Client Overview
A global biopharmaceutical company needed to modernize its technology infrastructure to support geographic expansion, digital business growth, and improved application performance for distributed users.
Industry
Biopharmaceutical / Life Sciences
Geographic Scope
Global
The solution needed to support distributed users and business operations across multiple regions while maintaining performance, reliability, security, and speed.
Engagement Summary
Modernizing infrastructure through cloud strategy, managed services, and hybrid delivery
As the company expanded globally and advanced its digital business strategy, it needed the speed, agility, and scalability that cloud computing could provide. A key goal was to use cloud services to move applications closer to end users and improve the overall user experience.
BCforward partnered with the company’s IT leadership team to design and implement a cloud services and managed services solution aligned with business, financial, and operational goals.
Business Challenge
The company needed to modernize its infrastructure without creating unnecessary capital expense or operational disruption. Its IT leadership team wanted a cloud-based model that could support faster application deployment, improved scalability, stronger operational efficiency, and better user experiences across global markets.
The organization also needed a partner that could evaluate potential service providers, develop a solution model, and help guide the transition from strategy through implementation.
Strategic Requirements
The solution needed to support several priorities:
- Shift infrastructure investment from CapEx to OpEx
- Improve speed to market for application deployment
- Increase operational efficiency
- Establish lifecycle best practices
- Support Development, Test, QA, Pre-Production, and Production environments
- Provide secure, scalable, reliable, and highly available infrastructure
- Enable ongoing monitoring, management, and support
BCforward’s Approach
BCforward worked closely with the company’s IT leadership team to understand the current-state environment, business drivers, technical requirements, and financial objectives.
The team developed a concept design for the underlying infrastructure, taking each stage of the software development lifecycle into account. BCforward also evaluated its service provider ecosystem and identified three qualified providers to develop detailed solution and financial models.
Working with the client, BCforward helped compare the options, select the final provider, and align the chosen solution with business and operational needs. A dedicated project manager led implementation calls, coordinated stakeholders, and maintained daily status communication with the client.
Implementation Timeline
BCforward managed the engagement through a structured implementation timeline designed to move the client from planning to deployment with clarity and accountability.
The implementation included:
- Discovery and current-state assessment
- Business, financial, and operational requirements gathering
- Cloud infrastructure concept design
- SDLC environment planning
- Service provider evaluation
- Financial model review
- Final solution and provider selection
- Implementation planning
- Public cloud, private cloud, and managed hosting deployment
- Active Directory and WAN integration
- Testing, validation, and final delivery
Solution Delivered
BCforward delivered a fully managed hybrid cloud solution designed to provide secure, scalable, reliable, and highly available infrastructure.
The solution included:
- Public cloud environments for Development, Test, and QA
- Private cloud environments for Production Web and Application Servers
- Dedicated managed hosting for database and enterprise application servers
- Active Directory integration
- Wide Area Network integration
- Infrastructure, licenses, monitoring, management, and ongoing support through a monthly service model
Business Outcomes
The solution enabled the company to move from a capital expense infrastructure model to an operating expense model. Infrastructure, licensing, monitoring, management, and ongoing support were delivered through a monthly charge, reducing the need for upfront CapEx investment.
Key outcomes included:
- No upfront CapEx required
- Faster infrastructure deployment
- Improved scalability and reliability
- More efficient ongoing infrastructure management
- Stronger alignment between technology investment and business needs
- Full infrastructure delivered ahead of deadline
