1 Customer Case Study Deltek First “We chose the Deltek First cloud-based solution, because it is secure to access and gives us the capability to complete work from anywhere in the world.” » Ryan Rasmussen, President and CEO, Fieldstone Engineering Fieldstone Mid-sized architecture and engineering firm implements Deltek First to unite its mobile workforce in the cloud The Challenge Most everyone has imagined their dream home. For Fieldstone Architecture and Engineering, its job is to make those dreams a reality. A fast-growing, 25 employee architecture and engineering firm licensed across the mid-west and east coast of the United States, Fieldstone has over 100 years of combined experience working with some of the nation’s most successful home builders, component manufacturers and design firms. Primarily operating in the field of residential design, Fieldstone focuses on creating innovative, modern and environmentally sustainable housing solutions around the world. In 2012, Fieldstone found itself at a crossroads. While the organization was rapidly expanding its portfolio, Fieldstone’s increasingly mobile workforce and its need for project managers to know when designers were available for projects forced the firm to reevaluate its previous pieced- together front- and back-office systems. These systems were creating challenges for employees who worked remotely –there were multiple systems that needed updating, they were hard to access and the information the employees needed was not in one central location. It was also challenging for Project Managers to schedule resources for different projects because no one had visibility into what resources were available and when. “Many of our employees either work from home or reside in different states,” says Ryan Rasmussen, President and CEO of Fieldstone. “We’ve been able to gain quite a few talented people simply because we allowed them to work from home.” Fieldstone realized these employees needed information the current systems just could not provide and the lack of information was hampering the decision-making process of the firm. “We were previously only working with whatever stand-alone systems we had available in Microsoft Office. It was a struggle to piece together everything we could to keep the company together,” stated Rasmussen. The Solution Because the majority of the firm’s employees worked remotely, Fieldstone soon realized that a cost-effective, cloud-based ERP solution could eliminate information siloes, get the right people the right access to the information they needed and keep its distributed workforce profitable. After an extensive evaluation, Fieldstone only found one solution that met its needs – Deltek First Vision Essentials. As a cloud-based solution, Deltek First is deployed in a secure environment and accessed through the web. Deltek First is accessible from anywhere, is highly secure and is always up-to- date. Best of all, the solution is managed for the ieldstone F ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING & bcsprosoft.com/deltek-vision Experience. Expertise. Results. Experience. Expertise. Results.
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1
Customer Case Study
Deltek First
“We chose the Deltek First cloud-based solution, because it is secure to access and gives us the capability to complete work from anywhere in the world.”
» Ryan Rasmussen, President and CEO, Fieldstone Engineering
FieldstoneMid-sized architecture and engineering firm implements Deltek First to unite its mobile workforce in the cloud
The Challenge Most everyone has imagined their dream home. For Fieldstone Architecture and Engineering, its job is to make those dreams a reality. A fast-growing, 25 employee architecture and engineering firm licensed across the mid-west and east coast of the United States, Fieldstone has over 100 years of combined experience working with some of the nation’s most successful home builders, component manufacturers and design firms. Primarily operating in the field of residential design, Fieldstone focuses on creating innovative, modern and environmentally sustainable housing solutions around the world.
In 2012, Fieldstone found itself at a crossroads. While the organization was rapidly expanding its portfolio, Fieldstone’s increasingly mobile workforce and its need for project managers to know when designers were available for projects forced the firm to reevaluate its previous pieced-together front- and back-office systems. These systems were creating challenges for employees who worked remotely –there were multiple systems that needed updating, they were hard to access and the information the employees needed was not in one central location. It was also challenging for Project Managers to schedule resources for di�erent projects because no one had visibility into what resources were available and when.
“Many of our employees either work from home or reside in di�erent states,” says Ryan Rasmussen, President and CEO of Fieldstone. “We’ve been able to gain quite a few talented people simply because we allowed them to work from home.” Fieldstone realized these employees needed information the current systems just could not provide and the lack of information was hampering the decision-making process of the firm. “We were previously only working with whatever stand-alone systems we had available in Microsoft Office. It was a struggle to piece together everything we could to keep the company together,” stated Rasmussen.
The SolutionBecause the majority of the firm’s employees worked remotely, Fieldstone soon realized that a cost-e�ective, cloud-based ERP solution could eliminate information siloes, get the right people the right access to the information they needed and keep its distributed workforce profitable. After an extensive evaluation, Fieldstone only found one solution that met its needs – Deltek First Vision Essentials.
As a cloud-based solution, Deltek First is deployed in a secure environment and accessed through the web. Deltek First is accessible from anywhere, is highly secure and is always up-to-date. Best of all, the solution is managed for the
ieldstoneFARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING&
bcsprosoft.com/deltek-vision
Experience. Expertise. Results. Experience. Expertise. Results.
2 bcsprosoft.com/deltek-vision
“One of the very specific advantages of this solution is resource planning... Our resource utilization is better and smarter than ever, and that leads to greater profits.”
» Ryan Rasmussen
organization–so an organization can avoid the hassles of hardware, software updates, data back-ups and security monitoring.
“We chose the Deltek First cloud-based solution because it is secure to access and gives us the capability to complete work from anywhere in the world,” Rasmussen says. “Some of the work that we do is international, and for me to get the right information when I’m out of the office is extremely important. Deltek First allows us to tie our entire organization together, even though we’re all working out of di�erent locations.”
The BenefitsFieldstone saw immediate benefits from its simple, quick implementation of Deltek First. In addition to connecting the firm on a single, cloud-based management solution, Deltek First is a comprehensive firm management solution specifically designed for architecture and engineering organizations– not some vast generic system that needs lots of customizations. Because Deltek First is purpose-built for its business, Fieldstone could get to work implementing the solution right away. “We’re really reaping the most tremendous benefits by having such a diverse and well-rounded package,” Rasmussen continues. “We’re using the software right o� the shelf, because everything that’s in the solution is exactly what we need as an AE Firm.”
Implementation Made SimpleFieldstone knew going in to its implementation that Deltek First was a fully-integrated solution that was simple to buy and easy to own. However, by working with Deltek partner, SilverEdge, Fieldstone was able to reap one more benefit: instant deployment across its entire organization.
“With help from SilverEdge, we were fully operational with Deltek First in just two and a half weeks,” Rasmussen says.
Rasmussen also notes that the new solution’s capabilities would not have positively impacted Fieldstone so quickly if it had not been for SilverEdge’s commitment to their solution deployment. As a results-driven implementation and consulting provider comprised of experts who have worked within the Professional Services industry, SilverEdge works directly with firms to identify areas of software optimization, strategic goals and initiatives.
“We believe that a software investment should provide returns for our clients,” says Maria Vedral, President for SilverEdge. “For Fieldstone, we utilized our comprehensive, five-step process of Discover, Plan, Implement, Customize and Support to ensure their success with Deltek First Vision Essentials.”
Informed DecisionsFieldstone soon realized by having all of its data in one system, and having a system that could easily be accessed anywhere, anytime by everyone in the organization, that it now has the information it needs to make intelligent decisions. “When we were relying on Excel and QuickBooks, we were really limited from a visibility standpoint,” states Rasmussen. “Going with Deltek First allowed people to collaborate more easily and allowed me, as CEO, to make more informed decisions on steering the company in the right direction.”
Resource Control For a mid-sized, growing company like Fieldstone, ensuring the right resources are being used on the right projects is critical in order for them to be appropriately allocated and profitable. With Deltek First, Fieldstone has visibility into all of its resources so the right resource is assigned to the right project, adjustments can be made if necessary, and scheduling resources is done with up-to-date and current information.
© 2013 Deltek, Inc. All rights reserved. All referenced trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 012413-v13
“One of the very specific advantages of this solution is resource planning,” Rasmussen confirms. “Because we’re a smaller company, our resources are extremely valuable. Now, we no longer have project managers fighting over who’s going to get the designer’s time, and there’s no more confusion about planning or understanding if a resource is already booked. Our resource utilization is better and smarter than ever, and that leads to greater profits.”
SecurityDespite unproven fears about the ‘dangers of cloud security’—moving to Deltek First actually enabled Fieldstone to improve system security, while alleviating worries of data penetration. Deltek’s rigorous 24/7 safeguards matched or exceeded the security Fieldstone had in place in its internal environment. Fieldstone could trust that data isn’t shared or co-mingled and is backed up routinely from one data center to another for reliable access even in the event of a catastrophe. Stringent security protection mitigates concerns about potential vulnerabilities. “We’re a small company that doesn’t have the same resources—i.e. somebody who is completely devoted to keeping your information secure—that a larger firm might have,” Rasmussen explains. “We know that if someone actually really wanted to go after that information, we were a lot more vulnerable keeping it on our site, versus it being with Deltek’s around-the-clock professionals.”
ConclusionFor Fieldstone, moving to Deltek First meant having more accessible data all in one place to be able to make more informed decisions, visibility into resources so it could better plan projects and tighter security to keep data safe. “With our company’s fast growth and entry into international markets, we needed a cloud-based ERP solution that could unite and manage our business,” Rasmussen concludes. “Without a doubt, we recommend Deltek First to other firms, primarily due to the vast amount of capability the solution has righ f. It fits every aspect of our business perfectly.”
The Deltek Advantage
• More informed decisions
• Better resource control and higher utilization
• World-class security
• Industry-specific capabilities built for AE firms
Solution: Deltek First Vision Essentials
Experience. Expertise. Results. Experience. Expertise. Results.
Headquarters:San Antonio, Texas2700 Lockhill SelmaSan Antonio, TX 78230 (800) 882-6705
Nationwide Locations:San Antonio (210) 308-5505
Houston (713) 838-1234
Denver(303) 662-9990
Honolulu(808) 345-8015
BCS Prosoft is the leading provider of business management technology solutions to small and medium-sized businessesthroughout North America with o�ces in San Antonio, Houston, Denver and Honolulu. Since 1986 BCS has been helping clients achieve �nancial goals, maximize operating e�ciency, and realize potential through the e�ective use of technology. As National Partners with Sage Software, Deltek, and NetSuite, BCS Prosoft has a vast network of resources available to ensure that your business is up to speed with the latest technology. With clients in dozens of industries including Wholesale Distribution, Manufacturing, Equipment & Event Rental, Architecture & Engineering and Professional Services, we have thetechnological experience and expertise that produce meaningful results and allows your business to grow year after year.
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