iQuate - inventory, innovation, insight

The Problem

Magotteaux is the leading global supplier of grinding media and mill internals used in the cement, mining and aggregate industries and coal-fired utility plants and wear resistant parts in the dredging industry, with offices in 26 countries across 3 continents. The complexity of their network meant that they were experiencing difficulties compiling an accurate inventory of its IT network. This left the organization exposed to unknown cost, security and compliance risks.

The Solution

Management recognized this as a serious issue and, with their partner PwC, began the search for a method of maintaining an accurate IT inventory that worked within key operational constraints:

• Agent software must not be installed on machines to be audited
• Any tool did not cause network disruption of any kind
• The solution could be deployed with network speeds as low as 256K

Following an extensive competitive trial process, iQSonar from iQuate was selected as the tool to provide this accurate IT inventory.

iQSonar was installed in a matter of hours and tailored to the information gathering requirements of the company’s IT management, including the use of custom queries to interrogate ‘home grown’ company specific applications.

The Result

iQSonar provided an accurate breakdown of all hardware and software that physically existed on the network – discovering 2,086 machines in 26 countries across 3 continents in just 2 days – many of these were in remote locations with poor network connectivity. The network inventory was conducted from HQ with no local intervention required.

“We now have an intimate knowledge of our network, that is not just data about what exists and where it is situated, but the ability to pin‐point any licensing, compliance and security risks as they emerge regardless of location.” Client Manager

The Benefits

Management finally had access to an accurate and complete picture of all hardware and software that physically existed on the network. This initial scan allowed them to discover critical information with potential major financial, legal and operational consequences. This included:

• Detailed software reconciliation generated savings in excess of €400,000 on Oracle licensing.
• Some machines were discovered with peer-to-peer software installed
• Hardware not belonging to the company was installed on the network
• Anti-Virus software missing from some machine

This project was delivered in conjunction with