A mega global technology conglomerate, with divisions in e-commerce, hyper-scale data centers providing mission-critical on-demand, scalable cloud computing solutions, sought an asset management solution that could match its growing infrastructure demands.
With thousands of facilities and a massive maintenance workforce, the organization required a scalable platform to help streamline operations, optimize infrastructure reliability and support accelerated growth via expanded functionality.
Business challenges
The company encountered several complex challenges that were closely connected across its core divisions.
In its e-commerce business, it operates hundreds of data centers worldwide, supported by more than 10,000 asset and maintenance professionals dedicated to ensuring uptime and reliability to drive revenue generation.
Additionally, the company owns and manages more than 4,000 fulfillment and distribution centers globally, with over 45,000 reliability and maintenance professionals focused on maintaining the integrity of both building infrastructure and mission-critical distribution equipment. This division required a highly scalable and configurable asset management system capable of accommodating regional operational needs and regulatory differences, while delivering a unified digital platform for global oversight.
Each business unit grappled with the complexities of operating in diverse environments and required a solution that was flexible enough to support both custom software development and deployment, which are viewed as strategic competitive advantages and tailored workflows that aligned with unique regional priorities and compliance requirements.
Goals
The tech giant’s primary goal was to optimize asset processes to enhance reliability and efficiency across the enterprise’s operations.
For the cloud computing division, it was essential to leverage advanced insights and analytics to better manage data center infrastructure and minimize downtime.
Improving asset oversight within the fulfillment and distribution networks was critical for the e-commerce division to ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations.
It also wanted to scale the use of an enterprise asset management platform by expanding the number of licenses and integrating new, advanced features capable of supporting continued growth and leveraging leading technologies.
Ultimately, the company chose to expand its use of Attune EAM (formerly HxGN EAM) to create a unified, scalable asset management system capable of adapting to evolving business needs and technological advancements.
Motivation for scaling Attune EAM
The company chose to expand its deployment of Attune EAM due to the platform’s proven ability to manage complex asset operations at scale. Octave’s software demonstrated robust performance in supporting thousands of users across various regions, making it an ideal fit for its global footprint.
Another critical factor was Octave’s capacity to deliver tailored configurations that met the distinct operational and regulatory requirements for the e-commerce and cloud computing divisions.
The company’s longstanding relationship with Octave, combined with active participation in Octave’s Technical User Forums, helped ensure early access to innovative features and facilitated collaboration on solution enhancements.
Additionally, Octave’s on-premise deployment options aligned with their data centers’ stringent security requirements and compliance standards, including controls needed for sensitive infrastructure environments.
Results
The original implementation of Attune EAM was carefully executed more than five years ago to address each division’s operational needs.
For the cloud computing division, an on-premise version of Attune EAM was deployed across more than 350 data centers, supporting an initial 6,000 users and over time, has expanded to 10,000 current users. The focus centered on improving asset reliability and reducing downtime by leveraging advanced scripting and analytics capabilities. The on-premise deployment ensured compliance with internal security protocols and regulatory requirements, safeguarding critical infrastructure assets.
In the e-commerce division, a SaaS-based deployment covered more than 4,000 fulfillment and distribution centers, supporting 25,000 users and over time, has grown to 45,000 during the expansion. Advanced features such as Attune EAM OpenCAD BIM, Open CAD 2D and Python Studio were incorporated to enhance operational automation and data management. The platform was customized to align with the operational priorities of eight regional organizations, enabling localized workflows within a global system.
Benefits
By expanding the use of Attune EAM, the organization made considerable operational improvements including:
Increased efficiency and operational consistency streamlined asset management processes
Reduced downtime and associated cost savings from heightened visibility and proactive management of infrastructure assets
Strengthened agility to support a rapidly growing user base and adapt quickly to new operational demands with a scalable, configurable platform
Enhanced flexibility necessary to accommodate regional and business-specific requirements
Next steps
With successful rollouts in e-commerce and cloud operations, the company is now expanding Attune EAM into its advanced manufacturing division to support a rapidly growing satellite production initiative that will increase global broadband access through a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. This deployment reinforces the platform’s ability to meet stringent security and compliance requirements while adapting to fast-paced, high-growth environments.