Anritsu Updates ERP(SAP) with Clarizen

Anritsu Company is the American subsidiary of Anritsu Corporation, a global provider of innovative communications test and measurement solutions. For more than 110 years, Anritsu has provided solutions for existing and next-generation wired and wireless communication systems and operators, including wireless, optical, microwave/RF and digital instruments, as well as operations support systems for R&D, manufacturing, installation and maintenance.

In 2009, Anritsu began the arduous task of updating its SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and recognized the need for a uniform solution to keep all components, team members and resources in sync to maximize time and money spent on any future projects. This initiated a company search for a tool that would help Anritsu to better execute projects, daily work and overall operations.

With Anritsu’s ERP upgrade, the size, length and difficulty of the project increased tenfold. The project scaled up to hundreds of tasks and 20-30 contributors. The management team recognized immediately the need for a user-friendly, intuitive solution with a license model that fit their budget.

Prior to finding Clarizen, Anritsu used Microsoft Project to accomplish small, day-to-day projects. Individual users had ad-hoc methods of dealing with individual tasks, such as color-coded Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and Microsoft Office calendar reminders, inserting those updates into Microsoft Project. Anritsu employees found Microsoft Project to be feature rich in a negative way – it is complex, hard to maneuver and expensive to purchase licenses for everyone who is involved with the project. Some employees downloaded various freeware PM tools, but management did not like the inability to see resource allocation and project status across the company.

Anritsu turned to software-as-a-service (SaaS) for its reputation of saving time and money. The company was already implementing a SaaS tool in its HR department and found that the on-demand model alleviated IT of having to test, monitor and maintain an off-the-shelf software solution in addition to already managing servers, databases and other software administration. The ability to deploy a beneficial solution without involving IT offered definitive and significant time and cost savings.

The company researched more than 12 SaaS solutions, narrowing it down to Clarizen and another competitor. Employees received a demo of both, and management found that Clarizen was the preferred solution across the entire company, hands down. Aside from being less expensive, Anritsu found that Clarizen was easy to use without lacking any desired features. Management also valued the security of Clarizen’s servers, which are hosted at a Tier 1 facility in California that is SAS 70 Type II certified.

A perk to implementing Clarizen is the ease by which management deploys the solution to employees. The need for training is almost non-existent with the availability of Clarizen’s online demo and tours on the Web site. Anritsu provides users with a log-in and can trust that they will ramp up quickly given Clarizen’s intuitive interface and responsive customer support. Moving forward, Anritsu has plans to leverage Clarizen’s various plug-ins, such as Microsoft Outlook, and will integrate it into other applications and communication tools that the company uses.

Benefits from using the tool for the ERP project were seen immediately, and Anritsu realized long-term advantages to implementing a solution across all business units, allowing the company to manage common and unique resources associated with those units. Clarizen enables the company to complete development projects on time, and on a regular, predictable schedule, which ultimately ensures a steadier and more reliable revenue stream.

“We needed a solution that would grant our users project visibility, as well as the ability to manage knowledge and resources across various departments,” said Paul Mayer, CIO of Anritsu. “The accessibility of the SaaS delivery model drew us to Clarizen, and the solution’s user-friendly interface and attractive pricing, among other benefits, is what proves the tremendous value it brings to our company.”