General20.01.2012

Marval SA helps Unitrans improve IT service delivery, achieve ITIL compliance

Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions specialises in the design, implementation and operation of supply chain and logistics solutions, and with a centralised internal IT service desk servicing 160 offices with more than 1500 computers, IT Service Management (ITSM) is an important aspect of the business.
 
The company’s legacy ITSM solution was out dated and was failing to deliver on the required functionality, the support contract had expired and the product had reached end of life. However, Unitrans still required a solution to help the IT team manage service calls and to provide support for ITIL compliance, and they turned to Marval South Africa to provide the solution.

“Our old system was not compliant with ITIL guidelines, the support contract was ending and we were unable to maintain it ourselves. We needed a purely email based ticket logging and service desk system that was ITIL compliant, since we have completed aspects of ITIL training and as a growing company we need to adhere to best practice. However, we needed a solution that not only offered world-class functionality but is also fast and user friendly for all parties involved,” says Mark McDonald, Sys Admin Manager at Unitrans.

“After conducting demonstrations and proof of concept with four large service desk solution companies, we selected the Marval MSM Essential tool from Marval South Africa. Marval was the only solution that offered a dedicated service management software package, whereas other vendors simply included this as a small part of their offering, and we received excellent service from Marval South Africa right from the outset,” he adds.

MSM Essential is a web-based service and helpdesk solution that is part of the MSM Suite of products, which are ITIL, ISO/IEC 20000 compliant. The solution provides easy call management for more reliable IT and service infrastructure, increased productivity and adaptability in service provision, is fully scalable and easily upgradeable, helping IT service organisations to keep up to date with changing business needs.
 
Marval is one of the few ITSM solution providers of integrated ITSM software, consultancy, education, accredited ITIL/ ISO/IEC 20000 and ITSM training; combined with a proven track record of delivering successful software solutions and service improvement programmes and is accredited against the worldwide standard for IT Service Management – ISO/IEC 20000.

“This solution will assist Unitrans on its growth path towards adopting best practices as outlined by ITIL. As an entry-level tool it provides an initial footprint that then enables the company to implement other tools and processes to further improve services and align practices with ITIL in future,” says Edward Carbutt, Executive Director at Marval South Africa.

“Delivering a solution that meets the needs of the organisation is very important to us, so we ensured that we began the project by fully understanding Unitrans’ requirements. We started with a clear plan outlining deliverables, dates and defined responsibilities and made certain that terminologies were accurately defined. We also implemented a prototype system for testing purposes, which was then copied onto a live system, and provided extensive training for skills transfer. Unitrans is now able to do much of the reporting and maintenance on their own, without complete dependence on Marval South Africa, and will only need to call us for assistance on larger issues,” he adds.

The Marval MSM Essential implementation went live on 1 September 2011 and after some initial teething problems has been running smoothly since. Unitrans will now benefit from an ITIL compliant system that gives the IT service department a more professional image within the organisation and with its customers. It also enables IT staff to manage their workload more intuitively, improving both productivity and customer service.

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