Overview

When an innovative pharmaceutical company outgrew its existing managed service provider (MSP), the incoming CIO called upon Astadia to step in and take his organization to the next level. As a rapid growth company, this client had engaged a local MSP to manage key IT functions such as network configuration and monitoring, security, provisioning, and support. But like many small providers, their existing MSP was unable to keep up with the company’s growth.

Astadia offered a scalable team of experts to help this growing pharmaceutical company move to the next stage of its evolution as an organization.

The Challenge

When the new CIO arrived at this growing pharmaceutical firm, he immediately identified some problems with the way the IT systems were being managed. The local MSP that was managing the company’s network and systems support could not keep up with their core responsibilities. Like many MSPs, they were geared toward companies with up to 100 employees.

But as this innovative pharma company grew, their service provider was unable to keep pace. The MSP had not been able to fully implement a new IT System Management (ITSM) platform. They were often late in applying patches to the company’s servers, which left the firm exposed to potential security threats. The MSP was understaffed, so their support desk service was simply inadequate.

The company’s CIO understood that he needed a larger more capable organization to provide these critical IT management services. He knew that small MSPs would likely suffer the same problems as his current provider, yet he did not want to work with a massive systems integrator who was unlikely to prioritize his company’s needs.

The CIO had worked with Astadia at his previous company, so he already knew they were the right fit. Large enough to have a global reach, Astadia nevertheless had a highly customer-centric approach to working with clients of all sizes. Their collaborative, flexible approach had proven invaluable at the CIO’s prior employer, so one of the first calls he made after assessing the situation was to his contacts at Astadia.

The Solution

The new CIO challenged Astadia to step in and establish sustainable, scalable systems and processes in just 60 days. Astadia assigned a dedicated engagement manager to handle discovery, project management, and rollout. They rapidly came to understand the client’s unique needs, including FDA compliance requirements that are vital to the success of a growing pharmaceutical company.

A critical element of this transition included the rollout of a new ITSM platform with expanded capabilities. While the previous MSP had been focused on IT ticketing, Astadia understood the broader capabilities of ITSM, including incident management, network monitoring, problem management, security, change management, asset management, and knowledge management. Astadia’s approach included Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) foundational processes for standardizing the selection, planning, delivery, maintenance and lifecycle of IT services for the business.

Results

This small pharma company was growing very rapidly. In the early stages of Astadia’s engagement with the company, the firm expanded their footprint to include a new building. The expansion required new cabling, new hardware, and expanded systems. As a collaborative partner in the company’s success, Astadia made valuable contributions to the planning and rollout of those new systems and capabilities.

Astadia was also able to leverage their expertise in GxP compliance standards, based on their work with other companies in life sciences and FDA-regulated industries.

The overall impact of Astadia’s presence at the pharmaceutical firm has been to stabilize and improve IT functions holistically. Rather than simply providing desktop and network support, they have served as a trusted advisor and collaborative partner in the company’s growth and success. Astadia has brought innovations and efficiencies to bear, which is further contributing to the firm’s capacity for rapid expansion.

Learn more about Astadia’s managed services solution.

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