Working with a DEX platform like Nexthink has been a transformative experience for my IT team and our company. Below, I will share a few condensed stories to highlight the power of this technology and what it can do for your team.
Making SCCM Work for You
When we started working with Nexthink in 2021, we had just moved to a new ePOS system. Our old system required a deployment every six months, but with the new system, we had to deploy updates every four weeks. This meant someone had to wake up at 5:00 AM to manually run a PowerShell script, check deployment versions, and assess success through SCCM. It was a tedious and painful process.
Once we started working with Nexthink’s client services, we realized how powerful the platform was, but we needed help pulling back all the relevant data. With their support, we built a script to retrieve version information from all our tills and ePOS servers. Nexthink already had built-in install and uninstall features, allowing us to target only the devices that didn’t have the correct version. This significantly reduced our morning workload, pushing our wake-up time from 5:00 AM to around 6:00–6:30 AM, ensuring all shops were ready by 7:00 AM.
Measuring Immediate Impact
Previously, our SCCM-based scheduling process took over an hour every month. With the Infinity platform, we could schedule releases at 11:00 PM when shops closed. Instead of waiting hours for SCCM to report success, we could access results within 10 minutes, allowing us to anticipate morning workloads more accurately. Additionally, we implemented a scheduled check at 5:00 AM to install the latest versions, eliminating the need for lengthy manual verifications.
Using Automations Intelligently
Automation became a key focus for us. We formed an automation team, with app support managing Nexthink and an automation engineer working on chatbot fixes. By analyzing level one tickets, we identified common issues and used Nexthink’s DEX platform to automate solutions. For instance, our old ePOS system frequently had services stopping at random. Nexthink allowed us to monitor and restart these services in the correct order automatically.
Upskilling Engineers
The role of level one engineers also evolved. While physical hardware issues still required hands-on support, automation reduced the volume of tickets significantly. We saw an opportunity to train service desk engineers in automation, allowing them to build and improve processes rather than just troubleshooting issues. This shift transformed the service desk into a proactive team focused on improving the colleague experience.
Spreading the Message, Building Consensus
Training and digital adoption have always been critical to the success of Paddy Power. Some engineers were initially resistant to a DEX Platform, but by demonstrating its value, we gradually gained buy-in. We showcased how remote actions could streamline their tasks, leading to curiosity and requests for additional functionality. Over time, the team embraced Nexthink and began exploring ways to enhance their workflows further.
Integrations to Help Scale the Work
One of our most successful integrations was with the compliance team. Originally, Nexthink was used solely for IT operations, but we saw potential for broader applications. As we transitioned from on-premise to web-based apps, we introduced Nexthink’s adoption tools to support compliance and training. This expanded its impact beyond IT, improving processes across different teams.
Efficient & Proactive – That’s Our Identity
Looking back, adopting a DEX Platform like Nexthink has been transformative. What started as a way to streamline deployments evolved into a fundamental shift in how we operate, allowing us to be more efficient, proactive, and focused on enhancing the user experience. The journey wasn’t without challenges, but the improvements in efficiency and job satisfaction have made it well worth the effort.