​​Global Efficiency Redefined: Third-Party Integrations for Seamless Operations and Enhanced Performance

​​Situation

Speedcast, a global leader in high-speed communication networks, operates in over 40 countries with more than 40,000 active remote sites. Managing financial operations for 109 subsidiaries across different tax regimes presented a significant challenge. Each subsidiary used various applications such as Coupa and Kibo to handle purchases and sales, while Navision 2017 served as the core finance and accounting system for the entire organization. The lack of integration between these applications led to data fragmentation, reconciliation issues, and inefficiencies in purchase and sales processes.

With a vast, globally distributed workforce and a complex network of subsidiaries, Speedcast needed a unified, standardized financial system to streamline its operations and maintain accuracy across regions. The key challenge was integrating disparate applications and processes into a single, cohesive system to drive operational efficiency and improve financial visibility.

​Challenges

Speedcast faced several significant operational challenges due to its reliance on multiple systems across subsidiaries:

Data Fragmentation:
The use of separate systems for purchasing, sales, and finance created data silos, making it difficult to reconcile financial information across the company's global subsidiaries.

Manual Data Transfers:
The manual process of transferring purchase and sales data between third-party applications and Navision 2017 increased the risk of errors, leading to inaccurate financial reporting and delays in decision-making.

Time-Consuming Consolidation:
With 109 companies operating under different tax regimes, consolidating financial data was labor-intensive and time-consuming, resulting in delayed financial reporting and analysis.

Non-Standardized Processes:
Due to the varying systems in use, Speedcast lacked a uniform process across its subsidiaries, leading to inconsistent operations and inefficiencies in financial and operational management.

High IT Costs and Complexity:
Managing multiple systems across subsidiaries added to the complexity and increased IT administration costs, which slowed down system rollouts and increased the burden on the IT helpdesk.

​Solution

defacto infotech devised a comprehensive solution to address Speedcast's operational challenges by centralizing and automating their financial and operational processes. The solution, built around Navision 2017, was designed to integrate all third-party applications used by Speedcast’s subsidiaries, ensuring seamless data flow and standardizing processes across the entire organization.

Key components of the solution included:

Centralized Database for 109 Subsidiaries:
defacto infotech consolidated the data from all 109 subsidiaries into a single Navision 2017 database. This allowed for a unified financial system, streamlining the management of sales, purchases, and finance across the organization.

Integration of Third-Party Applications:
The integration connected applications like Coupa, Kibo, and other systems with Navision 2017, automating the data flow for purchase and sales orders. This eliminated the need for manual data entry and significantly reduced the risk of errors.

Staging Tables for Data Processing:
defacto introduced Header and Line staging tables to store sales and purchase data temporarily before posting it into Navision. This intermediary step ensured accurate processing and reconciliation of data across subsidiaries.

​Automated Posting of Transactions:
By automating the posting of sales and purchase orders into Navision, defacto reduced the time required for data processing and ensured that financial data was up to date in real-time.

Standardized Business Processes:
The solution standardized business and financial processes across all subsidiaries, ensuring uniformity in operations despite the differences in tax regimes and local business practices.

Fast Rollout of Solutions:
The solution architecture, built around the staging tables, facilitated quick rollouts of the system across subsidiaries, minimizing disruptions to ongoing operations.

​Benefits/Impacts

The implementation of the solution brought about several transformative benefits for Speedcast:

Standardization Across Subsidiaries:
A unified financial system and standardized business processes across all subsidiaries eliminated inconsistencies in operations, regardless of local tax regimes or systems previously in use.

Automated Financial Processes:
The automation of sales and purchase order processing significantly reduced the need for manual intervention, minimizing errors and accelerating financial operations.

​Improved User Experience:
The self-service portal revolutionized the way farmers interacted with AHI. The ability to manage registrations, access documentation, and download certificates directly from the portal not only enhanced the user experience but also reduced the administrative burden on AHI staff.

​Reduced IT Administration Costs:
Centralizing and standardizing the financial system reduced the complexity of IT management, lowering IT administration costs and minimizing the need for large-scale support operations.

Eliminated Double Reporting:
Automated data processing eliminated the need for double reporting, enhancing the efficiency of financial data management.

Enhanced Decision-Making:
With real-time financial reporting and consolidated data, Speedcast’s management had better visibility into company-wide operations, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.

Outcomes (KPIs)

The implementation of the integrated financial solution led to several measurable improvements in Speedcast's operations:

​​Uniformity of Business Processes:
The solution ensured standardized financial and operational processes across all subsidiaries, allowing for more consistent operations and improved control.

Faster Financial Reporting:
Automated data entry and processing reduced the time required to consolidate financial data, enabling faster financial reporting and more timely decision-making.

​​Improved Supply Chain Management:
The integration of purchasing data allowed Speedcast to improve supplier control and relationships, leading to more efficient supply chain operations and better supplier management.

Reduced IT Overhead:
The unified system significantly lowered IT maintenance and support costs, as a smaller IT helpdesk could efficiently manage global operations with uniform software versions.

​​Enhanced Production Accuracy:
Standardized processes and real-time data entry improved production accuracy, enabling better tracking of resources and more efficient project management.

Overall, defacto infotech’s solution transformed Speedcast’s financial and operational processes, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and providing the organization with the tools needed for sustained global growth.