support has long been recognised by Owens Corning, as Mark Ashcroft, International Global Technology Leader for the company, explains: "Providing a multi-lingual helpdesk internally is just not a cost-effective option, especially when it comes to finding the right staff. By handing over the support function to an external provider, our IT team can concentrate on core competencies such as identifying and deploying technology solutions that improve Owens Corning's business processes and customer satisfaction."

A helping hand

In the Owens Corning model, first line support falls on the shoulders of the team at Computacenter's International Support Centre. For more than three years, the centre has been providing a multi-lingual helpdesk for Owens Corning staff based around the world, from Australia to Korea and Brazil to Belgium. To ensure the support is truly international, staff at the centre speak a range of languages, including French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean, and operate a shift pattern to match the relevant time zones. Computacenter's ability to provide a global service is further enhanced by its links with the Computacenter International (CCI) network.

Founded in 1989, CCI brings together IT service providers in 53 countries. By working with the CCI partners, Computacenter – a founding member – can draw on additional resources to respond to support and supply requests.

The majority of support queries, however, are dealt with remotely by the support team, as Martin Bee, Computacenter’s International Operations Manager, explains: "If staff lose their Internet connection or can't send mail, then we are the first point of contact, except for those users in North America. By using remote fixing tools and our extensive knowledge of Owens Corning’s environment, we are able to identify and resolve 80% of problems on standard hardware and software at the first call.” The support team receive queries by phone, email and the web across a range of technologies, including Microsoft desktop applications, SAP R3, bespoke Owens Corning software, and network connectivity.

Putting across the right image

Providing helpdesk services, however, is just the tip of the iceberg for the International Support Centre. Owens Corning has also extended its outsourcing model to a range of other IT functions, as Mark explains: "Computacenter provides us with a suite of managed IT services. Asset management, procurement, hardware rollouts and deploying systems for new offices are all handled through the International Support Centre. It provides a single point of contact for our IT infrastructure needs outside of North America and is crucial to the business operations of Owens Corning."

Another key area of the centre's work concerns Owens Corning's corporate desktop image. "Every Owens Corning desktop is built to the same standards, giving staff the flexibility to work from different locations and making support and security a lot easier to manage," comments Mark. “The concept is designed to be simple, common and global, but there is still the need for image updates for certain countries. For example, our employees in Korea need an image with a desktop presentation in Korean and some country-specific applications.”

These images are developed from Owens Corning’s corporate build by Computacenter. They are adapted as new sites or new operating systems and applications are added to the company’s operations. “This method of standardisation prevents local offices and staff from installing hardware or software without approval,” comments Martin. “For example, if a site wants a new scanner, then they have to put the request through the International Support Centre, and we will then carry out the necessary tests before adding it to the local image.”

The proof is in the performance

All of Computacenter’s work with Owens Corning is subject to service level agreements, which are regularly monitored – and achieved. “Keeping track of an external provider’s performance is crucial when they are such an integral part of our IT function,” comments Mark. “I have every confidence in Computacenter’s team, they provide a personalised and expert service to our users. “Their ability to work with a network of suppliers through CCI is a definite bonus from our point of view.”

* Services vary in the different regions

 

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