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OUTSOURCING IN ACTION
Page 41
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One organisation that has gone through the outsourcing process is Managing Agency Partners (MAP) — one of the leading independent underwriting agencies operating within the Lloyd's of London insurance market. Such a company may, at first glance, appear to be in a completely different sphere to a haulage company, but, in reality, both rely on similar IT functions to keep the wheels of business turning
MAP took the decision in 2005 to outsource the provision and maintenance of its IT infrastructure to an external provider In looking at managed service providers, MAP was trying to find a company that would not only manage the system, but also provide guidance and advice on potential solutions for identified business requirements. In effect, a partner that could give a more consultative service, over and above the scope of a standard maintenance contract.
PCMS hosts and manages the underwriter's entire IT estate, covering the monitoring and maintenance of all the company's hardware and network infrastructure. While MAP itself is effectively a nine-to-f lye business, PCMS' monitoring takes place around the clock, 24-hours a day, seven days a week. This allows full visibility of the status of the network — and each of the components — at all times, meaning that any kind of equipment failure can be addressed before it affects the smooth operation of the business.
By outsourcing such functions, haulage businesses can keep their focus on their core functions and meet their clients' expectations by getting goods from A to B while mitigating the impact any IT failure could have on the business.