International Foodstuffs Company turns to Tech Access for ongoing support and innovation

IFFCO - which has manufacturing facilities spread across the UAE, Egypt and Malaysia - relies on the Tech Access iForce Centre for testing new solution modules, developing proof-of-concept studies for the company's business objectives, training the internal IT team and refining its applications.

"The IFFCO team was initially drawn to Tech Access and the Sun technology environment because the iForce Centre enables us to do proof-of-concept testing for our applications before we put them into a production environment. This model helps IFFCO ensure that we're actually installing solutions that meet our business requirements, and saves considerable time in deployment," said Venkatesh Mahadevan, General Manager, IT (group), IFFCO.

"However, in addition to the 'test before you invest' opportunities, IFFCO is also leveraging the iForce center for tweaking new technology scenarios and training our staff - all of which ensures that we're not wasting valuable resources on technology that doesn't fit IFFCO's needs," said Mahadevan.

One area in which IFFCO has derived considerable value from the iForce center is in upgrading its Baan-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment. IFFCO has relied on the Tech Access and Sun facility to be a pre-production testing facility before it rolls out new software modules, significantly reducing the time to market and strain on IFFCO's existing infrastructure.

"Using the iForce center means that IFFCO is spared the costs of new hardware for testing, plus the expense of experts to actually do the 'proof of concept.' Not only are we saving money, but also we're deploying the solutions much faster than we were previously capable of delivering them to our organization," he added.

At the facility, companies such as IFFCO are able to assess the value of a number of different business solutions - using technology from a range of leading organizations including Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Symantec and VERITAS - and evaluate the potential return on investment of their planned technology projects.

Martyn Molnar, business solutions architect, Tech Access, said, "The aim of the Tech Access Solutions Center is to be a key resource for businesses in the Middle East and the team here are thrilled that it is being fully utilized by a locally based company such as IFFCO."

"The partnership between Tech Access and IFFCO is a perfect example of how organizations in the region can use our iForce Centre to evaluate the potential return on investment of their planned technology projects, and it further demonstrates the Centre's ability to save customers' time and money," added Molnar.

Launched in July 2002, the US $1 million facility has the capacity to emulate solutions for large banks and oil companies right down to smaller firms. Since its launch, the iForce Center has overseen a number of highly successful solutions tests for companies based in the Gulf and North Africa.

"We're seeing a tremendous diversity in the size and scope of organizations working with the iForce Centre, from manufacturers like IFFCO to public sector departments, all the way to start-ups looking for entry-level solutions like security or storage. The fundamental incentives for companies to use the Centre are the same - organizations want to maximize their IT spend, and guarantee that new initiatives will deliver the results they require," commented Stavros Vougas, Channel and Marketing Manager for Sun Microsystems MENA.