Improving workflow and transparency
OPPORTUNITY
Advertising production cost consulting agency Ernst-Van Praag (EVP) was in need of rebuilding a custom-built ASP/MySQL system in order to enhance the workflow of their consultants’ daily activities and increase transparency with their clients. In addition to finding the right solution that would satisfy their needs, EVP realized that finding a partner they could collaborate with for the long-term was of critical importance.
Impressed by their technical acumen and team-player ethos, EVP tapped 27Global to develop the new system.
SOLUTION
After months of collaborating, building, testing and refining, together the EVP and 27Global teams launched a new DataLink system, built upon modern .Net/Angular architecture in AWS, which included implementation of Amazon RDS MySQL and SQLServer Web Edition engines, and utilizing enhanced material design standards for the user interface.
Since production cost consulting is a data-driven business, EVP’s data needed to be efficiently aggregated so that its consultants are able to produce detailed client reports. 27Global built and integrated a new Tableau-based data analytics capability with dynamic visual charts that have enabled EVP to deliver more robust, value-driven reports to their clients. With DataLink, EVP can now demonstrate the direct link between their service offerings and the cost savings they bring to their clients. Implementing innovative cloud technology has also significantly reduced the data entry load on EVP’s consultants.
The new system has also transformed the agency’s primarily paper-based document management process. Documents can now be easily uploaded, indexed, searched and managed within a more flexible, streamlined system. Enhancing their workflow capabilities has improved internal communications and made the lives of EVP’s consultants significantly easier.
Since launching the first iteration of DataLink in 2017, 27Global has remained a long-term development partner, offering ongoing support and further refining the system as needed.
Enhancements to the Datalink Platform were performed by 27Global in 2022. The main areas of improvement were focused on application performance, including optimizing logging and disk usage, as well as the content and appearance of Datalink’s PDF Summary Report. A new Benchmark Search function was also added to the platform, which allows users to search across Jobs in ways that they previously were unable to.
Along with these performance and UI enhancements, 27Global also performed an audit focused on the security and compliance of Datalink, which resulted in remediation of vulnerabilities, access management improvements, and disaster recovery-related activities, including updated data retention plans. EVP and 27Global also follow a Sensitive Data Review process to ensure any sensitive data is properly secured. Client data is stored in a secure pooled model.
Results
Overall, DataLink has substantially improved EVP’s data and document management capabilities. As well as saving countless man-hours and reducing paper, the new DataLink system has allowed EVP to further focus on serving their clients and improving the bottom line.
“27Global is responsive, professional, and easy to work with. They were helpful brainstorming solutions that fit our business needs.”
-Amy Cook, COO, EVP Consulting
