Leading Technology Solutions Provider Identifies Key Areas of IT Waste- and Offers Solutions to Counter Them

September 15, 2009

Logicalis, a high-performance IT solutions provider, reveals how using Lean IT to identify and eliminate IT waste can reduce costs and identify opportunities for smart investments.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI, September 15, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Logicalis, an international leader in high-performance technology solutions, has identified several Lean IT practices which help businesses eliminate IT waste and trim their IT "waste lines."

Lean IT is a set of practices for identifying and eliminating waste throughout a company's IT environment. Logicalis emphasizes that these key areas of IT waste exist in nearly every IT environment and take on a number of different forms: hardware infrastructure that takes up too much energy while underperforming, disparate systems replicating processes, and human resources being overworked or outmatched. IT waste is essentially any and every aspect of a business' IT environment that is not functioning efficiently and cost-effectively.

"The principles for Lean IT are similar to those of the lean manufacturing process," Eric Linxweiler, SVP Solution Services, said. "About a decade ago, the manufacturing industry closely examined its production process and identified key areas of waste that were reducing production and utilization and hurting profitability. At Logicalis, we have discovered that this process can easily correspond to the world of IT. Lean manufacturing principles revolutionized the production and manufacturing industry; Lean IT has the capability to yield similarly impactful results."

According to Logicalis, IT waste can be segregated into three distinct areas: non-value added work, overburdened staff and unevenness. The divisions are based on the same production principles that make up the lean manufacturing model. Each of these forms of IT waste exists in nearly every IT environment: even the ones that appear to be operating smoothly and running efficiently.

"When a company adopts Lean IT practices for its business, one of the first and most notable outcomes it can expect to see is growth: growth through new customer acquisition and growth through new revenue streams," continued, Linxweiler. "This is especially important to younger businesses that need to experience growth quickly in order to compete with more established companies and brands."

Wisconsin-based Johnsonville Sausage, the United States' No. 1 brand of bratwurst, Italian sausages, smoked-cooked links and fresh breakfast sausage links, utilized Logicalis' services for its IT management. When Johnsonville extended its SAP implementation across its entire operation, the company looked for a way to provide efficient IT management without taxing its current resources.

At first, the SAP implementation proved to be a strain on the company's IT department. Just keeping the infrastructure up and running was a daunting task; team members were on-call throughout the night, getting several calls and then having to go to work the next day. Through adopting Logicalis' Lean IT practices, Johnsonville was able to unburden its IT department. Johnsonville contracted the monitoring of its IT infrastructure, allowing its resources to focus on core activities and adding new business functionality, or working with plants on changes or additions needed.

"There is a set of tools for every form of IT waste - for retaining existing customers or finding new ones, for uncovering new revenue streams or growing existing ones, for reducing business costs or for boosting employee performance," Linxweiler, said. "Implementing IT practices focused on trimming your IT waste line can bring measurable results like these to all businesses and organizations."

For more information on Lean IT, visit http://www.us.logicalis.com/trim/. Also download the feature story, " Trim Your IT Waste Line: Identify and eliminate waste throughout your IT environment" and listen to the podcast that is also available.

About Logicalis

Logicalis is an international provider of high-performance technology solutions. With more than 1,500 people worldwide, Logicalis delivers smart solutions based on specific needs, not the latest IT trend. Logicalis provides options, direction and support to more than 6,500 corporate and public sector customers. The company attributes its success to the everyday positive experiences with its customers and strategic partners such as IBM, HP and Cisco.

Logicalis has annualized revenues in excess of $1 billion, from operations in the UK, US, Germany and Latin America. Logicalis is a division of Datatec Limited (LSE/JSE:DTC), a $4 billion multi-national organization listed on the AIM market of the LSE and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. With more than 30 offices in the United States, the company's U.S. headquarters are in Bloomfield Hills, MI. For more information about the Logicalis experience, visit http://www.us.logicalis.com.

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