Reuters

Following an extensive competitive evaluation, Fujitsu was awarded the Information Services and Technology (IS&T) contract to provide 24/7 support for Reuters’ line of business applications and around 4,000 Reuters staff in the UK.

The Challenge

Best known as the world’s largest international multimedia news agency, Reuters is a global information company providing information tailored for professionals in the financial services, media and corporate markets.

Since 2001 Reuters’ “Fast Forward” programme has led the company to concentrate on its core competencies in order to release physical and financial resources from non-core activities and drive the business forward. Sally Richards, Global Head of Partnership Management, Reuters, explains, “Our aim was to release cash for our 'business as usual' activities and ensure the efficient and cost-effective running of our support operations so that we could redirect our efforts into discretionary projects.”

The Solution

Following an extensive competitive evaluation, Fujitsu was awarded the Information Services and Technology (IS&T) contract to provide 24/7 support for Reuters’ line of business applications and around 4,000 Reuters staff in the UK. The Global Service Desk is also complemented by on-site desktop support to manage incidents, problems and IMACS.

“Fujitsu was chosen because of its expertise in helpdesk and service management,” says Sally Richards. “It was also able to deliver the support model and way of working that we wanted, at a price that we were prepared pay. While there have been high and low-spots, the service is now very stable and Fujitsu is delivering a consistently high level of service. Achieving that takes discipline and rigorous processes - and that's what we get from Fujitsu. It's a packaged product that we can rely on. We also have a partner that we can work with to evolve and grow the service, using innovative ideas and strategic thinking.”

The scope of the contract was recently extended as part of Reuters’ project ‘Nash’, which was designed to consolidate its people, offices, technology and processes in order to achieve both short and long-term cost reductions. In particular, some 2,700 staff were relocated from seven offices into a brand new headquarters building in Canary Wharf, London.

However, to contain the costs of standardising its IT Reuters chose not to replace all of its desktop PCs and laptops. Instead it developed a minimum specification that all of its existing equipment had to be upgraded to in order to be supported on the new network infrastructure. Fujitsu was then responsible for centrally coordinating the needs of each department, before undertaking the necessary hardware and software upgrades.

“The move to Canary Wharf was completed within aggressive timescales,” adds Steve Burke, IT Workstream Head, Reuters, “but I'm happy to say that we hit all of the implementation dates and actually came in under budget. Fujitsu put in a lot of resources to make sure it all went smoothly, and the attention to detail prior to moving really paid off - in fact it was all a bit of an anti-climax. People normally leap on IT as the thing to complain about, but the only real comments we had were about the coffee and bins!”

As part of the relocation, Reuters also introduced a range of new technologies, such as Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony, IP-TV, and advanced audio-visual tools, including a 40 foot, external plasma TV screen and Europe's biggest LED data-feed 'ticker' running 150 feet around the building. However, as most of these technologies were provided by niche suppliers, Reuters wanted to ensure that all of the systems were incorporated into a standard support model.

“It is absolutely vital that our support is consistent across departments, suppliers and time zones,” says Sally Richards. “So, Fujitsu agreed to provide the first-line fault analysis for all of our technologies, in order to ensure standardised procedures are applied to manage any issues. As a result, we can now pick any best-of-breed technology or supplier without having to worry about how to manage the support.”

Steve Burke confirms, “Fujitsu was tried and tested, had the necessary infrastructure and capability, and everyone understood the existing support process, so it was a case of 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it', just augment it.”

Another innovation was the launch of a 'PC Clinic' where Reuters staff can get on-the-spot help and repairs from Fujitsu engineers, or a replacement PC or laptop if theirs needs to be taken away. “Everyone is much more mobile now,” explains Sally Richards, “so if someone can't use their PC we have to get them back up and running very quickly. And so the PC Clinic was born! Fujitsu has really taken it on-board and it's been working very well.”

The Benefits

The support and standardisation services provided by Fujitsu are enabling Reuters to:

Reduce overheads - travel and communication costs have been reduced significantly (more than forecast)
Minimise service costs - centralised management enables economies of scale and sharing of overheads
Optimise system performance - availability is maximised through the rapid identification and resolution of any issues, using proven processes and procedures and innovative support services
Focus on core business - internal resources can be concentrated on strategic, value-adding activities
Access specialist resources - Fujitsu's extensive business and technical expertise is available rapidly
Budget accurately - costs are entirely visible and predictable over the contract, unlike internal support
Simplify management - standardisation of support procedures/methodologies reduces risk, management time and overhead costs, and provides a single, accountable point of contact
Increase business control - changes to the service are rigorously controlled, requiring a business case to justify any additional costs.

Steve Burke comments, “Project Nash was designed to achieve economies of scale and a greater synergy in the way we work, by standardising our IT infrastructure and processes, reducing travel between offices and enabling better communication and the sharing of ideas. Thanks to a big team effort we achieved all that and more and Fujitsu played a key part. It has undoubtedly created a landmark from which to move forward and if we were to do it again we would use Fujitsu.”

Our Approach

Over the course of the contract Fujitsu and Reuters have developed a very close working relationship. However, as Sally Richards points out, “It's fair to say that both companies struggled in the early days of the contract, because we did not allow Fujitsu sufficient room to manoeuvre its operations, which took away some of the flexibility that you would normally expect in an outsourcing relationship. But we've managed to build a very honest and trusting relationship and we are working in a far more cohesive manner. Fujitsu now understands what Reuters is about and we have the confidence to give Fujitsu space to work.

“We're also trying very hard to openly share our vision and plans for the future and involve Fujitsu in more strategic areas so that it can proactively help us identify new ways to move the business forward. Fujitsu is committed to giving us what we need, because it understands our motivation.”

Our Expertise

Fujitsu has been delivering consistently high levels of support service to businesses across the UK for more than 25 years and, with more than 1,000 engineers, Fujitsu is the single largest provider in the UK's IT services market.

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