“Working with Microsoft Services was a smart decision. By doing so, we have greatly reduced our risk in the process of building a new IT infrastructure.”

Ms. Guan, IT Manager, Sichuan Investment Group

Sichuan Investment Group (SIG) needed to develop a cohesive IT strategy to align business needs across the organization. SIG turned to Microsoft Services to develop a comprehensive plan to centralize and optimize IT operations. As a result, SIG reduced operational costs, increased employee access to the Internet, and boosted management and IT efficiency.

Business NeedsThe Sichuan Investment Group (SIG) is a major investment body of the Sichuan Provincial Government of China and is primarily focused on financing for government projects. In 2006, the company’s total capital reached CN¥5.7 billion (U.S.$90 million) and its annual IT budget neared ¥5 million ($787,000).

In 2006, the company’s IT strategy did not align with business needs, nor did it provide the knowledge and tools needed to more effectively administer and support employees. The company’s complex, decentralized IT environment further complicated IT operations.

The effects of the IT environment rippled throughout SIG. For management, running key executive reports for business analysis could take up to five days. Only 10 percent of the company’s 1,000 employees had access to the business portal. And across the board, employees lacked the collaboration tools that they needed to communicate more effectively and share key business data.

“The IT system was not aligned to our overall business, so our business processes struggled,” says Ms. Guan, IT Manager of Sichuan Investment Group. “Our management was having a difficult time managing the business.”

SolutionTo take charge of its IT environment, SIG engaged with Microsoft Services to facilitate the architecture and planning for

an optimized IT environment and operation. Efforts began with a detailed Business and IT Strategy Briefing, wherein Guan and her team worked with Microsoft Services to gain a clear understanding of the strategic direction for building a more efficient environment. With this direction, SIG soon called on the expertise of Microsoft Services to help move forward with the opportunities the company had identified.

By working with Microsoft Professional Advisory Services—part of Microsoft Services—Guan and her team developed a strong relationship with a Microsoft IT Architecture and Planning Advisor. The advisor worked onsite at SIG as a member of the SIG IT team to facilitate ongoing IT efforts that support overall business goals. These efforts spanned training, deployment, and project execution for the Enterprise Operation Support System, the foundation of the company's new IT environment.

As a member of Microsoft Services, the advisor brought the collective knowledge of Microsoft to SIG and opened up channels of communication with internal Microsoft teams to help reduce the risk and increase the success of restructuring the company’s IT infrastructure.

According to Guan, Advisory Services has been extremely effective at bridging efforts —from administration to IT operations—to help IT deliver the most value to the business. “Our Microsoft Advisor helped us integrate our business

Customer: Sichuan Investment GroupWebsite: www.invest.com.cnCustomer Size: 1,000 employeesCountry or Region: ChinaIndustry: Financial

Customer ProfileThe Sichuan Investment Group (SIG) is a division of the Sichuan Provincial Government of China. SIG has 1,000 employees, including an IT team of 30.

Software and Services Services− Microsoft Enterprise Strategy

Services− Microsoft IT Architecture and

Planning Advisor

Microsoft ServicesMicrosoft Services helps customers and partners discover and implement high-value Microsoft solutions that generate rapid, meaningful, and measurable results. As the consulting, technical support, and customer service arm of the world’s leading software company, Microsoft Services enables the successful adoption, deployment, and use of Microsoft solutions and technologies for all customers, from the individual to the enterprise.

For more information about Microsoft Services, go to: www.microsoft.com/microsoftservices

Microsoft ServicesCustomer Solution Case Study

Investment Firm Builds New IT Environment, Reduces Operational Expenses by 50 Percent

processes with our IT system—she was an indispensable asset to our company,” Guan explains. “She accurately identified any problems we might have and provided an amazing conduit for communication spanning business and IT. For example, she not only worked with our business from a leadership level to help us understand any issues, but she was also familiar with our IT system and helped us design an overall strategy that we can use to maximize the utility of all resources working for our company.”

BenefitsBy relying on Microsoft expertise for building and planning its new IT environment, SIG has achieved several levels of success. Because of these achievements, SIG has become the first company to receive the “First Class for Management Informationization Award” from Sichuan Province’s state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. “Working with Microsoft Services was a smart decision,” says Guan. “By doing so, we have greatly reduced our risk in the process of building a new IT infrastructure. And because of the system that Microsoft Services has helped us design, our IT team has gained recognition in both our province and our country.”

Reduced Meeting Budget by 50 Percent in the First YearWith the help of Microsoft Services to establish an optimized IT environment, the SIG IT team has been able to reduce costs year over year. The planned meeting budget for 2007 was ¥1 million ($157,000) but—following the introduction of video conferencing—SIG was able to reduce the 2007 budget to ¥500,000 ($79,000). From 2006 to 2008, SIG has saved more than ¥1 million ($157,000) on meeting costs alone.

Increased Employee and Management EfficiencyNow, SIG enjoys the benefits of a comprehensive and centralized IT environment aligned to the needs of its business. The number of employees with Internet access has increased from 10 percent to 90 percent, providing them with the much-needed tools for sending and receiving email, visualizing the workflow approval process, and conferencing. In

addition, reporting—which used to take five days—is now almost instantaneous.

Reflecting on the projects, Guan says, “Just one year after we first started working with Microsoft Services and using this platform, the efficiency of our management has already gone up. We were able to develop our enterprise culture, standardize our processes, and enable all our employees to share information. Now, employees are more creative at work—and, of course, this is a benefit that you cannot measure.”

Increased Operational MaturitySIG has found the training provided by Microsoft Services to be particularly effective at empowering its IT team with the knowledge needed to significantly improve IT operations. Now, one employee can manage all PCs remotely by using Microsoft Systems Management Server. In addition, the company receives its IT operations report in two days instead of two weeks.

“Now, our IT technicians’ skill levels have increased,” Guan says. “By working with our Microsoft IT Architecture and Planning Advisor and with the help of the team from Microsoft Services, we are able to manage the IT department more efficiently, learn best practices, and have a better understanding of the infrastructure, concepts, and entire process.”

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published November 2011