Clients from a broad range of industries have benefitted from IFConnect's experience. Read on for just a few examples of how we have helped our clients:

SYSTEM REENGINEERING
Problem: A global financial information company was unable to rollout new or enhanced product offerings due to a dependency on older undocumented technology and a disparate set of data operations managed separately on three continents.

Solution: IFConnect staff analyzed the existing operations and designed a new production system that centralized all data management into a single global repository. The new system leveraged the strength of each independent operating environment and combined them in a “best-of-breed” application that could be deployed globally and managed centrally. The new system resulted in the company’s ability to integrate data from diverse markets for the first time and realize a better than 30% improvement in global throughput.

PRODUCT PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT
Problem: A credit reporting company was unable to leverage a relationship with a large lender due to significant design limitations in its legacy products and their supporting production infrastructure.

Solution: IFConnect staff designed, constructed and delivered a new web-based solution within 90-days that circumvented the legacy products and significantly streamlined the production process. Training for analysts was reduced from six months to two days. The new solution opened a new market for the company and positioned them to realize a ten-fold return on their investment.

VIRTUAL PROJECT TEAMS
Problem: A leading provider of workflow automation solutions for the CPA market was having difficulties serving their client base due to several design flaws in their core product that limited its scalability, putting their business at risk.

Solution: IFConnect assembled a Virtual Project Team to redesign and rewrite the entire application, including enhancements to core product features. In addition to migrating the product to a three tiered architecture, IFConnect staff created an innovative solution for transferring tax documents in a secure environment to offices offshore that circumvented external FTP processes. The new product improved the company's strategic position so that it could partner with a global provider of tax software.

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Problem: The data operations division of a credit information provider fell outside the decision matrix for the company, morale was low and communications between staff and management was infrequent and unproductive.

Solution: IFConnect staff analyzed the situation and helped senior management reorganize the division to better leverage management resources, improve project execution and expand the frequency of communications between line managers and executives. The solution also included extensive market research on industry compensation levels and the creation of an interactive communication mechanism to deliver strategic information to staff. The combination of solutions recommended by IFConnect resulted in increased operating efficiencies, better communication and an improvement in staff morale.

EXECUTIVE TEAM AUGMENTATION
Problem: An e-commerce start up was suffering from an excessive burn rate and lack of progress on its core products. Staff consisted mainly of consultants and vendors with competing priorities, progress was difficult if not impossible to track and no processes existed for critical business functions.

Solution: An IFConnect partner joined the management team on a contract basis as COO. He implemented persistent processes and reporting protocols for all functional areas, worked with the CEO to reduce the burn rate and change the organizational structure. The result was a leaner more effective core staff operating in a more transparent environment. Projects began to be accomplished on schedule and communication across functional areas imporved.

ONLINE PUBLISHING
Problem: A provider of business information and valuation solutions to the financial services and corporate markets needed an innovative way to distribute content via the internet that was both scalable and easy to manage with little or no IT support.

Solution: IFConnect staff worked closely with the client to design and build an online product that incorporated a variety of data mining and data visualization features to significantly increase the value and usability of the client’s content. The product included unique topical indexing and metadata extraction tools, a variety of graphical interfaces and the ability to dynamically update content as the market shifted or new regulations arose. IFConnect also designed and delivered a web-based product demo within 30-days to support the client’s pre-sales effort at a national industry conference.

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Problem: A leading provider of personalized analysis and decision support tools to the financial services industry was having difficulty determining how to make the transition from “Service Provider” to “Product Company.” This was complicated by a fragmented product offering and the absence of any significant internal product management expertise.

Solution: IFConnect staff worked closely with the client to gain a detailed understanding of their business model and market. Then they designed a product framework that bundled the client’s existing offerings into a single platform. The new design included features that would result in deeper market penetration and was flexible enough to support the client’s move into new markets utilizing the same product infrastructure. The design covered all aspects product development including: system architecture, GUI design, workflow, and the development of all of the new product’s features and functionality. This was completed on an extremely tight schedule that enabled the client to present the new product offering to its clients in a series of pre-scheduled meetings.