With a strong regional presence and a focus on service excellence, the Swiss team implemented a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) based on iTop to enhance operational efficiency and ensure consistent service quality.
Thierry Prudat, Technical Manager at NorthC Schweiz AG, shares insights into the implementation process and how the new system helps streamline technical field operations and support processes.
Historically, NorthC stored technical data in Excel files. The information was not always kept up to date, and there were a lot of duplicates across the different tables… “We needed a real CMDB-type database to centralize our information and make it more reliable,” explains Thierry Prudat, Technical Manager at NorthC. Switzerland.
The company had identified several CMDB software packages on the market that were able to meet certain needs, but none were comprehensive enough to accommodate all of its specific requirements. “As a provider of interconnection services, we operate in a complex environment. We manage over 1,500 pieces of equipment, spread over different networks (our own, those of our customers, the Internet backbone, etc.) So we needed a CMDB tool that was both very advanced and, above all, customizable to address challenges on the ground.”
“When it comes to functionality and efficiency, iTop clearly stands out – we knew right away it was the perfect fit for us. Not only because iTop offers a wealth of customization possibilities, but also because it’s an open source solution.”
In fact, the solution’s editor, Combodo, offers support and training to help you deploy the tool yourself. “In other words, with iTop, we’re not limited to standard features: we knew we could customize new ones and rely on the community to drive the product forward.
ITop’s Designer tool is impressive: it makes it very easy to model technical equipment and its impacts, which are then automatically taken into account in ITSM processes (for example, in the event of a change or incident ticket). Without a CMDB, we were wasting a lot of time looking for the components concerned, in order to be able to carry out operations on them. Now everything is connected! The tool has become central to our business.”
NorthC Switzerland asked Combodo to adapt its iTop CMDB to specific requirements of its profession. “First of all, we integrated the notion of “POP” (Point Of Presence). These are specific terminal points on the equipment we administer (for example, port 1 on router ABC). iTop tells us which POP the customer’s equipment is connected to. ITop’s impact analysis feature enables us to see which of a customer’s services are impacted by changes or incidents on the POP, or further upstream on the backbone. We are proactive with regard to our customers.”
NorthC Switzerland has also added the concept of “Service Access Point” (delivery point) to its CMDB. “When a customer has five access points with NorthC Switzerland, they only subscribe to one interconnection service (which is available in five different locations). With iTop, we were able to link the service subscription to a specific delivery point for the customer. It saves time for everyone!”
Although the NorthC Group uses ServiceNow, iTop is still the tool of reference in Switzerland for connectivity services. “Integrations have been developed between iTop and ServiceNow, particularly to synchronize incident and status data,” explains Thierry. A dedicated customer portal, which is part of ServiceNow but powered by iTop, enables customers to monitor their equipment.
Several modules were added as needs arose: supplier management with almost 600 contracts, change management with automatic customer notification, IPAM and DNS modules, as well as intensive use of User Requests to manage in-house projects.
On the infrastructure side, the Cable Management module can now manage over 3,000 racks, 1,300 patch panels and 18,000 ports, all of which are modeled and accessible via the customer portal. A graphic view per rack, available only to in-house staff, facilitates physical equipment management.
NorthC Switzerland has future plans to use iTop as a central repository to further automate its technical operations.
