Accenture Simplifies IT, Reduces Costs with Single Technology Platform
Global management consulting, technology services, and out-sourcing company Accenture was at a crucial business juncture. When it separated from its parent company in 1999, Accenture had to create its own internal IT organization. Accenture inherited its parent company's disparate technologies and hundreds of specialized global applications, but it quickly realized it needed to improve upon these systems and services to serve a rapidly growing global employee base. One of its primary goals was to standardize on a common technology platform. Accenture now runs 99 percent of its global applications on Microsoft® technologies and, next to Microsoft, is one of the largest companies to rely almost solely on Microsoft technology. Partnering closely with Avanade and Microsoft, Accenture created a simplified technology environment that is more flexible and cost-effective than ever before.
Accenture is a worldwide management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company with 146,000 employees in 49 countries and annual revenues of U.S.$16.65 billion.
Business Situation
Accenture sought to standardize its IT systems on a common technology platform, enhance its messaging and knowledge management assets, and use a common system globally for finance, human resources, and opportunity management.
Solution
Accenture now uses Microsoft® software for end-user desktop tools, messaging, collaboration, and knowledge management assets worldwide. It also runs its operational systems with SAP on Microsoft technologies.
Benefit
Cut global systems from 600 to 300 while improving efficiencies
IT spending reduced by 30 percent
35-percent reduction in e-mail, messaging, and knowledge-sharing application operating costs
Standardization on a single architecture cut costs, improved efficiency
Software
Microsoft .NET Framework
Microsoft Exchange Server 2003
Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003
Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005
Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
Quote
"We chose Microsoft technology because we saw its potential for enterprise productivity, and it would allow us to have a common technology from the desktop to the data center."
