An IT process focused tool to manage IT for 400 stores
The IT department of our client manages the IT of 400 stores, as well as multiple sites dedicated to the supply chain (factories, packaging platforms, transport, etc). In this regard, the supervision of equipment is highly strategic and the ITSM software is even more so.
“We need complete visibility of all the equipment in our perimeter and the links between them (computers located in the shelves, scales for cheese cuts, network components, wifi terminals, telephony, inverters, etc.).
We have been using the leading US ITSM solution for years, but decided to change because we did not agree with the strategic direction of the editor: the software turned into a big tool box that was huge compared to our needs. In addition, we were not in control of the regular version upgrades dictated by the editor,” explains the the client’s iTop administrator.
Open sourcing to gain autonomy
The choice of iTop to replace the IT team’s ITSM was partially driven by the open sourcing of the solution. “Open source was an evidence for us to keep a maximum of autonomy: by accessing the source code, we can ensure that we have good knowledge and control of how the application works. The philosophy fits us well: it’s an approach based on sharing and interacting. Community interactions create emulsion,” adds the client’s iTop administrator.
The change of ITSM software in two months
A significant constraint impacted the project of changing the ITSM software: the end of the year expiration of the contract for the software used only two months following the decision to change the ITSM tool.
“Migrating our entire ITSM in less than two months while ensuring the continuity of services… it was a bold challenge! Thankfully, iTop offered us the flexibility we needed to meet the challenge. I still believe that we could not have done it with any other tool!
Combodo has accompanied us in the customization of iTop. The “To Do List” of the project has been evolving: to remain agile and to make sure we have an operational solution at the planned deadline, we reviewed our priorities every week. At the expected time, we migrated to iTop overnight, recovering all our data (knowledge base, open tickets, etc.). Everything was very simple for the users”, explains the iTop administrator.
The client’s IT team mainly uses iTop for ticketing (requests and incidents) and for the CMDB. It is today considered as a repository in which all the items that compose the IS, as well as their interdependencies, are documented.
A great win for iTop !
The migration of the ITSM to iTop has generated a real buzz internally, with concrete benefits at the end of the day.
“The iTop tool is much easier to use and allows many interactions between the CMDB and other tools, explains the iTop administrator. “The software is hosted on our site (On Premise) so we can deploy application layers and access the database at any time. The customization options are highly appreciated by the team: the ITSM Designer lets us develop functionalities without programming (No Code).
“The team and user adoption has been a real success! In the past, the IT teams made very little use of the CMDB of the old tool. Thanks to iTop, the CMDB is much better documented and controlled which ensures better user adherence,” adds the iTop administrator.
Furthermore, iTop provides the customer’s IT team with better visibility on its activities and the entire information system. “We lose a lot less time in IT management, especially since iTop allows interconnections with other tools, which help us to gain efficiency on a daily basis (managing incidents, finding machines easily, etc.)
