Creative Overview
- 1. “Infrastructure Specialists not IT Generalists”
- 2. Business Profile Creative was founded in 2006 providing Network, Compute, Storage & Virtualization consultancy services First UK partner to achieve UCS Advanced Tech Partnership in Oct 2011 Became Cisco Premier Partner in Jan 2012 Became Cisco Silver Partner in Dec 2014 Several of our customers belong to Architectural, Engineering, Construction & Finance industries Our first FlexPod deployment in 2012 was one of Cisco’s largest that year, consisting of 8 pods
- 3. Key Facts URL: wwwcreative-itccom Other Vendor Partnerships: Cisco Meraki, Riverbed, NetApp, F5, VMware, Microsoft, Juniper, Palo Alto, HP, Solarwinds, JetNexus, Checkpoint, X-IO Vertical Markets: Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Oil & Gas, Financial Services, Media and Entertainment Length of Time in Business: 8 years Length of Time as a Cisco Partner: 4 years Global Head Office: London Geographical Footprint: UK/EMEA, US, India, Dubai,Australia ISO9001:2008 certified
- 4. Key Customers • Ove Arup and Partners • Skanska UK • Aecom • Wilkinson & Eyre Architects • Aukett Swanke • Sheppard Robson • Sir Robert McAlpine • Allies & Morrison • Ramboll WhitbyBird • Petrobras • Chicago Bridge & Iron • Severstal • ThreadNeedle Asset Management • Jupiter Asset Management • Standard Charter Bank • Attenda • HighQ • Blackberry/RIM • British American Tobacco • IMCD Our Customer Base
- 5. Creative Expertise in Cisco DC & SDN LAN Switching with Nexus 9K, 7K, 6K, 5K, 4K & FEX UCS Security with ASA 5500 SAN Switching with MDS 9000 DC Automation with UCS Director & CIAC Virtual Networking Nexus 1000v, Application Virtual Switch (AVS) & InterCloud Cloud Networking Services with Netscaler 1000v, vWAAS, vNAM, ASA 1000v, VSG & CSR 1000v Application Network Services: ACE, GSS WAN Optimization: WAAS DC and APP Migrations ATP: Advanced Collaboration Architecture Specialization Advanced Data Center Architecture Specialization ACI Advanced Technology Partner (In Progress) Data Centre Capabilities SDN Capabilities APIC – Enterprise Module Cisco Extensible Network Controller (XNC) Application Centric Infra (ACI) and Nexus 9K
- 7. Overview Creative approach projects with a Plan – Build – Manage process, while incorporating the key elements of PRINCE2 and other methodologies such as ITIL. This customized version gives a proven project approach that not only ensures key deliverables are met, but also puts measures in place to control time, quality and cost. This process allows for flexibility to adapt to customer’s internal project delivery processes where necessary but maintains tight control of those elements deemed critical to successful delivery. Creative value strong project governance, collaboration with the client, open lines of communication and promote a proactive and responsible project team. Delivery Methodology
- 8. Project Management: Gant Chart The following high level schedule and Gant chart was implemented within our Statement of Works (SOW) for a recent project involving British American Tobacco. This was our suggested approach to delivering their Data Centre WAN Edge refresh programme. • Initial Project Kick off meeting to be held on 26th/27th February • Phase 1: Design Workshop to be 27th , 28th & 29th February • Phase 2: Work to be begin Monday 3rd March • Detailed analysis tasks will commence throughout this week • Phase 2: Design options • WC 10th March investigation into any recommended alternative design options will begin • Proposal options forum for discussion to be held 12th March • Phase 3: • Delivery of initial draft for comment to be 18th March (comments to be received by 19th PM no later than 20th AM) • Final Submission to be Friday 21st March PM • Presentation of findings and suggestions to be Friday 21st March AM • Follow up engagement close meeting to be during WC 24th March. This gant chart below was used to illustrate the detailed timeline of this programme.
- 9. Project Management: Risk Analysis Overview With IT today touching so many different areas and people within an organisation, be it physically or remotely; makes the need to carry out project risk analysis and management ever more important. To us it is imperative that as a growing business with a strong emphasis on delivery and in a very competitive market that we identify and reduce any risk that threatens the achievement of any project objectives. Typical reasons why Creative would perform risk analyst and management techniques include: • When there are specific targets that must be met • When there is an unexpected new development in the project • At points of change in the life-cycle of the project (Left) is a screen shot example of a Creative Risk Analysis Register. Below link demonstrates Thread Needle's current office migration Risk Analysis.
- 10. Project Management: Communication Plan Overview Communication in any organisation is vitally important. At Creative we see communication as something of a necessity as we continue to expand our business and it’s reputation. With limited resources on bench often the challenge for us comes when having an engineer overlap on certain projects. This can often make it more difficult to track communication from various sources internally. This is why we have implemented the following Communication Plan, which has recently been implemented as a centralised document, enabling regular updates to be added to help track internally who owns the project and who is responsible for having an input and how frequently communication takes place.
- 11. Design: Creative Methodology Overview Creative have a strict approach to design in order to establish a standard process for all Creative engineers to reference when designing a customer solution. Our aim is to document the process of delivering customer specific network architecture solutions whilst following Cisco recommended top down approach to design, which uses the Priscilla Oppenheimer methodology. We deliver solution advice in both existing and Greenfield designs however both areas should, where at all possible, follow the Cisco Validated Design principals. These principals can be found under Cisco’s Lifecycle Service Approach, known as the PPDIOO process – methodology (depicted right).