Case Studies

The Challenge When a company offers to pay its IT provider more money in return for more services, and the provider not only refuses the offer but its service levels con nue to decline, it's me to look for a new provider. That's precisely what happened to Spyder's Informa on Systems Director, Kevin Smith. Tehir contracted IT provider had been purchased for a second me and already declining service levels hit rock bo om when Spyder's headquarters in Boulder experienced an IT outage that shut down opera ons for four days. To make ma ers worse, this outage occurred during one of the busiest mes of the year for Spyder. As a result of an improper back-up system, Spyder lost nine days worth of cri cal shipment data. Since invoices to customers were lost and unable to be retrieved, they had to be recalculated and manually prepared. At the same me, the company was unable to electronically generate orders to its retailers. Spyder's outsourcing provider had also been experiencing turnover problems given its second acquisi on. So, Smith and his internal IT team had to rely on a small and dwindling IT staff to resurrect the system. "Those were some of the worst days of my career, when the system was down," remembers Smith. "And I wasn't confident in the outcome." Once bi en, twice shy is how Smith described his level of distrust and lack of confidence when he set out to hire another IT provider. In evalua ng poten al vendors, Smith iden fied three cornerstone requirements: First, he was seeking a partner with a proven track record that could guarantee reliability and performance. Second, the new company would have to answer an important ques on: How do you intend to support Spyder's business con nuity? For Smith, that meant being proac ve and possessing exper se in disaster recovery standard procedures. Finally, the new provider would be expected to operate as a partner with Spyder — an extension of their business — and possess a similar culture in terms of size and growth. It came down to three poten al vendors — a tough choice according to Smith. He said cost wasn't a determining factor since all vendors offered similar pricing. However, a number of factors led Smith to select OneNeck. Among them, he explained, was OneNeck's "undeniable technical exper se," and "genuine interest in forming a partnership." The Company Spyder Ac ve Sports is the largest ski- specialty brand in the world. The company is renowned for integra ng high-tech fabrics, fashion and func onality. Founded in 1978, Spyder revolu onized ski racing with the introduc on of the first padded slalom sweater designed "for racing, by racers." Today, Spyder products are the choice of many serious skiers and teams including the U.S. Ski Team and Alpine Canada. Rigorously tested by top athletes around the world, Spyder products range from casual sport-lifestyle clothing to outerwear for any condi on. With global headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, Spyder sells products to more than 550 high-quality, specialty retailers in the United States and Canada. Spyder products are also sold outside North America into 50 countries through the company's Spyder-Europe office and through independent distributors around the globe. Customer Case Study Spyder Active Sports Pushing the limits of high performance

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