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Fujitsu Technology Solutions Inc. is teaming up with Gartner Inc. to provide services to enterprises that let them set up far more efficient IT infrastructures.
Fujitsu this week will unveil its IT Optimization initiative, which combines existing server consolidation and disaster recovery services with a total-cost-of-ownership assessment from research company Gartner for analyzing how well a customers IT resources support its business goals.
The analysis, which is done by Fujitsu over two to five days at a customers site, looks at everything from hardware, software and outsourcing to technical services and administration, said Fujitsu officials, in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Gartner, using its Rapid Assessment for TCO in the Enterprise Operations Center modeling tools, then prepares a report within four to six weeks outlining what was found, how the customers IT resources compare with those of its peers and what options are available to streamline the IT resources.
Fujitsu officials said that including certification from Gartner, of Stamford, Conn., is crucial to ensuring that the results are vendor-agnostic and objective. They said they hope that customers decide to consolidate on Fujitsus Solaris-compatible PrimePower or Intel Corp.-based Primergy systems but that even if a customer decides on another vendors systems, Fujitsu will still help manage and monitor the data center.
Fujitsus IT Optimization service echoes similar initiatives led by rivals, including Hewlett-Packard Co.s Adaptive Enterprise strategy and Unisys Corp.s Business Blueprinting program.
Joe Beery, CIO for America West Airlines Inc., said he thinks Fujitsu is on the right track with services. In 2000, America West was looking to replace all its Sun Microsystems Inc. SPARC/ Solaris servers and called in Fujitsu. The Tempe, Ariz., airline is finishing up an overhaul of its Sun systems with Fujitsu servers.
Fujitsu officials worked closely with Beery and other airline executives to create a road map laying out what the business needed and how to get it.
“They understood that the program worked such that the IT department and CIO had to participate in the process,” Beery said.
The objectivity and credibility of the reports, based on Fujitsu-gathered data, shouldnt be an issue, Beery added.
“At the end of the day, [what systems to install is] my decision,” he said. “Everybody holds me accountable for that decision. You never make that decision without doing your homework. … You have to go into it and participate, and you have to understand that data [being collected in the analysis]. They understood that, and we participated in the process step by step.”