Outsourced Case Study / LBHI >
As part of a major restructuring, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. (LBHI) required a new flexible, scalable, and cost-effective global network infrastructure to support its changing technology needs.
Six of the top technology-outsourcing firms were chosen to submit proposals, but only Align’s innovative approach won the engagement. Align’s evaluation and strategic planning process resulted in a unique and flexible solution enabling LBHI to “rent” its technology infrastructure on a monthly basis and bypass the need for upfront capital. Our IT project-management, integration, and managed-services expertise delivered a complete solution within six months – providing for data centers, server farms/storage, networks, and voice infrastructure for a complete user, data, and application migration.
An on-site, private VMware cloud-computing platform delivered speed and flexibility for time-sensitive applications and data, while less critical applications and data were migrated to an off-site location. This approach maximized the benefits of both – low-latency computing via on-site technology combined with cost savings from off-site storage. All locations were replicated to a disaster recovery site to ensure business resiliency.
Working with key LBHI stakeholders, Align executed the outsourced solution for LBHI on time and within budget and delivered an independent IT infrastructure and operational system that is secure, fully accessible and scalable. Combined with a per-user support fee structure, LBHI can now leverage its cash flow more effectively and scale its technology needs up or down as business requirements change. The outsource model delivers 60 percent savings – $36 million – in OPEX annually and saves LBHI from having to purchase equipment.