Financial Firm Enhances Service, Shrinks IT Costs with Web-Based Collaboration

Microsoft Office System and Exchange Server Customer Solution Case Study

Software Firm Enhances Customer Service, Shrinks IT Costs with Web-based Collaboration

Overview “We’re always looking for ways to improve client Country or Region: United States Industry: Professional Services—IT communications. Microsoft’s dynamic, Web-based services collaboration environment [allows] us to enhance

Customer Profile our support offerings while reducing our operating Based in Monett, Missouri, Jack Henry & costs.” Associates provides computer systems and services for banks and credit unions AsScott a Whisman, technology Corporate provider Services General to the Manager, financial Jack Henryindustry, & Associates Jack Henry & in the United States. The company has more than 8,600 customers and 3,500 Associates has made customer service a key differentiator. The employees. company wanted to offer clients a Web-based collaboration Business Situation environment that would speed problem resolution, allow quick Jack Henry wanted to provide a quick communication of regulatory changes, and improve overall and easy way for employees to collaborate with customers, partners, and responsiveness. Jack Henry made the decision to build its vendors. collaboration portals using Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server Solution 2007. The company expects the move to give it an extremely Jack Henry is using Microsoft® Office cost-effective way to roll out portals companywide, eliminate SharePoint® Server 2007 to deploy client-focused collaboration sites where significant maintenance work, and securely share information teams can share documents and over the Internet. A simultaneous move to Microsoft Exchange discussions, and quickly find relevant information. Server 2007 will strengthen messaging system reliability and give mobile workers an easier way to access e-mail messages Benefits  Superior customer service over the Web.  Cost-effective portal scalability Situation Michael Brittenham, Systems Jack Henry & Associates is a leading Administration Manager for Jack Henry & provider of integrated computer systems Associates. “If a customer was installing and processor of automated teller machine several of our products, our project (ATM) and debit card transactions for manager had to consolidate information banks and credit unions. Jack Henry from various product groups and markets and supports its systems communicate the status back to the client. throughout the United States, and has It was time consuming for our staff and an more than 8,600 customers. The company area where we needed to improve our offers its services to different customer efficiency.” segments under three brands: Jack Henry & Associates, Symitar, and ProfitStars. Jack Henry needed a way to pull together Jack Henry, the parent company, has multiple resources and provide prompt, 3,500 employees in 44 offices and convenient information exchange with revenues of U.S.$550 million. customers. “In any competitive marketplace, customer service is a Founded in 1976, Jack Henry prides itself powerful differentiator,” Brittenham says. on its longevity and its ability to adapt to “It’s what we need to do better than marketplace changes and client demands. everyone else.” For example, the company was one of the first to deploy a client extranet, to give Solution clients online access to news about Jack Henry & Associates wanted a products, regulatory changes, and other collaboration solution through which its issues that might affect their businesses various customer-facing organizations and their relationship with Jack Henry. could connect with customers and partners, and share information and ideas easily and While many of its key business systems securely over the Internet. The company are based on Microsoft® software, Jack considered upgrading its current portal Henry uses Oracle PeopleSoft customer product, but decided to also consider relationship management (CRM) software. Microsoft Office SharePoint® Portal Server Allowing clients to submit customer service 2003. The company had used this software requests online requires tight integration for internal collaboration, with favorable with the PeopleSoft CRM system, so Jack results. When the IT staff heard about the Henry decided to base its extranet portal imminent availability of Microsoft Office on PeopleSoft Enterprise Portal. SharePoint Server 2007, it decided to take a closer look. While the client portal filled the need for service request submittal, it did not provide Two-Day Design Review at Technology extensive online collaboration. “Our Center customers wanted to work more closely The company contacted Microsoft and dynamically with our staff, but our Services, which invited Jack Henry current portal environment didn’t offer this representatives to visit the nearest level of two-way collaboration,” says Microsoft Technology Center for a “ClientWe were portals satisfied based that demonstration. “During our two days there, Dynamic Customer Collaboration Sites we performed a high-level architectural To date, approximately 50 Jack Henry onOffice Office SharePoint SharePoint design of a collaboration portal,” says Mark employees have used Office SharePoint Server 2007 willcould Landoll, Systems Administrator for Jack Server 2007–based portals to facilitate Henry & Associates. “We were satisfied collaboration on a number of topics. One enhancemeet all of our our ability to that Office SharePoint Server 2007 could group of customers and employees is using serviceimmediate our customers meet all of our immediate requirements, as its portal to communicate and collaborate well as provide plenty of functionality for on the effect of regulatory changes on Jack inrequirements, an interactive as well future needs.” Henry products. SharePoint Server 2007 environment.”as provide plenty of gives this group a central place to share Adds Chad Nash, Developer at Jack Henry discussions and documents, search for and functionalityMichael Brittenham, Systems for futureAdministration & Associates, “Our employees have been quickly find information and people, and needs.”Manager, Jack Henry & Associates asking for things like blogs, collaborative track meetings and schedules. Previously, Web sites, and RSS [Really Simple the group was sharing information using Mark Landoll, Systems Administrator, Jack Syndication] feeds, which Office static Web pages and conference calls. Henry & Associates SharePoint Server 2007 delivers. It’s super-easy to customize, offers item-level In addition, an internal development group security, and is more user friendly than is using a portal to communicate product SharePoint Portal Server 2003—and we changes to vendors, with vendors posting were already very happy with that product.” questions for Jack Henry response. Ultimately, a Jack Henry customer might Because the PeopleSoft-based client portal have one or more personalized portals has been a successful addition to the where the customer would work with company’s communication environment relevant Jack Henry employees to and is tightly integrated with the PeopleSoft implement products, resolve problems, and CRM system, the IT staff decided to leave store project documents. “Client portals it in place and set up Office SharePoint based on Office SharePoint Server 2007 Server 2007–based collaboration sites will enhance our ability to service our alongside the PeopleSoft portal. customers in an interactive environment,” Brittenham says. The IT staff started by creating two client portals: Jack Henry & Associates and Office SharePoint Server 2007 runs on two Symitar. In just a few weeks, staffers set up load-balanced application server the development environment, created computers and connects to a Microsoft templates using Microsoft Office SQL Server™ 2005 database cluster and a SharePoint Designer 2007, created domain storage area network. names, set up installation and backup procedures, and deployed content. The At the same time that Jack Henry was staff will be able to extend its initial work to developing its first Office SharePoint create future sites; Jack Henry is initially Server 2007 sites, it was evaluating expecting several new site requests each Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The IT month. staff is very excited about the new high- availability features in Exchange Server “By using Office 2007 (made possible by local and clustered an online discussion board, perform data replication capabilities) and its new keyword searches for needed information, SharePoint Server mobility features. and access the latest versions of 2007, I expect to be documents from a central location,” “We’ve begun to deploy Windows Mobile® Brittenham says. “We anticipate that Office able to reallocate powered devices to our employees, and SharePoint Server 2007–enabled various resources from the enhanced Web-based messaging collaboration will greatly improve our services will be very useful to us,” efficiencies in these areas.” portal development Brittenham says. “Better access to and system messages for mobile workers will help our Cost-Effective Portal Scalability staff be even more nimble in responding to While only 50 users are using the first two administration to our customers.” SharePoint portal sites, Jack Henry developing new projects that ultimately thousands of Benefits employees, customers, partners, and solutions.” With its new portal solution, Jack Henry & vendors will take advantage of similar Chad Nash, Developer, Jack Henry & Associates has been able to enhance its collaboration sites. The use of Office Associates services to customers and provide a SharePoint Server 2007 will give Jack competitive differentiator with secure, Web- Henry a very cost-effective way to scale based collaboration capabilities. collaboration portals in the future. Additionally, the efficiencies created by Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 “We’re always looking for ways to improve should allow Jack Henry to cost-effectively client communications. Microsoft’s deploy many portals and free up IT staff dynamic, Web-based collaboration members’ time for new projects. environment is an excellent addition to our existing infrastructure, allowing us to Superior Customer Service enhance our support offerings while Jack Henry employees can set up reducing our operating costs,” says Scott SharePoint team sites whenever needed Whisman, Corporate Services General without IT assistance, and transcend the Manager for Jack Henry & Associates. limitations of static Web pages, lengthy e- mail trails, and numerous voice messages. Better Use of IT Resources “The ability to offer our clients a dynamic, Jack Henry will realize better IT staff Web-based collaboration tool is a benefit utilization after implementing the new for both Jack Henry and our customers,” collaboration technologies. “Microsoft Brittenham says. “It’s very easy to publish products are based on open industry content to a SharePoint site and very easy standards, so they’re manageable and to access it. allow for cost-effective development,” Nash says. “By using Office SharePoint Server “Rather than making several phone calls to 2007, I expect to be able to reallocate discuss a project, or wading through various resources from portal development scattered e-mail messages and document and system administration to developing folders to recall decisions and data, new solutions.” customers will be able to post messages to For More Information Secure Web-Based Collaboration Microsoft Office System For more information about Microsoft The combination of Office SharePoint The Microsoft Office system is the business products and services, call the Microsoft Server 2007 and the Active Directory® world’s chosen environment for information Sales Information Center at (800) 426- directory service (a central component of work, providing the programs, servers, and 9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft the Windows Server® 2003 operating services that help you succeed by Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- system) gives Jack Henry a secure way to transforming information into impact. 2495. Customers who are deaf or hard- publish Internet-accessible content. “We of-hearing can reach Microsoft text can set document access policies down to For more information about the Microsoft telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) the document level, giving us very granular Office system, go to: 892-5234 in the United States or (905) levels of control for portal content,” Landoll www.microsoft.com/office 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 says. “If we simplify the process to secure United States and Canada, please and share documents, employees and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. customers will be more likely to use portals For more information about the Microsoft To access information using the World to exchange information securely.” server product portfolio, go to: Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com/servers/default.mspx www.microsoft.com For more information about Microsoft For more information about Jack Henry & Exchange Server, go to: Associates products and services, call www.microsoft.com/exchange (417) 235-6652 or visit the Web site at: www.jackhenry.com

Software and Services  Services  Microsoft Office − Microsoft Services − Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer  Technologies 2007 − Active Directory − Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Hardware  Microsoft Server Product Portfolio  Four IBM HS20 blade server computers − Windows Server 2003 − Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 − Microsoft SQL Server 2005

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published January 2007