A THREE-STAGE APPROACH

Stabilisation

Under the legacy provider, critical applications failed regularly and were patched up poorly. These quick fixes failed to address underlying causes and often created problems with other systems.

On the first day of operation, the Amdaris team found over 600 tickets waiting to be actioned. Keeping critical applications going was the first concern, however, from the outset, the team also began identifying long-term solutions to permanently eliminate recurring issues. This enabled Petrofac to offer a better user experience to its employees and, consequently, its customers.

Amdaris developers investigated each system, noting which cloud or on-premise servers it was located on and how it integrated with other systems. This information was compiled into a central database and the architecture of Petrofac’s entire application suite was mapped out.

This type of resource had not existed previously, but quickly paid dividends. The team identified multiple applications that were no longer in regular use, which Petrofac was paying for server space to maintain. After a thorough review, these apps were deleted from the system, providing immediate and substantial cost savings.

Optimisation

As well as helping Petrofac to reduce costs, the system architecture database enabled the team to identify which applications were dependent on, particular on-premise or cloud servers, and to know exactly what impact any reconfiguration would have. This meant Amdaris could innovate applications with as little disruption as possible.

Amdaris increased automation by integrating complementary applications and therefore reducing the need for manual data entry. Existing automation was improved and accelerated, resulting in dramatic improvements in functionality by reducing report generation time from days to minutes.

A regular challenge was encountering applications built using out-of-date technology. Before these applications could be digitally transformed, developers needed to stabilise and optimise the current versions. The teams’ proactive attitude and problem-solving skills were essential assets for working with the extremely old code, but the process provided a clear justification for the move to new technology.

Enhancement

As optimisation progressed, the cost of ownership for Petrofac was reduced because the Application Support team no longer needed to spend time on maintenance. After only six months, their focus switched to enhancing applications to boost efficiency and further reduce costs. Some examples of how Amdaris has helped streamline Petrofac’s operations:

Cloud Optimisation: analysed the server use of one in-house AI system and identified an opportunity to consolidate Azure Cloud server use. This reduced running costs by $4,000 per month.
Security Improvements: applied substantial security fixes to multiple in-house applications after penetrating testing performed by a third-party supplier.
High-Impact Enhancements: implemented several improvements to Petrofac’s SharePoint system, including migrating data from on-premise applications online, and developed new SharePoint applications for the demand management process and quality control department.

After only two years of working with Petrofac, all work in Sharjah is now directed towards improvements that add value to Petrofac’s technology and reduce costs. Thanks to the system architecture database, upgrades can be made with little operational interference. Any unscheduled outages trigger automated alerts so that Amdaris can notify affected parties and begin repairs — often before Petrofac is even aware of an issue.

Additional application support at no extra cost to Petrofac

Despite Amdaris’ responsibilities increasing, the application support in Sharjah began requiring less budget over time, thanks to the optimisations that had been implemented.

Rather than reducing the Amdaris' team’s work, Petrofac asked Amdaris to expand its remit to cover additional application suites, first in the UK, then in Malaysia and Thailand.

The Amdaris Application Support team is now boosting Petrofac’s efficiency across four countries at no extra cost. Petrofac benefits from a modernised, streamlined and secure application suite that provides a superior user experience and significantly reduced processing times for Petrofac’s customers, as well as a steadily declining cost of ownership.