Dextrys Case Study – MPLS Network to China

Overview

When a new project required real time collaboration between Dextrys’ Chinese facility and the client’s team in the US, Dextrys decided to bring its software developers to the client’s site – virtually. Doing so required the company to purchase a high speed private data circuit between China and the US. Dextrys hired SD-WAN-Experts to expedite the due diligence in carrier selection and move the project forward without delay.

Quick Facts

Dextrys is the leading US-based Chinese out-sourcer providing Product Engineering and Application Services globally. With more than 1400 employees across California, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou, China, Dextrys combines more than 20 years of US technology delivery experience with world class engineering centers in China. Dextrys helps customers accelerate profitable growth through cost effective, low risk services that improve the speed, quality and responsiveness of their software development and quality assurance organizations. Dextrys specializes in “Making China Easy” for customers, enabling them to capitalize on the cost, skill and business opportunities available within one of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets.

What does it take to bring China’s best to your client?

Jason Smith knew exactly what his company needed to do. Dextrys, Inc., a US-based provider of software development services with production facilities in China, just landed a major account. With the sale came a challenge: the client, located in the US, had a complex proprietary computing environment, impossible to duplicate at a reasonable cost in China. Yet the project required real-time access to the client’s development environment. The solution was either to fly the programmers to the client’s site all the way from China, sustaining project delays and cumbersome data exchanges or…

It was clear to Jason that his team’s round-the-clock virtual presence at the client’s site was the only way to truly deliver on his company’s value proposition: highly customized and meticulously tested product in record time-to-launch.

No stranger to remote computing, Jason realized that Dextrys needed to install a private high-speed China-US data circuit in order to guarantee a stable and secure connection into the client’s environment. The service could be procured from a number of US and Asia Pacific carriers. However, along with the promise of superior technology, the telecom savvy engagement manager saw a number of risks. The greatest of these was potential network delays and downtime.

The risk of downtime increases with the number of separate carriers responsible for various stretches of the circuit. According to Jason, the key to reliable coverage is often the “last mile” – a local loop at either end of the connection. This piece of network is frequently owned by a local carrier invisible to the customer – until a problem occurs! “That’s when fingers start pointing in different directions and repair times triple”, says Jason. “A single end-to-end carrier is always preferable. But it isn’t always apparent when network providers use multiple carriers, so all marketing claims have to be carefully verified.”

At tens of thousands of dollars per month – with client deliverables hinging on the quality of the connection — the data circuit was a significant investment for Dextrys. Jason calculated that it would take him 6 weeks to research the Asia-Pacific telecom market in order to select the right carrier. With the engagement already underway, Jason needed to expedite the installation. That’s when he decided to bring in a telecommunications consultant.

Software whiz meets telecom whiz

“Steve called me within minutes after I pressed the “Submit” button of the short request form I filled out on SD-WAN-Experts’s website,” recalls Jason. After the initial meeting, Dextrys decided to hire Steve Garson’s firm to perform a telecom carrier search in China.

“Steve made it clear to us that he was an expert in his field without talking down to us or overwhelming us with technical information. He asked insightful questions and developed search criteria based on a detailed understanding of our needs. He gave us several options and explained the pros and cons of each one. In the end, we felt that he succeeded in filling the gaps in our knowledge, so that we were able to make a decision with complete confidence.”

SD-WAN-Experts identified a single carrier that could provide end-to-end coverage as well as Mandarin-speaking support staff – the solution Dextrys chose for its high-speed data circuit. Now, should a problem arise, the carrier could instantly troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

“Steve used his knowledge of the Chinese telecom market to negotiate a fair package for us – 20-25% below what we expected – and see to it that the carrier installed the services without delay,” says Jason.

How many times did the network experience problems? “Never”, says Jason.
“We use it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

How do you impress a service company with your customer service?

“Steve returned every one of my calls literally two minutes after I made it”, says Jason, “And that’s even after we signed a contract with the carrier. I bet one of my engineers $20 that if sent him an email saying “Hi. How are you?” he would reply instantly, but she would not take the bet”, he laughs.

Jokes aside, when the carrier was about to delay the launch because a piece of equipment had to be ordered and shipped to the installation site in New York, Steve’s response was to offer to jump in the car and drive the part to New York to save time. “This level of involvement surprised me”, admits Jason. “He earned our trust because he always made us feel that he worked for us.”

What can a telecom broker and the right data network do for your global business?

By reducing the new data circuit’s time-to-launch, Dextrys was able to save close to thousands of dollars in travel costs, code shipments and delayed revenues. But the benefits didn’t stop there. Jason knows that should his carrier sales rep leave the company, he still will have continuity of service through SD-WAN-Experts to represent his interests.

Best of all, with Dextrys’ Wakefield, MA and Suhzou and Shanghai offices in China connected via a high speed private data circuit, the company can hit the ground running on more complex assignments like the one it is now handling for its flagship client. “This gives us a competitive edge as we go after the high-end market segment potentially worth millions of dollars in new business,” says Jason.