Client's challenge
A global entertainment and media company made up of several disparate businesses with headquarters on two continents and multiple businesses in multiple locations, had a need to realize IT synergies and cost reductions. Opportunities associated with recent acquisitions were being hampered by geographic dispersion. The CIO of the company needed help in gaining a clearer understanding of IT expenditure within an existing desktop environment that supported thousands of users.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory solution
Benchmarking segments of the company's desktop environment against industry norms, we were able to identify factors that were driving the higher-than-expected costs. Our team then analyzed the causes behind the higher costs, as they were impeding the success of IT expenditures for the overall business.
Using industry norms as a guide, the PwC Advisory team highlighted areas where change was needed. For example, the company was delivering a level of service for premium users that was higher than it needed to be. In addition, a lack of hardware and software standards was creating an unmanageable asset base. Finally, a weak supporting infrastructure—lack of formal processes, few automated tools, inaccurate management of information—was multiplying the effects of other problems.
The PwC Advisory team developed and prioritized project recommendations and created a time-phased schedule for implementation. To achieve the client's vision for effective desktop support, a five-point improvement program to address existing deficiencies was developed.
Impact on client's business
Our plan anticipated that the client would begin to show cost savings in IT within three months. As a result of this work, the client was able to identify both short- and long-term cost reduction opportunities and define the components of a program to capture those savings.
