Align helps some of the
world's leading firms relocate, integrate, manage and empower their technologies. Our clients
turn to us to provide solutions to today's
most challenging information technology
projects while keeping an eye on growth
for tomorrow. We invite you to learn more about our recent project successes below.
Featured Project - January 2009: Leading Healthcare Solutions Company Turns to Align for Contact Center Expertise
Project Summary: Tight timeframes challenged Align's team to complete an integration project on time & on budget.
Align’s client – a leading health solutions provider - challenged the Align Contact Center Team to integrate & deploy a multi-vendor telephony solution to several locations throughout the enterprise. They were preparing to implement several new...<more>
technologies, including a core IP telephony platform, sophisticated multi-channel contact center routing and reporting, Interactive Voice Response applications, and a completely new carrier infrastructure to direct customer calls to the new environment.
Align was selected as the solutions integrator and project manager, with overall accountability for the success of the project. Due to immediate business requirements, the timeframes were extremely tight. Making disparate vendor systems work together to provide an end-to-end solution for the client was an enormous challenge, especially within these timeframes.
In order to achieve success, the Align team worked hand-in-hand with our client’s talented and dedicated group of IT professionals. Together, we were able to manage five vendor organizations, each with their own areas of responsibility, and focus them on the higher objective of achieving an integrated solution. The design, configuration, and implementation phases were intense, requiring long hours and cohesive teamwork.
Prior to launching the systems into production, detailed testing was conducted in lab environments to minimize risk and disruption to the business when the systems went live. This process included six layers of testing:
1. Component testing of each vendor’s environment at the physical layer
2. Integrated testing at a physical layer
3. Component testing at a call flow level
4. Integrated testing at a call flow level
5. Stress testing of the integrated environment at the call flow level
6. User acceptance testing
Migration plans were derived to move the client from the current telephony environment to the new environment, including moving the toll-free numbers. Cutover plans, as well as cutover support details, were provided.
At the end of the day, the intricacy of the solution did continue to provide challenges; however, the dedication, cohesiveness, and commitment to success of the project team enabled us to overcome these challenges, and deploy a solution that will position the client to enhance their customer’s experience going forward.
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Client: International
Financial Services Firm
Project Summary: Build-out
of a 650 positions Equity Trading floor
Align currently acts as senior project
manager for this project. Advanced planning
(Head Count, Space Planning, Trade desk
mock up) is taking place, concurrent with
architectural, engineering and construction
management. Next steps include project...<more>
management of LAN Rooms, network design,
cable plant and distributed systems, market
data services, voice services (turrets)
and trading personnel moves. The project
is fast-tracked, and scheduled to be completed
in just under seven months.
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Client: International
Financial Services Firm
Project Summary: Implementation
of new voice systems
The client sought to implement new voice
systems to better position the firm and
offer enhanced services to its callers.
This initiative focused on the call center
applications - shareholder services, institutional,
and broker dealer. This project included...<more>
developing and documenting the cut-over
strategy, coordinating all vendor and carrier
cut-over activities, providing detailed
documentation of the call center design,
developing the training agenda and materials
for call center supervisors and agents,
and providing post-cut-over support for
agents and management.
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Client: International
Corporation
Project Summary: Relocation
of 2,000 locations, OS upgrade and call
center implementation
Align assisted this firm
with a number of technology projects in
New York and internationally. Align relocated
2,000 trading & support positions from
three locations into the client's New York
headquarters at 11 Madison Avenue. We also...<more>
served as the lead technology consultant
on their worldwide Microsoft operating
systems upgrade project. Align coordinated
and managed the implementation of the firm's
new Employee Information Operation Call
Center, including a sophisticated skills-based
routing application, network routing schemes,
computer telephony integration software
and a contact management system.
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Client: International
Financial Services Firm
Project Summary: Ongoing
technology relocation services
Since 1995 Align has assisted
this client with technology relocation
services for three New York sites affecting
3,500 personnel. Recent projects include
the build-out of new midtown headquarters,
the moving of Institutional Equities and
Investment Banking...<more>
Groups in its Boston
offices, as well as the restructuring and
relocation of the Corporate Leverage Finance
Group in New York. Align also assisted
with the build-out and move coordination
of two floors at World Financial Center
in New York City. Align's ongoing responsibility
includes close interaction with the service
center (help desk) to filter all Move,
Add and Change (MAC) requests.
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Client: International
Corporation
Project Summary: Complete
technology services
Align is serving as the
lead technology project manager for the
relocation of this client's corporate facilities.
Align staffed all technology disciplines,
including infrastructure design, PBX and
trading turret design and configuration,
market data service...<more>
and LAN/WAN design
and implementation. Align also managed
the design and relocation for 100 trading
positions and 300 general office positions.
In addition to planning the facilities
and technology relocations, Align is providing
cabling and connectivity infrastructure
design and implementation support.
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Client: International
Financial Services Corporation
Project Summary: Complete
technology services
Align managed the design
and relocation for 400 trading positions
and 150 general office positions. Align
also conducted the technology equipment
room design and implementation. Our consulting
disciplines included the following...<more>
: infrastructure,
turret, telephone, carriers, voice recording,
LAN/WAN/systems, market data, international
network, external client network and database
management. During the infrastructure layout
of the two-floor facility, the client relied
on Align's design skills for its copper,
fiber and coaxial requirements. Concurrent
to the trading floor relocation, Align
also inventoried and consolidated communications
circuits from two sites in two states to
one location.
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Client: International
Corporation
Project Summary: Ongoing technology consulting
Over the past 8 years, Align has managed
various technology projects for this client.
Highlights include: the relocation of 600
users and more than 2500 pieces of equipment
into their new world headquarters; project
management of their interface...<more>
infrastructure
and technology upgrade of their entire
back office facility; and the design and
project management of an expansion and
build-out of their main communications
rooms and data centers on the US east coast.
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Client: International
Financial Services Firm
Project Summary: Infrastructure
design and project management
Align provided the complete building and
trading floor infrastructure design and
project management of their 10 floor headquarters
in NYC. The scope of work included cable
and data center designs, coordination of
telco facilities, managing PBX...<more>
and turret
installations and coordinating other related
vendors. Align also handled this client's
move to a four-story building in Wilmington,
Delaware.
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Client: International
Corporation
Project Summary: Infrastructure
design and project management
Align performed the infrastructure design
and project management for their co-hosting
facility in New Jersey. The facility includes
two 7,500-sq. ft. technology equipment
rooms housing approximately 300 cabinets
per room.
Client: Leading Energy
Trader
Project Summary: Storage
solution, infrastructure design and project
management
Align managed the infrastructure and equipment
room design while relocating 82 trading
positions and 100 executive and administrative
staff. Align also provided the network
infrastructure design and implementation,
server deployment...<more>
and the implementation
of an EMC storage area network.
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