IBM Global Technology Services
Case Study
Professional Services
Fluor Corp. attains reliable
business systems access
anytime, anywhere
IBM Strategic Outsourcing provides superior
IT support for international project management
Overview
The need
To support its international engineering
and construction business, Fluor Corp.
required reliable, resilient, 24-hour-a-day
access to IT systems and data regardless
of project location.
The solution
IBM® Global Technology Services® — Strategic Outsourcing uses its cache of
global resources and expertise to deliver
much-needed infrastructure support to
the most remote geographies.
The benefit
Fluor obtained the technical expertise
and the system reliability, availability and
scalability needed to successfully manage
and execute complex, international projects
that yield billions in revenue.
Fluor Corp., a leading international engineering construction company
headquartered in Dallas, provides engineering, procurement, construction
and maintenance (EPC&M) project management services to customers
in more than 70 countries around the world. Its customers depend on
the expertise of the company’s more than 40,000 employees to operate
globally and deliver capital projects safely, on schedule, within budget
and with the quality expected.
Constructing a plan for high performance under
harsh conditions
To maintain global leadership in EPC&M project management services,
Fluor has to be daring and willing to take on a depth and breadth of harsh
environments, rugged geographies and complex technological challenges.
Whether a project is located in its home state or a remote area within
another continent, access to Fluor’s IT infrastructure is essential to
its project success. In its quest to consistently provide superior project
management performance, Fluor had tried numerous solutions to ascertain
system reliability. The company tested several third-party vendors and
for a period established an internal shared services group in its attempt
to satisfy field support needs.
Despite its best efforts, the EPC&M services provider found it needed
a deeper level of technical expertise, the flexibility to scale resources to meet
demand, the ability to pay for resources used and greater transparency
in spending to obtain the support it desired. The company engaged an
independent industry consultant to evaluate its current and future needs.
The consultant recommended an outsourcing strategy to support the
company’s complex IT infrastructure requirements.
IBM Global Technology Services
Case Study
“We didn’t have
the ability to monitor
business-critical enterprise
systems around the clock.
That’s something you need
within a global operation.
That’s the reason we went
with IBM.”
— Robert Taylor, senior vice president of IT operations and chief information officer,
Fluor Corp.
Professional Services
Effectively addressing IT support challenges
With hundreds of international projects managed at a time and billions
of dollars in revenue at stake, Fluor needed a highly reliable technology
partner with the global reach to support its challenging IT requirements
24 hours a day, every day of the year. Robert Taylor, senior vice president
of IT operations and chief information officer at Fluor describes the
environment: “We’re basically doing engineering design work on a
global basis, but the reality is that these projects are constructed in very
challenging environments. It’s a very complex business model to support
from a technology point of view.”
Consistent system availability and information access are essential
to the successful progression of Fluor’s complex projects. Unplanned
outages can result in costly delays in project design and construction
cycles. Additionally, Fluor’s corporate IT organization recognized it did
not have the depth of resources to deliver and maintain its much-needed
24-hour infrastructure support. “We didn’t have the ability to monitor
business-critical enterprise systems around the clock. That’s something
you need within a global operation. That’s the reason we went to IBM,”
states Taylor.
Unearthing global support for international
project management
After a thorough analysis of the Fluor’s requirements, IBM® Global
Technology Services® — Strategic Outsourcing implemented a multidimensional solution for global support. A vast network of IBM global resources
located in Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India, the Netherlands,
Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the
United States provide data center, network, desktop, help-desk, security
and service management services to locations in 29 countries and six
continents. The Strategic Outsourcing approach provides the 24-hour
availability and reliability required to support Fluor’s global business
needs. To address variable processing requirements, Fluor can augment
the capacity of its enterprise servers located in IBM data centers in
Singapore and Raleigh, North Carolina, as the business demands.
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IBM Global Technology Services
Case Study
Solution Component
Services
•
IBM® Global Technology Services® — Strategic Outsourcing
“[Accessing] our IT
infrastructure during
projects is no longer a
concern. It’s a given that
we’re going to be able to
support them no matter
where they are. And that’s
something we can do
now as a result of the
relationship with IBM.”
— Robert Taylor, senior vice president of IT operations and chief information officer,
Fluor Corp.
Professional Services
Above all, Fluor has gained the IT infrastructure reliability it needs. “[IBM]
helped us globally, providing services in just about every company location.
[IBM] maintains, distributes and packages all of our software and looks after
our data centers and our network,” Taylor states. “Our ability to provide
technology services to project [sites] has accelerated tremendously. We can
establish technical capabilities, including systems, networks and data access
across the globe.” Over the course of the contract, IBM teams continue to
refine processes, introducing new resources and improvements for project
throughput while maintaining a flat budget. According to Taylor, “We have
a lot more predictability around our cost. As an internal organization we’ve
been very consistent and successful from a fiscal management point of view,
based on our relationship with IBM.”
Achieving the ultimate benefit: reliability
The IBM outsourcing relationship continues to satisfy Fluor’s need for
in-depth technical expertise, scalable resources and greater transparency in
spending. However, the most valued benefit is IT infrastructure reliability.
“The reliability piece is critical because it gives a lot more certainty to the
delivery of our projects, which helps our bottom line and helps our clients
be successful,” says Taylor. “An infrastructure is the basic fundamental need
of this business, and if it’s not delivered, that presents a huge risk.” He
concludes: “[Accessing] our IT infrastructure during projects is no longer a
concern. It’s a given that we’re going to be able to support them no matter
where they are. And that’s something we can do now as a result of the
relationship with IBM.”
For more information
To learn more about IBM Strategic Outsourcing, please contact your
IBM marketing representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit the
following website:
ibm.com/services/outsourcing
Additionally, IBM Global Financing can help you acquire the IT
solutions that your business needs in the most cost-effective and strategic
way possible. We’ll partner with credit-qualified clients to customize an
IT financing solution to suit your business goals, enable effective cash
management, and improve your total cost of ownership. IBM Global
Financing is your smartest choice to fund critical IT investments and
propel your business forward. For more information, visit:
ibm.com/financing
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Produced in the United States of America
July 2014
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