Secure IT operations across the entire lifecycle of IT components, from deployment (ordering and installation) through operation (helpdesk and maintenance) to decommissioning (replacement and resource release), demand a high-quality, universally available, and easily controllable dataset. Only based on such information can resource-saving planning and efficient service desk support be provided.

 

Find out here how agineo GmbH (formerly ComConsult Kommunikationstechnik GmbHat their customer ITS for precisely these purposes.

 

Information Technology Services (ITS) is responsible for the smooth operation of all IT systems for Swiss Post as an IT service provider. This means: service provision for IT operations, from the smallest of the around 3,000 post offices to the operation of data centres with servers and web applications at Swiss Post's central locations.

 

The idea

A database that encompasses all information on inventory, configuration, and responsibilities for individual service locations, as well as the entire network infrastructure, forms the information basis (CMDB – Configuration Management Database – according to ITIL). This database must be accessible everywhere via web connection. This ensures that the service technician always has the data available in the event of maintenance and can immediately document carried-out measures (high quality). By connecting to a common spreadsheet system (e.g. Excel), data can be easily checked and consolidated (controllable). The ability to visualise data (e.g. in schematic drawings or via CAD systems) represents a further quality assurance feature. The integration of this application into the company's change and configuration management processes also guarantees consistently high data quality in the future.

 

The solution

With its J2EE-compliant architecture, AixBOMS offers an internet-enabled solution at the highest technical level. Due to its flexibly usable data model, complex requirements for a documentation system can also be implemented quickly and with little effort. At Swiss Post, AixBOMS is used via a browser for querying, capturing and modifying individual information.

 

Three areas are distinguished:

 

1. 1. Database
   2. Configuration
   3. Connectivity

 

• The area Database encompasses the master data of the system. This includes people, locations, companies, organisational units, cost centres, and postal addresses. Information on individual subjects can be retrieved there using special list and detail pages. Users with the appropriate rights also have the option to update or enter new relevant data.

 

• Für den Service-Provider stellt der Bereich Configuration makes the information necessary for its area of responsibility available. Specifically, data on client configurations and server details are provided there.

 

• On a detail page, the technician can view and record the most important data for daily operation. Through further „relations tabs,“ detailed information about hardware equipment and logical assignments (e.g., system affiliation) can be documented.

 

• The integration of QIP via the QIP interface enables any technician (with appropriate permissions) to administer a valid, free IP address via a web browser at any time. Hostname generation in AixBOMS ensures compliance with site-specific naming standards and guarantees the necessary name uniqueness.

 

• The network administrators use the area Connectivity. Here, active network components (routers, switches, hubs, etc.), passive network components (distribution cabinets, patch panels, splice boxes, etc.), and cabling (STP, fibre optic, UTP, etc.) are configured.

 

• Rankings and connections can be easily switched via the web browser. The connection analysis in the web browser schematically visualises the physical connections. This allows for an easy check of dependencies and supports network troubleshooting for reported issues.

 

• For mass operations or data consolidation, Excel integration is an indispensable tool for tabular data preparation. In Excel, various worksheets are available via menus for a wide range of tasks. In this way, an IT manager can easily compile lists for their area to check inventory. A network technician documents all building cabling with relatively little effort using suitable templates.

 

• The recording of new cables, new patch panels and sockets, as well as the termination of cables, is supported, among other things, by the use of Excel sheets. The processing is very efficient due to the use of familiar functionalities such as Copy&Paste. The documentation process is enormously structured and of high quality, as the individual lists are processed step-by-step.

 

A further component of AixBOMS is the visualisation of data using CAD or Visio. Through many years of collaboration between ComConsult Kommunikationstechnik GmbH and Swiss Post, a database of now 900 AutoCAD drawings has been created. As part of the migration of the old CCM4 system to AixBOMS, this database was also taken over and is now still available for processing by AixBOMS.

 

In the new development of the interface between AixBOMS and CAD, many points of CAD operation could be further simplified. By using the same interface architecture (J2EE) and classes in the Excel, Visio, and CAD interfaces, it is automatically ensured that all interfaces have the same consistency-maintaining properties. Data can be captured via the drawing as well as via the Excel interface. Through the integration of the Excel interface in combination with the CAD connection, a tool has grown that provides indispensable services for planning technical room occupancy as well as floor cabling.

 

„We were looking for a system that could be easily integrated into our existing IT environment and ensure high data quality with simple means. With AixBOMS (Aachener Business Object Management System), we have found a system that, due to the current technological standard (J2EE), integrates seamlessly into our IT infrastructure and thus becomes the central information platform for our IT processes. This allows us to access secure data for the delivery and availability of our services during normal operations and to quickly access up-to-date data in the event of a support case. This increases the quality of service for our customers and, thanks to the web portal, enables transparency of services from the customer's perspective.“
Urs Brunner, Head of IT Services, Swiss Post

 

The connection of the dataset via the provided AixBOMS-SDI (Standard Data Integration) interface to the central data warehouse system of Swiss Post enables the integration of the data into Swiss Post's central reporting platform. This allows for uniform, up-to-date, and central evaluation of all cost factors for customers. At the same time, this forms the basis for transparent service billing for customers of Swiss Post Information Technology Services.

 

Conclusion

The comprehensive data model of AixBOMS allowed the Swiss Post's requirements for the inventory and configuration management tool to be implemented with minimal effort. By integrating AixBOMS into the existing office environment and using the web frontend, users can be trained on operating AixBOMS with little effort. As users are often familiar with using Excel, the training can primarily focus on organisational content. This fosters an understanding of the internal interrelationships between recorded data and operational and maintenance processes (the WHY of data recording becomes paramount – in contrast to the HOW). The web frontend ensures that data is available at any time, from any location, and in the correct context. All these elements ensure that the information is used more frequently and updated more frequently during its use. By integrating into the warehouse, this data is available with assured quality in conjunction with other data sources. Thus, the customer is always able to comprehend the services provided by Swiss Post and can rely on fast and dependable service in case of support.

 

„As deputy unit manager for change management and project manager for the postal-wide IT inventory, I am responsible for the Swiss Post's inventory stock. Within the scope of change management, I need to be able to rely on the data. Thanks to the easy operation of AixBOMS and its broad accessibility, technicians in the field can now access and update data from anywhere immediately. It's no longer the case that a technician has to travel back to the office just to update data. This used to be easily forgotten, especially if a call came in for an on-call service. Excel is an unbeatable tool for my planning of changes and inventory checks. I can generate my evaluation list at the touch of a button and send it to the people on site, thus receiving information about the current inventory stock in the shortest possible time.“

David Hofmann