BPA Server Eliminates Custom VB Code for InfraSource

InfraSource Steve Mayor and John Latherow, Senior Network Engineer; Applications Development Manager

Background

InfraSource Services is a fully integrated company providing construction services in gas and electric transmission, gas and electric distribution, telecommunications, and water and wastewater systems. The organization consists of several distinct operating companies strategically located throughout the United States. InfraSource is a single source provider of infrastructure construction services. As a whole and as individual companies, they are recognized as leaders in their industry with nearly 3,000 skilled and dedicated employees.

The Challenge

InfraSource’s New Berlin, Wisconsin-based IT department is responsible for ensuring funds for Accounts Payable, and payroll transactions, are deposited into Bank of America accounts in a timely, scheduled fashion. Prior to discovering Network Automation’s AutoMate BPA Server solution, they wrote custom code in Visual Basic to extract positive payment data from their Spectrum Forefront accounting application; create a text file with the information; encrypt the text file; and then connect and send the file to the bank’s FTP site. Writing custom code was occurring on an ongoing basis due to the different payment processes each of InfraSource’s suppliers had in place. Writing custom code for each supplier took days and was not centrally managed. Due to these factors, Steve Mayor, Senior Network Engineer, and John Latherow, Applications Development Manager, decided they needed to look for a more efficient and time saving solution to replace their current process.

The Solution

InfraSource was familiar with Network Automation’s BPA server as they are a customer of GlobalScape, a top AutoMate reseller. In June of 2011, Steve downloaded a free trial version of BPA Server for testing purposes to see if the product could replace their time intensive and difficult-to-manage coding process. They found BPA Server could replicate the entire payment process described above without having to write a single line of code. They purchased in September and were live in production in less than a week.

The Benefits

InfraSource started seeing an ROI immediately as days of writing custom code turned into hours to automate their payment process. Additionally, they liked BPA Server’s feature of being able to embed existing Visual Basic scripts so they could reuse the code they had already created. The centralized management of all automated processes was also key, as now there is only one place to deploy and make changes to the processes that vary from supplier to supplier. Ease of use was also instrumental in their decision to move forward with BPA Server, as well as the quick response times of Network Automation’s support team and the guidance they received from other Network Automation customers on the User Forum website Network Automation hosts.

As more projects come up, InfraSource will consider using additional features in AutoMate BPA Server. Their current project will continue to grow and BPA Server is considered crucial to ensure the project’s success. John Latherow said, “I think it is truly a great product and a huge time saver. I would definitely recommend it to other organizations.”