Case Study
OLR fashions ideal Retek support solution to suit Armani
Leading global fashion brand Giorgio Armani manages its IT systems with a small and flexible staff.
To back this technical team, Armani selected OLR as the best solution to provide expert on-call assistance, specific skills for technical initiatives and emergency support when required.
Company Overview:
Fashion is Armani’s core business, not IT support
Giorgio Armani is a long-time Oracle customer that operates a robust and best-of-breed Retek (now Oracle® Retail) Retail Management System. Although Armani is a leading name in the cutting edge of fashion globally, the company does not maintain a large IT infrastructure to support its retail operations. This is a common approach by leading retailers who seek to invest in their business rather than costly IT infrastructure.
Giorgio Armani designs and manufactures products in several categories including fashion accessories, apparel, cosmetics, fragrances, home interiors, jewelry, eyewear and watches under several labels including Giorgio Armani, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, Armani Junior, Armani Exchange A|X, and Armani Casa. Employing about 4700 people, Armani operates 13 factories and nearly 300 stores in 36 countries around the world.
Fashion is Armani’s core business, not IT support
Giorgio Armani is a long-time Oracle customer that operates a robust and best-of-breed Retek (now Oracle® Retail) Retail Management System. Although Armani is a leading name in the cutting edge of fashion globally, the company does not maintain a large IT infrastructure to support its retail operations. This is a common approach by leading retailers who seek to invest in their business rather than costly IT infrastructure.
Giorgio Armani designs and manufactures products in several categories including fashion accessories, apparel, cosmetics, fragrances, home interiors, jewelry, eyewear and watches under several labels including Giorgio Armani, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, Armani Junior, Armani Exchange A|X, and Armani Casa. Employing about 4700 people, Armani operates 13 factories and nearly 300 stores in 36 countries around the world.
Challenge:
System stability undermined by staff departures
Armani manages its IT systems with a small and flexible staff. The company has determined that the best solution to recruiting specialized technical resources is to engage external experts to provide specific skills required to support technical initiatives and emergency support when necessary.
In December 2006, Armani recognized it required additional resources to assist with stabilizing and managing its Retek version 9 RMS / RDW applications. After the departure of technical staff responsible for day- to-day operation of the customized system, Armani found itself experiencing an unstable Retek system without the internal resources to support the system or resolve the problems.
System stability undermined by staff departures
Armani manages its IT systems with a small and flexible staff. The company has determined that the best solution to recruiting specialized technical resources is to engage external experts to provide specific skills required to support technical initiatives and emergency support when necessary.
In December 2006, Armani recognized it required additional resources to assist with stabilizing and managing its Retek version 9 RMS / RDW applications. After the departure of technical staff responsible for day- to-day operation of the customized system, Armani found itself experiencing an unstable Retek system without the internal resources to support the system or resolve the problems.
Solution:
OLR's On-call expertise stabilizes Retek within weeks
Based on OLR’s proven experience and expertise with Retek, Armani selected OLR to address this challenge. OLR was able to examine the Retek applications quickly, assess the most troublesome issues and solve these problems within just a few weeks.
Once the Retek system was stable, Armani was able to move forward with another major project to upgrade its Oracle relational database to Oracle’s version 9i. Once again, Armani called in OLR.
Now able to build for the future on a solid technical foundation, Armani has engaged OLR to support its Retek systems and provide 7 x 24 access to technical resources to solve any emergency issues. OLR also works on internal projects to maximize performance of Armani’s RMS and RDW applications.
OLR's On-call expertise stabilizes Retek within weeks
Based on OLR’s proven experience and expertise with Retek, Armani selected OLR to address this challenge. OLR was able to examine the Retek applications quickly, assess the most troublesome issues and solve these problems within just a few weeks.
Once the Retek system was stable, Armani was able to move forward with another major project to upgrade its Oracle relational database to Oracle’s version 9i. Once again, Armani called in OLR.
Now able to build for the future on a solid technical foundation, Armani has engaged OLR to support its Retek systems and provide 7 x 24 access to technical resources to solve any emergency issues. OLR also works on internal projects to maximize performance of Armani’s RMS and RDW applications.
Benefits:
Successful implementations and happier staff
Giorgio Armani Corp CIO Vicki Cantrell said OLR had rapidly assembled the expert team needed to navigate the complexities of Armani’s Retek system. “OLR was there when we needed them,” she said.
“OLR was able to quickly examine our older highly modified Retek applications, assess the problems, and stabilize our systems even faster than expected. Within weeks Retek was stabilized, our systems were operating efficiently and we were able to move forward with our technical upgrade.
“We could not have moved that fast without OLR’s skilled resources and commitment to Armani. It’s OLR’s people and approach that differentiates them from any consulting company we’ve worked with before. OLR lives Retek / Oracle Retail and really delivers on the its promise of Quality Delivered!”
Successful implementations and happier staff
Giorgio Armani Corp CIO Vicki Cantrell said OLR had rapidly assembled the expert team needed to navigate the complexities of Armani’s Retek system. “OLR was there when we needed them,” she said.
“OLR was able to quickly examine our older highly modified Retek applications, assess the problems, and stabilize our systems even faster than expected. Within weeks Retek was stabilized, our systems were operating efficiently and we were able to move forward with our technical upgrade.
“We could not have moved that fast without OLR’s skilled resources and commitment to Armani. It’s OLR’s people and approach that differentiates them from any consulting company we’ve worked with before. OLR lives Retek / Oracle Retail and really delivers on the its promise of Quality Delivered!”
