Case Studies

The Challenge U lity and energy companies face considerable market vola lity. Regulatory changes, customer demands and compe ve pressures create constant hurdles. To address these market dynamics, u li es must con nually evaluate business strategies, opera ng performance and technology effec veness. Maine Public Service (MPS) contracted with OneNeck® IT Solu ons, to provide ongoing support for its IT infrastructure, as well as deploy new applica ons to help overcome market challenges. OneNeck implemented Oracle's e-Business Suite Applica on version 11.5.9 to support strategic ini a ves. MPS deployed modules for financials, inventory management and procurement. Although the Oracle applica on improved business informa on for decision making, significant system performance issues surfaced during the following year. Overall, MPS experienced slow system opera on and many non-working func ons. For example, the system reports, self-service me templates and the recoverable tax func onality were not running properly. OneNeck and MPS logged numerous service requests with Oracle to fix the ongoing problems. In response, OneNeck integrated several Oracle recommended "patches" to fix the issues. Unfortunately, these complicated and me-consuming patches did not always fix the problem. Or, a er OneNeck fixed one func on with a patch, another would break. These ongoing system problems created a rocky informa on environment within MPS. Both MPS and OneNeck knew they needed to stabilize the environment and eliminate the ongoing applica on performance issues permanently. A er OneNeck provided a complete analysis of the situa on, MPS had to decide whether to con nue fixing problems with patches or undertake a tricky upgrade to a new applica on version. The OneNeck IT Solutions Answer MPS required top-notch system performance to survive constant regulatory scru ny, meet customer demands efficiently and support the company's long range strategic plan. To meet these requirements, OneNeck presented MPS with a proposal to upgrade the current Oracle applica on to version 11.5.10. Widely known in the industry as a complex and daun ng project, OneNeck was confident they could manage this upgrade smoothly and to a successful outcome, knowing this course of ac on would fix the current 11.5.9 applica on problems, enhance system performance and provide the best solu on from a cost-benefit perspec ve. During the development process, OneNeck tested the applica on mul ple mes over a two month period in off-line environments. The actual produc on upgrade was completed in just six days. In addi on to upgrading the Oracle e-Business Suite applica on to 11.5.10, OneNeck redesigned the underlying database to version 10g and upgraded the opera ng system. The project also required deploying more robust infrastructure to speed the upgrade process, improve system performance, and support MPS' growth plans. All facets of the 2,000-staff project were completed without a hitch. The Company A subsidiary of Maine & Mari mes Corpora on, Maine Public Service provides regulated electric transmission and distribu on services to 17 communi es within the state of Maine. The company operates more than 380 miles of transmission lines and 1,700 circuit miles of distribu on lines within a 3,600 square mile area. Major business ac vi es in the service area center around agricultural and forest products. As an investor-owned energy company, Maine Public Service aims to transmit reliable and economical electric power to meet the expecta ons of their 35,000-plus residen al, commercial and industrial customers. "We were looking for a long-term, reliable partner that could support our complex applica on environment. OneNeck IT Solu ons brought a unique blend of Oracle applica on and u lity industry exper se to the table. Plus, their project management skills and rigorous support processes help us maintain peak system performance." Michael Eaton Vice President of IT Maine Public Service Company Customer Case Study Maine Public Service Putting the power back into ERP

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