— Case Study Leading U.S. retailer Columbia Sportswear slashes operating costs and increases margins with strategic IT operations management 6x faster password changes 15x faster audit reports Improved IT/business alignment BUSINESS CHALLENGE While many retailers are struggling, Columbia Sportswear Company continues to report record-breaking results in net sales and net income year after year. This innovator in the global outdoor apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment market is experiencing strong momentum behind its brands and expects to set new records in the year ahead. While product innovation distinguishes Columbia from its competitors, management applies the same visionary eye to IT, investing in technology and re-inventing business processes to improve efficiency and support long-term growth. BMC SOLUTION Columbia Sportswear Company INDUSTRY Retail: Apparel CHALLENGE Support revenue-generating business initiatives, reduce operating costs, and increase operating margins to drive longterm growth and business success. SOLUTION BMC Remedy IT Service Management Suite, BMC BladeLogic Network Automation, BMC Atrium CMDB, and BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping are improving Columbia’s operational capabilities and supporting long-term growth. — BMC delivers software solutions that help IT transform digital enterprises for the ultimate competitive business advantage. BMC – Bring IT to Life The IT staff relies on BMC Remedy IT Service Management Suite, BMC BladeLogic Network Automation, BMC Atrium Configuration Management Database, and BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping to manage the IT environment effectively. These solutions are central to IT’s overall strategy of implementing best-practice processes, deploying automated tools in support of those processes, and setting up robust reporting of key performance indicators—while lowering operating costs and improving margins. BUSINESS IMPACT The BMC solutions are helping the operations and platform delivery team keep its product development and customer support infrastructure running smoothly while saving time and money. • Comprehensive, accurate data on IT components and their relationships power detailed reporting for service quality assessments and informed decision making. • The time to implement mass password changes required for security purposes dropped 85%, from 60 hours to less than 10 hours, aligning with industry standards. • With automated configuration and management of network devices, people spend less time on routine maintenance and more time on projects that drive revenue. • Detailed reporting helps IT address auditor requests within two hours—an effort that previously took up to 30 hours. “We support retail locations in North America and Europe, and centralized retail operations at headquarters,” notes Marie Vermeer, senior project manager at Columbia Sportswear. “The issues and questions that arise in our stores are very different from what we experienced in the past. Categorization lets us identify the channels that issues and requests are coming from so we can escalate them appropriately to support the demands of both sides of the business.” BMC, BMC Software, and the BMC logo are trademarks owned by BMC Software, Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners. © 2014 BMC Software, Inc. All rights reserved. *463709*