Automobile Manufacturer Gets More Responsive Software Support

Customer Profile

As a household name and provider of reliable vehicles, the global automobile manufacturer is one of the largest in the world in its sector. It has a workforce of over 350,000 employees and operates in over two dozen countries.

Industry

Automotive

Location

Global

Products

EOS Products

Company Size

Large

The Problem

End of Support Products Drives Automotive Manufacturer Decision to Search for Better Support

The global automobile manufacturer, which has been a mainstay in its industry for decades, has an IBM estate to match its size. Its sprawling technology stack largely operated on legacy IBM software, which posed a problem for the business.

The company wasn’t getting the level of support it needed or was even paying for. Because some of the software versions it ran were classed as legacy by the vendor, the applications were effective unsupportable – despite the fact the business was paying for support.

The cost of the contract was prohibitive considering the quality of service the automobile manufacturer was receiving and the fact that it was simply maintaining much of its software.

With an eye on receiving better and more responsive support, the company set out in search of a third-party software support provider.

“When we first had calls with Origina, it became clear that the support level we would be able to get from them would be much higher than what we get from IBM.”

The Solution

Global Automobile Manufacturer Nets More Responsive Support for its IBM Software.

After vetting various options, the automobile manufacturer decided to work with Origina. Technical discussions leading up to the decision were able to showcase the expertise of Origina’s independent Global IBM® Experts (GIEs) and its bespoke service was a perfect match for what the company was looking for.

A critical aspect of the switch was Origina’s experience with established IBM software products. Where IBM wouldn’t accept tickets for End of Support (EOS) products, Origina’s GIEs and support team were able to give them answers to questions and provide solutions that were unique to the automobile’s digital estate.

Ultimately, it was a step up in the quality of service the business had received from the original vendor due to its access to GIEs and their ranging expertise. This provided a tangible return on investment for the cost of its software support.

The Result

The biggest impact the global automobile manufacturer found in switching to Origina was the level of software support it received. Its dedicated GIEs were responsive to all their issues – whether the software was established or not – and quickly responded and resolved tickets.

With knowledgeable experts in place, the company was able to continue to maintain the version of its IBM software and still get the same level of performance it required, thereby extending the lifecycle of those products.

Throughout all of this, the business was able to save on software support by managing their technical debt. The financial savings were injected back into the budget as the need for upgrades or similar projects were now resolved given the responsive software support the automobile manufacturer was getting with Origina.

"This service is 100% better than what you get from IBM. With IBM you just get the standard answer. With Origina they understand the customizations we have made to each product."