MICROS-Fidelio

Case Study

hp
The client
MICROS Systems Inc. (Nasdaq, MCRS) is the worlds leading developer of enterprise

applications for all sectors of the hospitality industry, with systems installed in more
than 15,000 hotels, 150,000 restaurants, and many other retail catering, leisure, and
entertainment outlets in 147 countries. Established in 1977, Micros now has annual
revenue of over US$0.5 billion and year on year growth in the order of 20% plus.
Almost half of all that revenue comes from outside the USA. Growth in EMEA is
currently running at 14% year on year. Micros directly employs over 3,000 in North
America and in 43 other major markets through its subsidiary MICROS-Fidelio
International.
MICROS is the only full systems solutions provider for all segments with a global

distribution and service network in place for major international and regional chains
and local independents, from large scale leisure resorts to quick service food outlets.
MICROS provides solutions that combine unified access point-of-sale, back-office, and
corporate office applications. For hotel groups it offers a multi-property, fully integrated
system that includes property management, sales and catering, central reservations,
revenue management, material management, and back office applications. For large
enterprises MICROS provides a scalable solution to manage the complex operational
requirements associated with hotels and resorts, theme parks and cruise lines, airports
and stadiums such as the largest POS installation in the world at Stadium Australia
in Sydney, Australia. Well known international clients include InterContinental Hotels
Group, Hilton International, Marriott International, Four Seasons, Wyndham Hotels,
Le Meridien Hotels, Best Western, Kempinski Group, and De Veere.
The great strength of MICROS-Fidelio in this vertical market sector internationally is
a potent combination of technical excellence, product innovation and service with
confidence-inspiring longevity, blue chip clients, and a solid record of financial
stability and consistent profitability.

The business challenge

The sheer range and versatility of the MICROS Opera
suite of products, and the service that allows them to be
configured accurately to each clients corporate and sitespecific requirements, has been an ongoing challenge to
the engineering teams and business partners. Hardware
and operating system platforms often vary greatly, even
within the same international organization, for example,
and inevitably different teams at different times will vary in
how such problems are overcome in individual locations.
Similarly, integration with existing accounts, payroll, and
other systems means that each site installation can be
unique. In addition, MICROS Fidelio regularly supplies
and installs hardware for its clients but these units can also
vary because they will usually be chosen and specified by
the clients. All IT professionals understand how such local
variations can consume a great deal of time in subsequent
maintenance, upgrades, and problem-fixing affecting
both the clients help desk and MICROS-Fidelio and its
partners.
Already enjoying an excellent relationship with HewlettPackard as a systems supplier in many markets and
with a high regard for HP technology quality and service
a chance management encounter in Ireland led to the
current highly successful partnership that has taken on this
business challenge. Pete Simpson, MICROS-Fidelio Vice
President Professional Services, EMEA, was visiting the
groups Galway EMEA Support Office as it was being
equipped and met the HP Ireland account manager. The
relatively small and tight-knit team of HP Ireland meant
that this meeting and some business chat led quickly to
suggested technical solutions to the challenge faced by
MICROS-Fidelio in deploying its applications and to the
immediate identification of a good business opportunity.
In essence, the outline strategy was to pre-configure
MICROS applications centrally on dedicated new ProLiant
servers using HP ProLiant Essentials management tools
which would also assist the roll-out of the applications to
end-user devices at the destination sites. MICROS-Fidelio
would be enabled to leverage the value of its top level
technical expertise and clients would gain from the HP
Global Support Warranty. As it happens, HP operations
in Ireland include its own European Support Centre for all
technologies, so setting up a Neuss, Germany/Dublin
technical axis would automatically pool the top EMEA
technical resources of the two organizations.

The objectives
MICROS-Fidelio aimed to deliver to each of its customers a solution that would

comprise a unified and consistent set of its Opera applications software, specifically
configured for that customers needs and requirements, with best-fit hardware and
operating systems. The primary objective was to ensure the quality and performance
of the installed systems. Secondary objectives included the generation of economies
through centralized technical resources (especially people with experience and
expertise), reduced travel and on-site time for technicians, reduced ongoing support
overheads, etc.
It was also anticipated that the technical partnership with Hewlett-Packard, combining
the services of two world-leading IT corporations, would enhance the value
proposition to current and prospective customers in the EMEA region.

The projects
By taking a centralized, pan-European approach to providing MICROS-Fidelio systems on
a pre-configured basis on HP servers, it is possible to provide elegant and sophisticated
technical solutions tailored to the exact requirements of each client. The strategy applies
the highest levels of technical expertise from both corporations to the clients solutions, in
terms of both MICROS applications and hardware platforms. The technical teams of
MICROS-Fidelio at its EMEA head office in Neuss, Germany and HP Ireland began to
work together in mid 2002. The first pre-configured servers were shipped from Dublin at
the beginning of 2003 and immediately proved the worth of the concept in terms of
project speed. Installation at the client site became quicker and with minimal technical
input required while the clients were enabled to migrate rapidly to their new systems.
Projects that might have been expected to take up to five days were completed in two
days or less. It also became clear that post-installation queries to client help desks or
MICROS-Fidelio were generally much fewer than might be anticipated as a result of the
consistency in server software deployment and hardware pre-configuration using HPs
Rapid Deployment Pack solution. The overall result has been that customers project
implementation costs have been visibly and significantly reduced. Large roll-outs in
particular were greatly facilitated, with every phase proving shorter, and technical
problems minimized.
What the partnership gives the customer in essence is the ability to order a complete
hotel management system in one turnkey solution. The MICROS-Fidelio Opera software
suite, configured to the detailed requirements of the specific client and individual site(s),
is pre-installed on the most appropriate hardware and software platforms, typically
including HP ProLiant servers, HP StorageWorks and the ProLiant Essentials software tools
including Rapid Deployment Pack, Integrated Lights Out (iLO) Advanced and HP Systems
Insight Manager. Individual PCs or other user devices can also be pre-configured with a
standard image of the chosen software although more commonly the HP tools are used
on site to deploy the MICROS-Fidelio suite on existing client devices.

The benefits
Time and manpower saved in Opera solution
deployment, both for MICROS-Fidelio and its client
Assurance of consistency and continuity of Opera
applications deployment and hardware/software
platforms, thereby minimizing technical risk

There can be a wide variety of devices in any customer organization: point of sale
systems, for example, may have a mix of fixed and handheld units from MICROS, HP,
or third parties. Large international chains might have localized keyboards or touch
screens and some elements of language variation. Similarly, most Opera installations
must integrate other applications such as back office accounts, databases etc. Almost
all multi-site customers have in-built provision for the reporting of data to a central or
head office and many also require the facility to communicate or set elements on a
regional or enterprise-wide basis to ensure consistency and timely implementation.
Examples might include pricing, special offers or discounts, loyalty card processing,
etc. All of these applications and end-user component elements can be pre-configured
right down to the letterhead templates for each hotel, explains HP Ireland technical
consultant Simon Sparrow.
While it is not in any sense a purchase condition, most customers availing of the
MICROS-Fidelio/HP centralized build solution so far have in fact combined their initial
purchase or upgrade of Opera applications suites with a technology refresh
programme in their organizations. These are mission-critical applications, so it makes
good sense to invest in a hardware re-fit before end of warranty, says Pete Simpson,
MICROS-Fidelio. This may often extend to state-of-the-art POS systems. On both the
hardware and the software fronts, most of our clients tend to be engaged in ensuring
consistent corporate standards throughout their organizations, extending from POS
through local and corporate back office applications. Working with HP in the way
we have been, that consistency in technology is something we can guarantee and
validate right through everything we supply and support.
HP & MICROS-Fidelio have now designed solutions for a growing number of customers.
In December 2003, The Intercontinental Hotel Group, Kempinski Group, and De Veere,
all attended workshops at HPs ESS (Enterprise Storage and Server) competence centre
in Sophia Antipolis, France. The workshop,s which were facilitated by HP senior
technical consultant James Henry, enabled the customers to get an indepth overview
of the technology behind the solution and also see a demonstration of the complete
turnkey solution running in HPs customer centre showroom. In January 2004 a
workshop was held in Dublin for the Marriott Group, and later that year 2 more
workshops followed with The Hilton International Group and The Accor Group back at
HPs EMEA competence centre in Sophia Antipolis. All of these customers had either
engaged in an Opera upgrade or had requested HP/MICROS-Fidelios
involvement in additional back office upgrades right across their environments.

Following on from this success in the EMEA region HP/MICROS-Fidelio are now running
similar workshops with customers in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region.

Assurance of best fit between MICROS systems and

IT platforms
Quality and validation of all elements of a system build
are guaranteed
Ready availability of the top level technical expertise in
both organizations for any configuration challenge or
problem
HP equipment and installations carry a Global Support
Warranty
Every deployment is fully documented and a master
image held securely on the clients behalf
An IT infrastructure is put in place which facilitates and
saves costs in future activity such as upgrades and
updates, new application roll-outs, software version
control, growth in scale or functionality of any
installation, etc.
Additional sites/locations are extremely easy to add
with guaranteed consistency of enterprise applications
Reduced Help Desk traffic for both the client
organizations and MICROS-Fidelio
Reduced travel through HPs remote server management
tools including Integrated Lights Out (iLO) technology
Corporate policies, business processes, documentation,
etc. can be readily set or altered consistently across the
organization
The economies generated by the MICROS-HP
partnership ensure cost-effectiveness for the customers,
both in terms of competitive bundle pricing and/or
more highly specified equipment for the budget

For further
information
Phone: (800) 638-0985
Fax: (443) 285-8021
e-mail: info@micros.com
or www.micros.com

Going forward

base that can accommodate all sizes of customer while

at the same time reduce hardware and above all
This partnership has built a new incremental business
administration and implementation costs. Being able to
for both companies, currently worth approximately 7
offer our customers completely integrated product
million annually to HP Ireland and extending the
offerings that include both our extensive software suite
competitiveness and profitability of MICROS-Fidelio in the
of products, HPs rapid deployment technology and
EMEA region. The strategy of centralized custom building
complete populated racks with full cable management
of systems has consolidated and extended the
make our joint offering very exciting for our customer
penetration of MICROS systems in its EMEA markets,
base.
offering a compelling value proposition to customers. In
fact it has become apparent that a significant proportion Apart from making the solution affordable for our entire
customer spectrum, HP also provides a crucial level of
of them are corporations which already have a global
stability, says Stenz. Our smaller customers dont have
technology relationship with HP, such as the
a lot of in-house technical savvy, so the solution needs to
InterContinental, Marriott, and Hilton chains. The value
be as simple and as robust as possible. With the
proposition to current and potential MICROS customers
MICROS-Fidelio HP partnership, customers get tailor
is now well recognised in the hospitality industry.
made solutions delivered to their door step that require
This high level of technical collaboration between
minimal in-house knowledge. At the same time, they
MICROS-Fidelio and HP ensures that the market-leading
benefit from HPs high reliability you dont want a
Opera suite can stay at the leading edge of IT HP has
mission-critical system like ours to go down, and HP
made its latest hardware available for test purposes on
provides our customers with the best hardware platform
several occasions to ensure the best fit of Opera
in the world.
modules on state-of-the-art platforms. Both Micro Systems
Most recently, the MICROS-Fidelio and HP partnership
and HP have strategic alliances with Oracle Systems,
and a joint technical benchmarking exercise at European has joined with MCI Worldcom to set up a managed
services environment, hosted in Frankfurt. This data
level occurred in November 2004 which has enhanced
centre was designed and built by HP and already offers
collaboration and mutual support.
a branded but outsourced central reservations service to
One of the key reasons why MICROS-Fidelio partners
MICROS customers. It is now offering a fully managed
with HP is the sheer scalability and diversity of the HP
service for all of a clients MICROS application suites
technology offering in addition to the services that both
or indeed for its total IT requirements with HP as the top
our companies can bundle into the offering to our
end technical service provider or for specific functions
customers, comments Pete A. Stenz, Senior Vice
such as multi-property management systems.
President Strategic Initiatives. Some of our customers
are small, 20-room hotels, while others are large
international chains. We need to provide a technology

Copyright 2003 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. All Rights Reserved. Technical information in
this document is subject to change without notice.