Gafcon

The Challenge
Gafcon, Inc., a large San Diego based construction management firm providing services in construction, program and project management as well as construction-related claims support, needed a solution to help better manage the compounding mountain of corporate information created as a result of successful growth. Although success was sweet, upper management soon realized a growing information chasm between various departmental teams, vendors and valued customers. Crucial to Gafcon’s requirements was a solution that could capitalize on existing investments without taxing IT manpower.

The Solution
After thorough analysis, Microsoft’s SharePoint was singled out as the most efficient way to heighten information collaboration with little monetary investment. It became clear that a portal to improve business processes, internal communication and customer service was the answer.

SharePoint360 was chosen for the project based on a long history of successful implementations dating back to Microsoft’s initial launch of the platform. After careful planning, Microsoft SharePoint Server (MOSS) was integrated into Gafcon’s existing Windows Server architecture which immediately enhanced functionality to document management, information collaboration, searches and navigational functions.

The Result
Not only did SharePoint360 solve Gafcon’s information management crisis, in addition, they helped add several new workplace processes through customizations. Key to these customizations include My Projects, allowing users to aggregate and share all construction projects, tasks and work spaces along with the ability to access any application from the portals home page. One look at how Gafcon operates today compared to how it operated two years ago, it’s easy to see that deploying SharePoint Portal Server with SharePoint360 helped changed the entire dynamic of the company. Today, Gafcon continues its rapid growth and is now ranked as the 65th largest construction company in the United States.


Benefits

• Centralized file management between all offices
• Reduced server maintenance costs by 45% in the first year
• Reduced back up costs and simplified back up and restore procedures
• All documents and applications available on-line 24/7