How Johnson Financial Group saved 2,000 hours with a modern desktop initiative

SHI helps Johnson Financial Group modernize their device delivery, improve remote asset tracking, and refocus their IT resources.

Challenge:

Operating since 1970, Johnson Financial Group takes pride in the exceptional banking solutions they provide their customers across Wisconsin and Minnesota.

But as JFG attempted to modernize their IT and transition to a hybrid work model, two obstacles stood in their way. First, JFG needed to overhaul their time-intensive, ticket-based process for getting employees the devices they needed. Second, they lacked key visibility into the disposition of their IT assets.

All employee device requests, including peripherals, were made through an IT ticket, handled one-at-a-time by JFG’s IT team. This system was no match for the huge influx of hybrid peripheral requests they’d receive. JFG’s service desk would become so flooded with requests that actual, urgent IT needs would get lost in the noise.

Adding to the chaos, JFG also needed to improve asset tracking for all their widely distributed devices and applications. Their IT team was stuck in a cycle of training and reeducation to meet their new needs. And when it became clear their existing Microsoft service provider couldn’t guide them through right-sizing their licensing, JFG knew they couldn’t reach their goals alone. They turned to SHI for help.

Solution:

To streamline our customer’s device procurement process, SHI collaborated with the JFG team to build a custom ordering portal with offerings based on the organization’s standards. We helped JFG automate the process for employees to choose their preferred equipment and enabled users to view real-time inventory information, informing their selections based on what could quickly ship.

Our custom portal solution standardized hardware ordering and provisioning, while our Zero Touch X deployment and configuration services enabled our customer to modernize their device deployment. JFG could now refocus IT staff on more strategic initiatives.

To regain control of JFG’s overall IT asset visibility and better prepare for their upcoming Microsoft renewal, SHI’s IT asset management (ITAM) team performed Process Maturity and Optimized License Position (OLP) assessments. Our experts created a single, reliable view of all relevant and auditable hardware and software assets while highlighting the strengths and weaknesses in their current ITAM processes. Then, we analyzed their license purchase history to right-size their entitlements for each vendor and safeguard JFG against audit and compliance risk.

Through our discoveries, SHI gave much-needed visibility into the licensing components of JFG’s environment. We provided actionable, tailored roadmaps for asset management, license consolidation, audit readiness, and contract renegotiation.

Outcome:

SHI’s custom ordering portal helped Johnson Financial Group consolidate vendors, provide individualized device configuration, and drastically reduce total IT hands-on via Zero Touch X. Supporting approximately 1,200 employees, this new, streamlined process is estimated to have saved JFG about 2,000 hours of work within the past year.

And in the words of Erin Zickus, JFG’s Senior VP IT Director, “You’re never going to succeed at knowing Microsoft like SHI knows Microsoft.” Our Team of ITAM experts helped set JFG on the path toward contract compliance, agreement organization, and license right-sizing.

With help from SHI, JFG modernized their IT processes, refocused resources toward strategic initiatives, empowered effective hybrid work, and created automated, standardized device procurement processes.