Case Studies
Number 1: Celgene Pharmaceuticals, Inc.—CelgeneOne Education Portal
One of KIARO Computer Solution's partners developed an Education Portal for Celgene Pharmaceuticals, Inc. This Portal continues to run Celgene's International Intranet and requires frequent updating. Two years after the Portal's launch, KIARO Computer Solutions Partners was approached to update the technology and develop a Graphic User Interface (GUI) that would allow a non-technical user to update classes, times, and locations while keeping the original design.
Challenges
The site was originally coded in HTML and Javascript at the client's request for ease of low-tech savvy administrator changes. This limited the site's dynamic functionality.
- Changes were made by non-technical personnel, resulting in unwanted ragging of text and limiting the adherence to styles within the course catalog.
- All changes were being made on a local workstation, creating the need for the entire site to be re-approved and re-uploaded every time by the IT department to a separate server. This was a lengthy process taking up to a week for each update.
- Correction of issues arising with the site after "going live" were required to go through this lengthy approval cycle again.
- The Education Portal was not connected to the Human Resources Department's database; yet, it is a vital component of that department.
- The site contained several languages, one of which included an Asian character alphabet. Others included different language-specific character encoding.
- Each class in the site was categorized by management classifications. Several of these fell into multiple categories and limited the use of a flat file to upload the content.
Solutions
We created several PHP modules that were inserted into the current HTML site. This kept the original site design, but added functionality for non-technical personnel.
During a discussion on future applications of this Portal at our first meeting with Celgene Pharmaceuticals, it became apparent that their eventual goal was to integrate this Portal with their Human Resources' database that was running PeopleSoft technology.
We developed PHP modules that include the functionality to export from the current course database an Excel file. Additionally, we moved the Portal to the server that housed Human Resources' technology; therefor, bypassing the time lag inherent in the previous update process. The greatest capability of this restructuring is that it shortened the timeline for the Portal's integration with Human Resources' PeopleSoft database from the Client's projected five-year timeframe to KCS Partners' one-year timeframe.
Summary
KCS Partners created a GUI using php modules, enabling a non-technical user to upload changes to the Education Portal from an excel spreadsheet that could interface with PeopleSoft. This gives Human Resources the ability to track courses offered and employee progress through these courses. Several languages were added and the management levels were updated. Working with IT and HR we created a template for the spreadsheet that incorporated all the classes and categorized them by management level and management competency. This was accomplished within 8 months.
Number 2: Ipsen Pharmaceuticals—Smooth Transition of Brand between Servers and Elimination of Impending Significant Downtime
Apokyn is a brand that was developed by Vernalis Pharmaceuticals, and later sold to Ipsen Pharmaceuticals. The Apokyn WebSite was designed and produced for Vernalis by one of KIARO Computer Solutions' founder. Nick Chiacchiaro, (through another agency). As producer of this site, we have always continued to track the performance and maintenance of the site. When it came to the attention of KIARO Computer Solutions Partners that the contracting agency [who also hosted this site] had closed it doors, it began to pay attention to the maintenance of the Apokyn WebSite. When it became apparent that the hosting, no-longer-existent agency was about to lose its hosting capabilities, it was time to contact the client.
Challenges
- To assure the continuance of the Apokyn WebSite
- To make aware to the client (that was unaware that their hosting company was defunct) that their site was about to go down.
- Aid in the transferal of all WebSite elements and technology to the Client's server.
Solutions
Being the original developer, the partner had all the necessary web files for the Apokyn WebSIte. We installed the files to our server and tested them fully. We then contacted the brand managers at Ipsen Pharmaceuticals [with whom we had a previous relationship] to make them aware of the impending downtime their brand's site was destined to experience in the upcoming days.
Upon Ipsen's approval, we moved the DNS pointers to KIARO Computer Solutions Partners' server. As Ipsen has its own web server, its acquisition plans included the migration of all their newly acquired brands to their internal web server. After several months of hosting, we worked with Ipsen's IT Team to migrate the website—inclusive of all files, technology and databases—to Ipsen's web server. This happened seamlessly and without the occurrence of any downtime.
Summary
Ipsen was extremely grateful to KIARO Computer Solutions Partners for preserving their site's existrnce and integrity and for the seamless migration to their server. They remain a good friend to KCS Partners.