20 days. From IT emergency to a stable managed service.

"We are at your side" - this is the slogan of the CareLink Foundation. At the beginning of 2017, the internal IT manager left and the aid organisation needed someone to quickly take over the operation of its IT infrastructure in an outsourcing arrangement. Our "Operation Care" managed service was the solution we used to fulfil this requirement in around 20 days.

Carelink and Baggenstos: Successful partnership for modern IT solutions

CareLink Foundation

CareLink was set up in 2001 as a result of the catastrophe following the crash of Swissair flight 111. It is unique in its form in Switzerland. The CareLink model was developed by the former "Swissair Emergency Care Team" and has since been further perfected and expanded. One CareLink slogan is: "You can't undo what has happened, but you can plan how to deal with it thanks to experience." The foundation supports companies in the event of an emergency and, with 8 internal and up to 350 external employees, takes on both emotional and administrative tasks during the crisis.

Walter Kaelin, Managing Director at Carlink, recognises several positive factors in the collaboration with Baggenstos. In particular, he emphasises the flexibility despite the well-structured processes and the very committed, dedicated contact partners.

«We particularly appreciate Baggenstos' very fast response to enquiries and their willingness to help. Existing problems are solved quickly. Thanks to the well-functioning ticketing system and the well-organised support processes, we always have an overview. There have also been far fewer problems since Baggenstos took over support and operation. The fact that these first-class services are provided at a very attractive fixed price naturally makes me particularly happy»

Facts and figures

Starting point and objectives

Due to personnel changes in the IT department at CareLink, securing operations was the top priority. In addition to continued smooth operations and support, customer needs were essential in the creation of a secure and updated IT environment featuring clear service level agreements (SLA), regular maintenance and professional patch management for servers and network devices.

There was also a requirement to relieve internal IT resources and thus create free capacity for internal projects and the further development of IT within the care sector. The project "Operation Care as an Operation and Support Solution" for the CareLink Foundation also had to be implemented within just 20 days.

Solution

The transfer of the operation to the managed service "Operation Care" was realized in these steps:

• Review of the existing IT infrastructure by means of due diligence
• Takeover of the specific IT know-how of CareLink
• Takeover of the operation of the existing hardware
• System technical adaptations for smooth operation
• Integration within the "Operation Care" model using ticket system, support processes and reporting

Key figures

• 8 internal and 350 external employees (in case of an incident), all of whom have to use the infrastructure
• 2 important business applications
• 4 physical servers with 12 virtual machines

Results

The creation of a secure and updated IT environment with clear service level agreements (SLA), regular maintenance and professional patch management for servers and network devices was successfully implemented over a short time under the project "Operation Care as an Operation and Support Solution" for the CareLink Foundation.

Challenges

The narrow time window of just 20 days posed a particular challenge. Due diligence and transition had to be planned and carried out within this timeframe. Also the takeover of support and maintenance of hardware not included in the Baggenstos portfolio had to be ensured. Various administrative clarifications and the drafting of contracts was also not so easy during the intensive end-of-year phase.

Managed Service as a basis for future success

The infrastructure is operated through our Operation Care Managed Service. Our Operation Team takes care of the daily functionality and provides rapid support in the event of a fault. Quality is guaranteed using industry-recognized best practices and clearly defined service levels (SLA). The permanently assigned Baggenstos Service Manager takes care of any escalations, ensures the ongoing optimization of support and operational processes, and also accompanies CareLink in the further development of its IT infrastructure.

Best practice - IT outsourcing at Carelink

Find out how Carelink successfully scaled and future-proofed their IT infrastructure with Baggenstos - a solution developed specifically for the needs of SMEs. Watch the recording of the webinar now:

Many thanks for the fruitful cooperation

We would like to thank all CareLink employees involved for their ever-productive and pleasant cooperation. We are proud and satisfied that we can contribute to CareLink's success through our "Operation Care Service".