Link selects looksoftware’s eazi suite for enterprise application modernization!
Background
Link Computer Corporation was founded as a "Services" company over 27 years ago by President & CEO, Tim Link. Operating under the banner, “Better People Creating Better Solutions”, Link is one of Western Pennsylvania’s leading providers of technology products and services. Headquartered in Bellwood PA, and with over 100 professional staff in its offices (also at Pittsburgh and Harrisburg), Link strives to serve its clients with the high quality service and experience that ensures delivery of value.
Link’s professionals specialize in web development, e-commerce, security and wide-area network solutions. They have an array of important business partnerships including Premier IBM Business Partner, Premier Cisco Systems Partner, Microsoft Gold Certified Solutions Provider, Intermec Honours Parner, Citrix Silver Reseller and Dell Authorized Reseller. Their service expertise and experience has grown consistently over many years.
Their roots are in systems analysis and programming and the service portfolio has matured to a comprehensive set of capabilities that enable them to assist their clients across the enterprise. Regardless of systems or requirements, Link can design a solution. They can provide a single vendor solution and eliminate the need to coordinate multiple vendors.
Link's partnerships with the leading infrastructure vendors like Cisco and Intermec also provide the support and staff education needed to make their clients’ staff proficient with ever-changing technology. Their approach is, "Plan the work and work the plan!" Whether it be infrastructure, servers, peripherals, software, workstations or specialized products – Link has a solution at hand!
Challenge
By running multiple applications on a single iSeries server, today's small and medium businesses can help better utilize the full capacity of their IT infrastructures, thereby helping to increase return on investment (ROI).
Link's application expertise spans the critical systems that most businesses require. Among the primary software offerings in Link's portfolio are:
- Financial and Accounting
- Manufacturing and Distribution
- Point-of-Sale
- Bar Coding
- Payroll
- Ecommerce
- Customer Relationship Management
- Email and messaging
- Workflow and collaboration
With this expert background in services and application development and integration, Link had identified the growing need for a toolset to easily enable its clients to modernize, integrate and upgrade their existing IT assets.
After a wide search for the right solution, Link Computer Corporation announced a partnership to deliver System i modernization solutions with Link’s System i software development team using looksoftware's ‘Dynamic Environment’.
Solution
Tim Link, President & CEO said, "Link Computer Corporation has been successfully delivering customized System i solutions for over 27 years. In recent months we have undertaken a new initiative called EAM (Enterprise Application Modernization) to offer modernization technologies and services to our customers. Many of our 400 customers are heavily invested in their current System i implementations and now wish to modernize and enhance those applications without having to replace or redevelop them. We've trialed all the key alternatives in a practical evaluation and implementation process. We concluded that looksoftware's products offer the fastest and easiest way to develop and implement real modernization results through reuse, instead of writing more code."
"Some of our customers want front-end modernization like rich clients, portals, PDA support and desktop integration. Others are ready to explore web service back-end modernization. Now we can offer a very broad set of modernization options with a single integrated toolset that’s the best by far," said Tim.
Pete Isaksson from looksoftware, and based in Atlanta said, "After meeting with Link's customers at their recent ‘Link Up and Learn’ customer conference and seeing first-hand how satisfied they are with Link Computer Corporation, we are very excited about this opportunity to develop a long-term relationship. Link's large team of consultants are not only System i specialists, but also have strong expertise in multi-platform integration, Notes and SharePoint which are all important for enterprise application modernization."
Tim Link continued, "The evolutionary change in business is starting to resemble the rapid pace of change that has been status quo in the technology industry. Add these two together and you have quite the moving target. That's okay. It has become a way of life for us here at Link. Entering our 28th year of business, we continue to adapt, evolve, and improve as a premier IT provider on a daily basis, never relinquishing our drive to be better."
Benefits
Such has been Link’s initial success with looksoftware that it was awarded the Fast Start Award at this years looksoftware Partner event in Nashville TN. Link has already utilized looksoftware’s products across a wide spectrum of client organizations including Cambria County Association for the Blind and Handicapped, Diocese of Youngstown, Jefferson Wholsesale Grocery, Millenium Rail, Precision Laser Instruments, Stockdale Mine Supplies, TW Philips Oil & Gas Co and Westmoreland County.
Steve Fochler, responsible for business development for Power solutions attributes much of this rapid success to looksoftware’s partner program. "looksoftware has been very easy to deal with. Any time I need assistance its freely available and the products have delivered exactly what was promised. In addition to the license fees and maintenance annuities we’re receiving from sales, we’re also offering our customers consulting services to help ensure their success and a rapid implementation."
Jack Collins, Senior VP is also enthused about Link’s new modernization business unit, saying "The fact that IBM has approved looksoftware’s products as an authorised Value Added Enhancement is formal recognition that IBM understands how looksoftware’s modernization solutions can really grow IBM customers success with Power Systems ."
With such early success and having quickly mastered looksoftware’s eazi suite, it can truly be said that in the modernization arena, they have found the missing link!