Special Olympics

The Challenge

The Special Olympics is a year round sports training and competition programme for children and adults with a learning/intellectual disability. In 2003 the Special Olympics were held in Ireland. This was the first time this major event was held outside of the United States and it was the largest sporting event in the world in that year.

One of the critical components to ensure that the running of the Games was successful was the reliable running of the IT systems. These systems had to be available during the games 24 x 7. However, the 2003 Special Olympics group (known as 2003 SO) did not have the skills in-house to:

Set up the required Oracle database and associated infrastructure
Support and maintain these complex Oracle based systems during a period of high public visibility

The Solution

In order to achieve their objectives, 2003 SO chose Fujitsu to be their partner in delivering the required IT services for the Games. Fujitsu’s solution provided more than just simply implementation skills, it helped 2003 SO to understand the complexities of the critical service that they needed to deliver and ensured that the system set-up was performed in a way that would maximise service delivery.

The Benefits

The key benefits 2003 SO gained from the Fujitsu approach:

Efficiency – Fujitsu provided timely support that ensured the trouble free delivery of IT services prior to and during the time of the 2003 games
Expertise – Fujitsu’s technical architecture and Oracle expertise was key to meeting the needs of 2003 SO
Experience – Fujitsu’s previous experience in implementing and supporting key Oracle based systems for many different clients was a key differentiator.
Methodology - Fujitsu’s Application Management methodology demonstrates to 2003 SO that there were clear process and procedures in place to ensure that all support and maintenance activities were carried out in a consistent and professional manner.

The Implementation

The Fujitsu implementation approach included:

Architecture: A resilient, fault tolerant and secure database and application architecture using Oracle 9i, and Oracle Dataguard architecture was designed in such a way so as to maximise service delivery
Maintenance: Fujitsu delivered on their commitment to support and maintain the Oracle databases for a period of 18 months from the initial implementation and field tests in 2002 through to the completion of the Games in 2003.
Support: Fujitsu provided critical 24 x 7 on call support for the Oracle database during the Games in June 2003.

The Expertise

Fujitsu is a worldwide leader in the implementation of Oracle-based solutions, covering strategic consultancy, application integration, and managed services. As an Oracle Global Alliance Partner, a member of the Oracle Partner Network and an Oracle Certified Partner, Fujitsu has full access to the latest Oracle technology, training and staff.

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