Auxis

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an American cloud computing and virtualization technology company with headquarters in Palo Alto, California. I'm the Senior Manager of Intelligence Automation CoE, is responsible for managing the development, architect, and maintenance of intelligent automation on cloud and on-premises platforms. Responsible for managing and deploying Robotic process automation using UiPath and MS Power platforms and managing the infrastructure automation practice using PowerShell, API, Azure, AWS and many other automation technology and toolset.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Auxis?

Our goal with this project is to automate the full delivery process from code check-in to deployment to the production environment. Releasing a new version should be possible at any time with the confidence of full automation. Continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) embody a culture, set of operating principles, and collection of practices that enable application development teams to deliver code changes more frequently and reliably.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We search online for local Costa Rica IT Consultant firms with proven knowledge of the subject matter. Then we shortlisted 3 companies and requested a demo meeting with their engineering teams.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

It has become more and more important to bring the RPA automations to the business teams as soon as possible, unfortunately the release of this automations is complex. One reason is that the deployment to production environments currently involve numerous manual time-consuming and error-prone steps, as well as challenging handovers between groups and missing test automation.

• RPA Project Testing Assessment, design, implementation of the test automation for existing RPA CoE projects
• RPA Projects Test cases and Test Data Create test cases and collect/generate test data for the test automations for existing RPA CoE projects.
• RPA CI/CD setup Setup and configure the CI/CD architecture to run the project pipeline
• RPA CI/CD pipeline Define and configure the steps of the CI/CD pipeline to automatically test and deploy projects
• CI/CD implementation Incorporate and test the CI/CD pipeline in the automations included in project
• Knowledge Sharing Knowledge transfer, proper documentation and training for VMware Designers about the CI/CD approach and hands-on changes performed for build test automations

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Solutions Architect, Business Analyst and Two developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Implement and deploy test automation for ten (10) RPA Projects with various complexities. As long with their test repositories. Also, they set up the CI/CD servers and configure all the necessary connections and plug-ins to the Orchestrator servers, code repositories, and any other required tool

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was fluid and teamwork was really strong, multiple knowledge-sharing sessions were hosted and recorded for training purposes.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Team with very deep technical knowledge of the tools with good experience doing similar implementation both internally and externally with other customers.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Needed to customize some of their project management practices in order to ensure proper visibility and tight control of the spending and tracking of activities.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of an aviation solutions company. We provide equipment used to transport cargo and other commodities in the aviation industry. We also have a comprehensive network of maintenance and repair stations and a digital solutions unit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Auxis?

We hired them to improve our managed IT services division. We wanted to keep costs down while providing a strong 24/7 service desk for internal and external users. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They utilize a service test program called SysAid that captures our customer transactions and gives us monthly KPI reviews. They’ve also been exploring and implementing robotic process automation. 

What is the team composition?

There’s an infrastructure manager in charge of the day-to-day operations and works directly with senior leadership. Several service representatives assist our team and customers with issues. I’m unsure of the exact number since they work 24 hours per day, so there are multiple shifts. 

How did you come to work with Auxis?

My company started working with them before I started working there. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them for two or three years, and our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They’ve done a tremendous job of growing with us. When problems arise, they’re responsive and helpful. They have a high-level view because of their experience working with such large companies. We reap the benefits of their experiences with other projects. 

How did Auxis perform from a project management standpoint?

Our projects are executed on time and within budget. The only times we’ve ever been late was due to consequences outside of Auxis’s control. They’re extremely responsive, and I never have to follow up or nag them. We have mutual respect for one another. We treat each other as if we work for the same company. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I had someone tell me once, “it’s not about the service you provide; it’s about the service you provide when things go wrong.” Auxis is very responsive if something isn’t working properly. They will help us through any challenges. They stand behind their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I can think of that they need to change.