SAI Global Limited
In Australia and a growing number of other countries, a brand bearing five check marks distinguishes products manufactured to the highest quality standards. The company behind the brand is SAI Global Limited, whose job it is to take the guesswork out of product quality for consumers by publishing standards and providing training and auditing to help ensure that manufacturers can adhere to them.
“Every country has recognizable standards bodies and quality brands, like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval in the U.S.,” says Rohit Dass, SAI Global’s group director, information technology and telecommunications. “SAI Global is a household name in quality assurance in Australia, New Zealand, and a growing number of other areas such as Asia.”
SAI Global not only promotes and enables adherence to standards for other organizations, but also leads by example. To uphold a high standard of quality and efficiency in its own operations, SAI Global Limited relies on a comprehensive PeopleSoft Enterprise solution running on HP Integrity servers and the robust HP-UX 11i v2 Operating System.
Leading by example
Through its extensive network of auditors, experts, and training professionals, SAI Global’s 500 employees work with organizations to help them build better businesses. In addition to publishing standards and making approximately 122,000 of them available to customers on the Web, SAI Global provides certification services, daily auditing a growing number of companies whose ongoing business operations rely on maintaining quality certifications. Handling thousands of audits per year and selling standards online calls for exceptional scheduling, logistics, and transactional capabilities. In addition to these abilities, SAI Global is looking to step up its business intelligence capabilities to keep continuously improving its operations.
Like many mid-sized businesses, SAI Global had begun to outgrow its existing systems. However, unlike the largest of companies, SAI Global has more limited IT resources and budget. The company needed a solution that would increase efficiency, handle a growing number of customer transactions, and speed processing, leaving more time for activities such as management reporting. At the same time, the company needed an IT foundation and a software solution that would meet current needs and provide the flexibility and adaptability to meet future needs as well.
A customized solution, without the high cost
In late 2003, SAI Global decided to upgrade its PeopleSoft solution to the latest versions of PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management, PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Capital Management, PeopleSoft Enterprise Global Payroll for Asia/Pacific, and PeopleSoft for Retail, and to make these applications available via PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal as well. Having used PeopleSoft Enterprise solutions for more than four years, SAI Global elected to stay with PeopleSoft because of the flexibility and comprehensiveness of PeopleSoft solutions and the ease of creating custom, fully integrated modules using PeopleTools.
To increase performance and improve the user experience, SAI Global also upgraded its IT foundation by moving from HP 9000 RISC-based servers to Itanium 2–based HP Integrity servers running HP-UX 11i and the Oracle9i Database. Improving business agility, handling a growing number of customer transactions, obtaining better value from its IT systems, and building a futureproof foundation for growth and change were the primary drivers behind the upgrade.
According to Dass, SAI Global’s PeopleSoft solution running on HP Integrity servers is ideal for this mid-sized organization. By combining standard PeopleSoft modules with custom modules created using PeopleTools, SAI Global has built a flexible, custom-made solution that has enabled the company to bring all of its transaction activity related to selling published standards and conducting training and audits into one system, thereby increasing efficiency. PeopleTools has also enabled SAI Global to make ongoing software maintenance easy and cost-effective.
“Our business is unique, especially as it relates to our auditing services and providing quality certifications for companies,” says Dass. “PeopleSoft and HP have provided the flexibility we need to create a tailor-made, fully integrated solution that fits our needs precisely. At the same time, our PeopleSoft and HP solution provides exceptional value, an important consideration for our medium-sized company with limited IT resources and budgets.”
HP Integrity servers: exceptional value
As the foundation of the solution, HP Integrity servers are key to SAI Global’s ability to meet business needs while keeping costs in check. The company considered a variety of other servers for its enterprise-wide PeopleSoft implementation; however, industry benchmarks of PeopleSoft solutions running on Itanium-based servers provided the information necessary to make the choice.
Benchmarks indicated that HP Integrity rx4640-8 and rx2600-2 Servers running HP-UX 11i and powering the new PeopleSoft solution would provide up to a tenfold performance improvement over the company’s existing HP 9000 RISC-based systems at a better value than what other systems could offer. Dass and his team also selected HP Integrity servers based on the strength of the Intel Itanium 2 processor. “The Intel® Itanium 2 processor is an advanced, future-proof processor at a very reasonable price,” says Dass.
The HP Integrity servers’ flexibility helped to streamline implementation, reducing risks, time, and costs. Moving from the RISC-based HP systems to HP systems based on the Itanium processor required little software alteration. SAI Global moved existing applications such as backup software directly from HP-UX 11i on PA-RISC to HP-UX 11i on Itanium 2–based servers without modification. In addition, the company was able to continue running its operations using the older PeopleSoft applications— which previously ran on HP 9000 systems—on its new HP Integrity servers as an interim measure.
“HP Integrity servers not only provided more value for the money up front, but also allowed us to save money on implementation,” says Dass. “With the HP Integrity servers, we were able to simply install existing PA-RISCbased software and run it without alteration. That level of flexibility is rare in IT.”
Enterprise-wide upgrade
SAI Global expects to go live with PeopleSoft Financial Management, PeopleSoft Retail and Human Capital Management, and PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal running on Oracle9i database and HP-UX 11i v2 in November 2004. SAI Global is also using PeopleTools to create custom modules designed to support audits and customer certifications.
Both PeopleSoft and HP are helping to streamline the implementation. HP loaned systems to SAI Global, and the HP technical staff has offered in-depth guidance and advice. “The HP and PeopleSoft teams have been very good to us, proactively assisting us if we hit any hurdles,” says Dass. “Their global alliance team has helped us mitigate risks and streamline our deployment.”
Increased efficiency through centralized access The HP and PeopleSoft solution is already paying off for SAI Global. Among other benefits, employees have the technical support to be more efficient and respond to customer needs faster. By accessing all PeopleSoft applications via PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal, 300 PeopleSoft users within SAI Global will gain streamlined, single sign-on access to all of the systems and tools they need to serve customers. Dass also expects the HP Integrity servers to provide superb reliability and ensure continuous business operations.
“Our PeopleSoft solution running on Itanium 2–based HP Integrity servers has the potential to result in increased productivity,” says Dass. “We will now have a customized, single gateway to all of our critical information and systems to streamline business processes and enable us to be more responsive to customers.”
More time for business improvement
Thanks to the power of HP Integrity servers, SAI Global can now support a growing number of transactions related to online sales of published standards as well as activities related to scheduling, tracking, and billing for training and audits. Previously, batch processing of transactions in PeopleSoft took a full eight hours each night. Based on early tests, SAI Global anticipates being able to complete batch processing in just four hours, leaving more time for conducting business analysis and creating management reports that promise to increase the company’s performance and agility.
The ability to make smarter business decisions is especially crucial because SAI Global is now listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company must therefore arm managers with as much financial and other information as possible. To augment decision-making, SAI Global plans to create a data warehouse for management reporting using PeopleSoft and a dedicated HP Integrity server. The company will begin this project after the initial PeopleSoft upgrade is complete.
“The main benefit of our new HP and PeopleSoft solution for SAI Global is that it will support our growing business and free up more time to give our users insight into our data to make more informed decisions and react faster to changing market conditions,” says Dass.
SAI Global anticipates an immediate return on investment for its HP and PeopleSoft solution, based on savings in maintenance contracts and database licensing fees. Using the same number of processors with substantial performance increases has led to zero increase in database licensing costs. In addition to these initial savings, Dass reports that HP and PeopleSoft together provide ongoing value and a future-proof investment that will serve the company for years to come.
“As a mid-sized business, SAI Global wanted advanced technology that would take us into the future. We also needed to optimize the value of our IT investment,” says Dass. “HP, Intel, and PeopleSoft provided an advanced solution for today with the flexibility and adaptability to meet our future needs as well.”
Challenge
• Support a growing number of transactions
• Respond to customers faster and more efficiently
• Enable more informed decisionmaking
• Increase the value of IT
• Achieve return on investment
• Mitigate the time and risk of the enterprise upgrade
Solution
• 2 Itanium 2–based HP Integrity rx4640-8 Servers
• 2 Itanium 2–based HP Integrity rx2600-2 Servers
• 5 HP ProLiant DL380 Servers
• HP-UX 11i v2
• Oracle9i
• PeopleSoft Enterprise applications (64-bit when available)
Results
• Batch processing time cut by 50%
• More processing time for management analysis and reporting
• Ability to adapt faster to changing customer needs
• Centralized system increases efficiency
• Customer service is improved
• Immediate ROI with better ongoing IT value
Customer at a glance
• Industry sector: Web publishing, training, consulting, auditing
• Name: SAI Global Limited
• URL: www.sai-global.com
Technology highlights
• HP Integrity rx4640-8 Servers
• HP Integrity rx2600-2 Servers
• HP ProLiant DL380 Servers
© 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Intel and Itanium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Oracle is a registered U.S. trademark of Oracle Corporation, Redwood City, California.
5982-8628EN, 09/2004
“Every country has recognizable standards bodies and quality brands, like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval in the U.S.,” says Rohit Dass, SAI Global’s group director, information technology and telecommunications. “SAI Global is a household name in quality assurance in Australia, New Zealand, and a growing number of other areas such as Asia.”
SAI Global not only promotes and enables adherence to standards for other organizations, but also leads by example. To uphold a high standard of quality and efficiency in its own operations, SAI Global Limited relies on a comprehensive PeopleSoft Enterprise solution running on HP Integrity servers and the robust HP-UX 11i v2 Operating System.
Leading by example
Through its extensive network of auditors, experts, and training professionals, SAI Global’s 500 employees work with organizations to help them build better businesses. In addition to publishing standards and making approximately 122,000 of them available to customers on the Web, SAI Global provides certification services, daily auditing a growing number of companies whose ongoing business operations rely on maintaining quality certifications. Handling thousands of audits per year and selling standards online calls for exceptional scheduling, logistics, and transactional capabilities. In addition to these abilities, SAI Global is looking to step up its business intelligence capabilities to keep continuously improving its operations.
Like many mid-sized businesses, SAI Global had begun to outgrow its existing systems. However, unlike the largest of companies, SAI Global has more limited IT resources and budget. The company needed a solution that would increase efficiency, handle a growing number of customer transactions, and speed processing, leaving more time for activities such as management reporting. At the same time, the company needed an IT foundation and a software solution that would meet current needs and provide the flexibility and adaptability to meet future needs as well.
A customized solution, without the high cost
In late 2003, SAI Global decided to upgrade its PeopleSoft solution to the latest versions of PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management, PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Capital Management, PeopleSoft Enterprise Global Payroll for Asia/Pacific, and PeopleSoft for Retail, and to make these applications available via PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal as well. Having used PeopleSoft Enterprise solutions for more than four years, SAI Global elected to stay with PeopleSoft because of the flexibility and comprehensiveness of PeopleSoft solutions and the ease of creating custom, fully integrated modules using PeopleTools.
To increase performance and improve the user experience, SAI Global also upgraded its IT foundation by moving from HP 9000 RISC-based servers to Itanium 2–based HP Integrity servers running HP-UX 11i and the Oracle9i Database. Improving business agility, handling a growing number of customer transactions, obtaining better value from its IT systems, and building a futureproof foundation for growth and change were the primary drivers behind the upgrade.
According to Dass, SAI Global’s PeopleSoft solution running on HP Integrity servers is ideal for this mid-sized organization. By combining standard PeopleSoft modules with custom modules created using PeopleTools, SAI Global has built a flexible, custom-made solution that has enabled the company to bring all of its transaction activity related to selling published standards and conducting training and audits into one system, thereby increasing efficiency. PeopleTools has also enabled SAI Global to make ongoing software maintenance easy and cost-effective.
“Our business is unique, especially as it relates to our auditing services and providing quality certifications for companies,” says Dass. “PeopleSoft and HP have provided the flexibility we need to create a tailor-made, fully integrated solution that fits our needs precisely. At the same time, our PeopleSoft and HP solution provides exceptional value, an important consideration for our medium-sized company with limited IT resources and budgets.”
HP Integrity servers: exceptional value
As the foundation of the solution, HP Integrity servers are key to SAI Global’s ability to meet business needs while keeping costs in check. The company considered a variety of other servers for its enterprise-wide PeopleSoft implementation; however, industry benchmarks of PeopleSoft solutions running on Itanium-based servers provided the information necessary to make the choice.
Benchmarks indicated that HP Integrity rx4640-8 and rx2600-2 Servers running HP-UX 11i and powering the new PeopleSoft solution would provide up to a tenfold performance improvement over the company’s existing HP 9000 RISC-based systems at a better value than what other systems could offer. Dass and his team also selected HP Integrity servers based on the strength of the Intel Itanium 2 processor. “The Intel® Itanium 2 processor is an advanced, future-proof processor at a very reasonable price,” says Dass.
The HP Integrity servers’ flexibility helped to streamline implementation, reducing risks, time, and costs. Moving from the RISC-based HP systems to HP systems based on the Itanium processor required little software alteration. SAI Global moved existing applications such as backup software directly from HP-UX 11i on PA-RISC to HP-UX 11i on Itanium 2–based servers without modification. In addition, the company was able to continue running its operations using the older PeopleSoft applications— which previously ran on HP 9000 systems—on its new HP Integrity servers as an interim measure.
“HP Integrity servers not only provided more value for the money up front, but also allowed us to save money on implementation,” says Dass. “With the HP Integrity servers, we were able to simply install existing PA-RISCbased software and run it without alteration. That level of flexibility is rare in IT.”
Enterprise-wide upgrade
SAI Global expects to go live with PeopleSoft Financial Management, PeopleSoft Retail and Human Capital Management, and PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal running on Oracle9i database and HP-UX 11i v2 in November 2004. SAI Global is also using PeopleTools to create custom modules designed to support audits and customer certifications.
Both PeopleSoft and HP are helping to streamline the implementation. HP loaned systems to SAI Global, and the HP technical staff has offered in-depth guidance and advice. “The HP and PeopleSoft teams have been very good to us, proactively assisting us if we hit any hurdles,” says Dass. “Their global alliance team has helped us mitigate risks and streamline our deployment.”
Increased efficiency through centralized access The HP and PeopleSoft solution is already paying off for SAI Global. Among other benefits, employees have the technical support to be more efficient and respond to customer needs faster. By accessing all PeopleSoft applications via PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal, 300 PeopleSoft users within SAI Global will gain streamlined, single sign-on access to all of the systems and tools they need to serve customers. Dass also expects the HP Integrity servers to provide superb reliability and ensure continuous business operations.
“Our PeopleSoft solution running on Itanium 2–based HP Integrity servers has the potential to result in increased productivity,” says Dass. “We will now have a customized, single gateway to all of our critical information and systems to streamline business processes and enable us to be more responsive to customers.”
More time for business improvement
Thanks to the power of HP Integrity servers, SAI Global can now support a growing number of transactions related to online sales of published standards as well as activities related to scheduling, tracking, and billing for training and audits. Previously, batch processing of transactions in PeopleSoft took a full eight hours each night. Based on early tests, SAI Global anticipates being able to complete batch processing in just four hours, leaving more time for conducting business analysis and creating management reports that promise to increase the company’s performance and agility.
The ability to make smarter business decisions is especially crucial because SAI Global is now listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company must therefore arm managers with as much financial and other information as possible. To augment decision-making, SAI Global plans to create a data warehouse for management reporting using PeopleSoft and a dedicated HP Integrity server. The company will begin this project after the initial PeopleSoft upgrade is complete.
“The main benefit of our new HP and PeopleSoft solution for SAI Global is that it will support our growing business and free up more time to give our users insight into our data to make more informed decisions and react faster to changing market conditions,” says Dass.
SAI Global anticipates an immediate return on investment for its HP and PeopleSoft solution, based on savings in maintenance contracts and database licensing fees. Using the same number of processors with substantial performance increases has led to zero increase in database licensing costs. In addition to these initial savings, Dass reports that HP and PeopleSoft together provide ongoing value and a future-proof investment that will serve the company for years to come.
“As a mid-sized business, SAI Global wanted advanced technology that would take us into the future. We also needed to optimize the value of our IT investment,” says Dass. “HP, Intel, and PeopleSoft provided an advanced solution for today with the flexibility and adaptability to meet our future needs as well.”
Challenge
• Support a growing number of transactions
• Respond to customers faster and more efficiently
• Enable more informed decisionmaking
• Increase the value of IT
• Achieve return on investment
• Mitigate the time and risk of the enterprise upgrade
Solution
• 2 Itanium 2–based HP Integrity rx4640-8 Servers
• 2 Itanium 2–based HP Integrity rx2600-2 Servers
• 5 HP ProLiant DL380 Servers
• HP-UX 11i v2
• Oracle9i
• PeopleSoft Enterprise applications (64-bit when available)
Results
• Batch processing time cut by 50%
• More processing time for management analysis and reporting
• Ability to adapt faster to changing customer needs
• Centralized system increases efficiency
• Customer service is improved
• Immediate ROI with better ongoing IT value
Customer at a glance
• Industry sector: Web publishing, training, consulting, auditing
• Name: SAI Global Limited
• URL: www.sai-global.com
Technology highlights
• HP Integrity rx4640-8 Servers
• HP Integrity rx2600-2 Servers
• HP ProLiant DL380 Servers
© 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Intel and Itanium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Oracle is a registered U.S. trademark of Oracle Corporation, Redwood City, California.
5982-8628EN, 09/2004
