IT Outsourcing

More and more companies are looking to outsource all or a portion of their IT infrastructure due to cost, liability, and most importantly, efficiency. Outsourcing gives companies the ability to concentrate on their core business while RCM efficiently manages and supports their technology – both parties focusing on what they do best. 

RCM offers highly reliable and secure hardware, network, and facilities coupled with around-the-clock customer care. RCM hosts and manages our customers' hardware (at a data center or at customer’s site), operating system, Oracle applications, and database. From data center facilities to networking to systems monitoring to security to support, RCM brings you reliable services focused on keeping you up and running.

RCM offers four (4) standard models of Outsourcing:
• Hosting
• Total Outsourcing (Implementation and Hosting)
• Remote Management
• Functional Support

Why Outsource?
In today's economic climate, businesses are finding it increasingly more difficult to contain costs while driving revenue. Day in and day out, executives are analyzing their enterprise trying to figure out areas where they can not only eliminate overhead but also more importantly - increase efficiency. These executives are discovering that Information Technology is an area where the company truly needs to excel. Elite enterprise software can be costly but is proven to grow businesses. The growing importance of software applications is the main competitive differentiator for businesses in the information economy. Utilizing the most powerful applications can give a business a distinct competitive advantage over their competition.

Operating and maintaining the latest software applications can be a monumental and costly task for companies. Studies have shown that initial and recurring costs of using applications can exceed $10K per user annually. This figure consists primarily of network and communications infrastructure, cost of personnel to maintain the applications and the on going support.

At a growing rate, more and more companies are turning to Applications Service Providers (ASP) to gain this advantage. The ASP market is rapidly growing - providing businesses the greatest ROI (Return on Investment) on their software investment. The ASP model is modular and allows for greater flexibility, enabling ASP's to service all sectors of business.

RCM is well positioned to offer superior services with a tight budget. RCM offers a Best Practices/Fast Forward implementation along with enhanced, value-added, hosting services, and support. As a leading Oracle ASP/MAP (Managed Applications Provider), RCM serves its customers as the first level-of-support and single point-of-contact for the management of applications, database, and hardware. The applications are pre-configured and pre-integrated, thereby drastically reducing the customers' time-to-market and cost. This eliminates the need for extensive System Integrator involvement as well as hardware investment. RCM also leverages traditional and emerging customer interaction channels to provide its customers with consistent, timely, and accurate cost-contained solutions.

RCM believes, along with Oracle, that software should be a service and passes the Oracle value on to the customer. The customer can then focus on their core business while RCM efficiently assists their IT - both parties focusing what they do best.

Hosting
RCM hosts and manages our customers' hardware, Oracle applications, and database. Hosting allows for the greatest cost savings to our customers as they do not need to make costly investments and can spread the reduced costs evenly over a period of time.

Infrastructure
RCM offers highly reliable and secure hardware, network, and facilities coupled with around-the-clock customer care. We have partnered with Sun Microsystems and Dell on the hardware side as well as Qwest on the data center side to develop a premiere infrastructure and support program.From data center facilities to networking to systems monitoring to security, we bring you service focused on keeping you up and running.

Hardware
RCM utilizes Sun Microsystems and the Sun Solaris platform or Dell and the Linux platform to provide the high performance and reliability required to provide quality ASP services.
• Hardware Assessment and Sizing
• Installation of Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Application and Database Monitoring
To ensure stability with servers and databases as well as the applications that rely on them, we incorporate the following Management services:
• End-to-end application availability management
• Event monitoring and response
• Aggressive Service Level Agreement with guaranteed response time to issues
• Configuration administration
• Backup and recovery management
• Proactive bug tracking and patch application
• Performance monitoring and system tuning
• Space management and capacity planning
• Security assessment and review
• Monthly Availability Reports

Proactive Network and Server Monitoring
• Services and Support 24x7/365
• Live monitoring, management, and support from expert network technicians
• Constant checking of network and server availability
• Partner with a Fully staffed Network Operations Center (NOC)
• Network activity, applications, CPU, disk space, and memory monitored to ensure your site is always up and running

Maximum Data Center Security Measures
• Physical access control managed by armed security guards
• Single point-of-entry into data centers
• Electronic key card access as well as Biometric validation
• Locked cages, cabinets, and racks
• 24x7 video surveillance with archiving of tapes

Safe Environment
• Clean, secure, and easily-accessible geographical locations
• Insulation from major natural disasters
• Advanced environmental and climate controls against heat and humidity
• Highly sensitive smoke detection system

Disaster Prevention & Recovery
• Pre-action, dry pipe fire suppression systems
• Raised floor or overhead trellis wiring
• Static-free work areas for component assembly
• Daily incremental back-ups of all data contained within data centers
• Full weekly back-ups with monthly off-site storage in secure locations
• Convenient and fast access to backup tapes
• Data mirroring across duplicate storage systems in real time

Continuous Power
• Diverse power sources
• Redundant Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) for failures and power filtering
• Redundant diesel generators for alternate power supply

Total Outsourcing
Within the Hosting Model, RCM will host and manage customer's hardware, applications, and database. In addition, we offer a twist as well. RCM offers a baseline pre-configured Oracle Applications solution that affords a low cost, rapid implementation. The customer can bundle their IT costs into a fixed monthly fee based on the number of users.

Without question, this offering is the most competitive for our customers and cannot be matched in the marketplace. Our consultants can remain offsite or remain more traditionally onsite.RCM delivers an advanced ERP, eCommerce, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Business Intelligence Reporting solution based on Best Practices from past implementations.

These Oracle 11i Applications (and all modules included therein) are pre-configured, set-up, and managed by RCM.
•  Financials
•  Order Management
•  Purchasing
•  Projects
•  Business Intelligence Suite
•  Discrete Manufacturing
•  Human Resources
•  CRM
•  Third-Party Interfaces (Vertex Tax Rates, ADP Payroll, Laser Forms, FedEx, and UPS shipping)

Applications Configuration
RCM's team of experts has pre-configured the applications for you based on the knowledge gained from years of experience working with Oracle Applications - allowing you to have your business up and running very quickly.

Applications Setup
RCM has developed a comprehensive questionnaire that walks you through the application set-up and identifies any modifications that may be required to meet your unique business needs.

Applications Management
RCM will monitor, maintain, and upgrade your applications - saving you the expense of maintaining extensive applications development resources on staff.

Best Practices RCM leverages extensive experience implementing business processes and systems to develop a set of Best Practices uniquely designed and optimized for the Oracle suite of applications, allowing companies to very quickly utilize the applications - shaving weeks and months off of the implementation schedule and facilitating a rapid and significant return on investment.

Adding Modules Within this model, the implementation of all subsequent modules is free of charge. For instance, if a customer begins with Financials and Purchasing and decides to add Order Management down the road, the implementation of Order Management will be free of charge (assuming there are no customizations). The only charge would be an increase in the user count for the monthly outsourcing fees.

In addition to the implementation services, the RCM Hosting Services are part of this solution.

Remote Management
As an alternative to hosting, RCM manages the Oracle Applications and underlying database remotely. The responsibility of managing hardware shifts to the customer (while RCM lends assistance and expertise), and RCM assumes the management, monitoring, and maintenance of the Oracle Applications and Database.

Application and Database Monitoring
To ensure stability with servers and databases as well as the applications that rely on them, we incorporate the following Management services:
•  End-to-end application availability management
•  Event monitoring and response
•  Live Toll Free support line
•  Aggressive Service Level Agreement with guaranteed response time
    to issues
•  Configuration administration
•  Backup and recovery management
•  Proactive bug tracking and patch application
•  Performance monitoring and system tuning
•  Space management and capacity planning
•  Security assessment and review
•  Monthly Availability Reports

Functional Support
RCM offers functional support to Oracle customers to further enhance the user experience. RCM serves as the first level of support and single point of contact for all Oracle applications and database problems. The domestic call center will field the service request, diagnose the problem and route the service request to the appropriate resources internally.  If the request requires coordination with Oracle for a patch, RCM will manage that coordination and notify the customer of any updates and necessary action.
The additional level of applications support allows our customers quicker response times and reducing interruption. Services include:
• Senior Oracle consultants
• Domestic Call Center
• Live Toll Free support line
• Aggressive Service Level Agreement with guaranteed response time to issues
• TAR Management
• Support portal to access service requests