The Associated Press Increases IT Service Availability by 64% with EasyVista

The Associated Press needs no introduction. For over 170 years, it has covered breaking news and provided in-depth investigative reports in pursuit of its mission to inform the world. The independent news cooperative has earned 52 Pulitzer Prizes and has become a household name in the process.

The AP does whatever it takes to get news out to its member news organizations and customers—from its history of delivering the latest stories by pony express in 1846 to utilizing more innovative virtual channels today. That same mentality can be found in its IT service management organization, which ensures journalists and other end users have access to the employee services and support they need to get stories out as quickly as possible.

IT Service Availability Challenges for a Global Workforce

Like many IT organizations today, the AP serves a geographically dispersed workforce spread across 263 locations in 106 countries. Moreover, its journalists—who account for two-thirds of its staffers—are often away from their desks, reporting from campaign trails, trading floors, red carpets, and even war zones. IT is responsible for ensuring its employee services are available at all times—no matter the user’s location or time-zone.

The Associated Press produces over 2,000 stories each day—and IT can’t make any changes that could impact a breaking news story. It’s vital that its IT organization utilizes a proven service management platform built with the ITIL framework and best practices in mind.

Newsworthy Improvements in ITSM

When it was time for AP to replace its basic ticketing system, EasyVista provided a practical solution with a vision for Service Apps and its easy-to-manage ITSM platform with the ability to support users across the globe. The AP began laying a solid foundation by implementing Incident Management and Service Request in 2013. Change Management was launched in 2015, followed by Knowledge Management in 2016. By implementing EasyVista Service Manager, its IT organization has realized substantial benefits:

• High IT service availability – Between 2015 and 2016, service availability was increased by 64% using EasyVista.

• Streamlined service management – AP is now able to use the same tool for Incident, Service Request, Change, and Knowledge Management, which streamlines processes and accelerates ticket resolutions.

• Easy day-to-day administration – EasyVista’s easy-to-use platform allows the company to handle approximately 4,000 service interactions per month.

• Adherence to best practices – By using a tool grounded in the ITIL framework, it’s simple to fulfill its commitment to following proven processes because they are embedded within the service architecture itself.

• Cost savings – EasyVista’s codeless platform eliminates the need for expensive developers, keeping total cost of ownership down.

Next Up: Service Apps

The Associated Press plans to roll out EasyVista’s Service Apps technology so users can leverage self-service portals that provide a modern, responsive service experience. Journalists will be able to submit requests and check on ticket statuses from anywhere, at any time, and via any device. Additionally, automated workflows within Service Apps will free up time for IT staff and speed up ticket resolutions.

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