From Fragmentation to a Unified Support Function

Company Overview

With $1B in revenue and 3,000 employees, Adtran is a challenger brand in the telecommunications industry, taking on global tech giants through agile innovation and strategic R&D investments to create sector-specific solutions.

To support its growth strategy, Adtran focuses on new applications and technologies. The merger with ADVA – a leading provider of optical networking solutions and cloud access technology – was a pivotal step in enhancing capabilities, integrating support functions and streamlining operations. This move served as a catalyst for change, enabling the combined business to unlock new levels of agility and operational efficiency.

However, like many organisations that grow through acquisitions and organic expansion, Adtran inherited a network of disjointed IT support desks and fragmented departments. This structure slowed service requests, limited operational visibility and created inefficiencies. As the telecommunications industry shifts toward everything-as-a-service (XaaS), Adtran recognized that unifying its internal IT support function was essential to sustaining growth and delivering on strategic goals.

The Challenge

Disjointed Service Desks: Multiple service desks from different departments and acquired businesses created inconsistent processes, slower resolution times, and fragmented support experiences.

Data Fragmentation: With data stored in isolated support desks, Adtran had no single source of truth. Fragmented datasets and inconsistent dashboards hindered the ability to generate holistic reports.

Operational Silos: Acquired business units operated independently, slowing service requests, and restricting cross-functional collaboration.

Pressure for XaaS Alignment: The industry’s shift to Everything-as-a-Service required Adtran to centralise support, streamline service delivery, and ensure readiness for end-to-end managed services.

These challenges underscored the need for a unified support system to provide consistent service, clear operational oversight.

The Solution

The approach focused on three key levers of change:

Data-Led Insights: Adtran used Fusion GBS AI Talos to identify inefficiencies, service gaps, and opportunities for improvement. This insight-driven approach eliminated guesswork and enabled targeted, high-impact changes.

Unified Platform: By adopting BMC Helix ITSM, Adtran consolidated its service desks into a single, cloud-based platform. This shift created a standardised support model, provided cross-functional visibility, and allowed for faster, more agile service delivery.

Pre-Built Content and Best Practices: With access to the Accelerated Service Catalog (ASC) from Fusion GBS, Adtran deployed over 100 pre-built requests and templates, reducing implementation timelines and allowing for immediate impact. The pre-built content accelerated deployment while enabling Adtran to tailor workflows to meet specific internal needs.

These elements formed the foundation for Adtran’s unified support function, driving measurable improvements in operational efficiency, and agility.

The Results

Six-Week Transformation: Adtran successfully consolidated its fragmented service desks into a unified support platform in just six weeks—a process that would typically take six to nine months. This accelerated timeline was achieved by using pre-built templates, automation, and a unified platform strategy enabled by RSMT (Rapid Service Management Transformation).

Operational Efficiency: The move from isolated desks to a centralised support platform introduced greater speed and agility. Internal users now have faster access to services, while service desk teams operate with cross-functional visibility and streamlined workflows.

Enhanced Self-Service Capabilities: Adtran introduced a centralised self-service portal that allows employees to resolve common issues independently. This shift has reduced support team workloads while improving response times and the overall user experience.

Knowledge Management and Automation: Adtran launched a growing repository of knowledge articles that serve as on-demand guidance for users, allowing them to resolve issues on their own. Alongside this, Adtran introduced fulfilment automation to handle repetitive tasks like password resets and access requests, cutting processing times and enabling support teams to focus on high-impact activities.

Full Visibility and Real-Time Reporting: With the implementation of RSMT (Rapid Service Management Transformation), Adtran shifted from fragmented datasets to a single source of truth for support activities. This transformation provided full visibility across business units, enabling Adtran to generate team-wide reports and track performance in real-time. Managers can now identify trends, spot issues early, and make agile, data-driven decisions that support continuous improvement.

Unified Data and Granularity: With a unified data foundation in place, Adtran has moved beyond visibility to achieve an initial level of data granularity, enabling the production of more detailed reports. This progress supports smarter automation and more targeted operational adjustments. While significant strides have been made, Adtran continues to refine and enhance data granularity, aiming for even greater depth and precision. This ongoing effort ensures that decision-making is driven by precise, actionable insights rather than broad generalisations.

These outcomes demonstrate Adtran’s ability to achieve lasting operational change in record time, while also establishing a continuous improvement process.

Summary

Adtran’s journey from fragmented service desks to a unified support function in just six weeks highlights the power of a clear, structured approach. By leveraging Fusion GBS’ Rapid Service Management Transformation (RSMT), Adtran established a lasting shift in visibility, service delivery, and operational agility. The combination of data-driven insights, a unified platform, and pre-built service content created a powerful shift in operational performance. This transformation delivered:

• Faster service delivery through automation and self-service capabilities.
• Stronger operational alignment with centralised workflows and cross-functional visibility.
• Actionable insights from a single, unified data source, driving smarter automation and better decision-making.

This wasn’t just about speed—it was about creating a lasting operational model for continuous improvement. With a unified platform in place, Adtran now operates with the visibility, speed, and efficiency needed to sustain its position as a challenger brand in the telecommunications industry.