Platform

Private Cloud

Solution

• HIPAA Compliance
• Customized Managed Hosting Services
• DRaaS

Results

• Increased visibility
• Improved operational support
• Enhanced transparency and communication

Southern Anesthesia & Surgical Inc. (SASRx), an owned operating company of Henry Schein since 2017, is a nearly 40-year-old medical supply logistics company specializing in anesthesia and surgical instrumentation and has expertise in controlled substances management. CSS offers expert implementation and integration consulting as well as managed services for the full range of Oracle Cloud Applications and on-premise ERP solutions. SASRx struggled with support challenges for its JD Edwards environment and found support from CSS. Upon learning that SASRx also had issues with its hosting provider, CSS recommended Connectria knowing the team could deliver the expertise and support SASRx desperately needed. Learn how Connectria and CSS partnered together to provide the perfect solution.

The Challenge

For years, SASRx had struggled with support challenges for its JDE environment which is used for the company’s order processing. The environment was previously hosted by two larger pharmaceutical companies and then externally hosted with a JDE application services provider who combined hosting and application support. The service provider relationship was unsteady with poor incident response, less than ideal turnaround, and a myriad of other challenges. “What was really awful was the lack of transparency and the fact that I couldn’t talk to people. Ultimately, I need to understand what’s going on in order to make good decisions,” said Ashley Spicer, SASRx IT Director.

SASRx leveraged support from CSS to overtake care and maintenance of its JDE environment. “CSS stepped in and really helped us get the application straightened out. As far as JDE service providers go, CSS is the best I’ve seen. They’re awesome!” said Spicer. However, SASRx and CSS continued to struggle because of a variety of preceding issues that fought their efforts to get back on track. Once they were able to stabilize the application, the SASRx team and CSS brought in Connectria. CSS and Connectria had an existing working relationship, so the CSS team knew Connectria could deliver.

Spicer stated that “While we considered other providers, most of them felt like they were trying to be all things to all people. Most of them had big groups of application service providers as part of their company and that wasn’t what I wanted because that was the experience I had already gone through. I was looking for something exactly like what it turns out to Connectria does. Connectria has the skill level, they’re accessible, accountable, and I can get to them with questions or anything I need.”

The Solution

Connectria replaced SASRx’s hosting partner and provided database support while CSS managed ongoing integration and JDE database support. According to Spicer, “The transition went seamlessly. The best thing is how responsive the Connectria team is and how skilled they are. The level of expertise we have immediate access to is amazing!”

Connectria provided exceptional flexibility in regard to hosting and managing server environments. Connectria’s Hosting Solutions permit SASRx to purchase the server capacity they need, when they need it, for as long as they need it – backed by Connectria’s managed services and support. The overall solution provided:

• 24/7 monitoring
• Vendor management
• Systems administration
• Data backups & restores
• O/S upgrades and patches
• Complete 24/7 administration and support of SASRx’s environment
• Problem determination/problem resolution of issues affecting the environment

With Connectria managing hosting needs and CSS managing the JDE environment, SASRx could finally breathe easy.

The Results

Ultimately, Connectria’s team of experts helped SASRx and CSS deliver the necessary level of service. It cost SASRx less for more service from Connectria and from CSS. Everything became more efficient which in turn, created savings opportunities.

Furthermore, by working with Connectria, SASRx finally had peace of mind. That peace of mind also extended during the 2020 pandemic, which no one saw coming. If SASRx had not completed this project when it did, the applications and the infrastructure would not have been healthy enough to send its office and sales teams to work remotely. In hindsight, by working with Connectria SASRx may have potentially saved its business.

Overall, the CSS/Connectria partnership has worked out well in providing SASRx necessary support. “The difference between my previous provider and Connectria is night and day. Our availability is through the roof. When we need something, the turnaround is 300% faster,” said Spicer. She continues, “the access that I have to Connectria’s knowledgeable engineers didn’t exist before at all. After everything was completed, my quality of life increased exponentially. I would tell others not to underestimate the impact that a partnership like this can have. You don’t have to get into application technical support, instead, opt for a relationship with the best partners you can find!”