Computer Arts, Inc. enlisted the help of Desynit to help them to improve the running time of one of their key processes, while keeping their internal IT team appraised of the work as it was being carried out. Desynit enhanced the system performance by 77% by identifying and eliminating the problem areas within their database. By taking the client through the work step by step, Desynit was able to equip CAI with the knowledge and skills they needed to maintain their own system in the future.

Client Overview

Computer Arts, Inc. (CAI) specializes in software development and consulting services for U.S. local government. Their suite of government software runs on a variety of the most popular operating systems on the market today. In addition to these products, CAI maintains a staff of certified Network Engineers providing hardware sales, installation, configuration and support.

Why did they need us?

At the time that CAI contacted Desynit, one of their key business documents was taking so long to run and print that it had become impossible to deliver to clients within the agreed timescales. Our client reported average running times of between 6 hours 30 minutes and 7 hours. CAI’s in-house IT team had made some progress identifying the cause of the slowdown and on Desynit’s recommendation their team had carried out some initial work to improve processing times. This initial fix had reduced the running time to around 3 hours and 30 minutes. However there was still a way to go, and at this point CAI asked Desynit to take a hands-on role to provide a permanent fix. They also asked that Desynit would work hand-in-hand with them, explaining each step of the way, so that their in-house team would be left with the skills and knowledge to maintain their system themselves.

What we did

Desynit carried out a number of fixes to reduce the running time of system. To summarize:-

+ We replaced four existing processes by stored procedures.
+ Gave CAI the tools to help identify and eliminate the bottlenecks within their own system.

In short, Desynit were able to reduce the processing time dramatically. The timing dropped from the initial 6 hours 30 minutes to 1 hour 44 minutes. Additionally, the CAI team was equipped with the knowledge and skills they needed to continue improving and maintaining their own system.

Why they chose us

Desynit was the obvious choice for CAI. Not only had we been recommended by another CA Plex user in their area who was well known to their IT team, we had recognized expertise in the operation of SQL server databases. Desynit were also happy to work with the client to train them on improving their own system, and remaining as self sufficient as possible.

Why they said

"Desynit performed some resolute work on our applications' performance issue. They have brought new technical skills to our developers, which we will apply in future to other areas of our applications."

Shane Harris,
Chief Executive Officer,
Computer Arts, Inc.