Idea Integration Helps City of Miami Cut Dispatch System Maintenance Costs By More Than 50 Percent

Business Wire, June 09, 2009

Performance Maintained with Move to Windows Server®

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Idea Integration, the IT consulting and solutions unit of MPS Group, Inc. (NYSE:MPS), successfully migrated the City of Miami’s mainframe-based emergency fire and medical dispatch system to the more advanced Microsoft® .NET technology platform.

The City of Miami’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system for fire and medical emergency services was state-of-the-art when it was first deployed 20 years ago. Over time, Miami’s population has grown, as have the demands placed on that system and the expectations of how it should integrate with other systems in and beyond Miami.

The mainframe-based emergency fire and medical dispatch system was increasingly difficult and costly to maintain and expand with new capabilities. So the city migrated its existing software to Windows Server® and the Microsoft .NET framework. Now, the city dispatches emergency services without loss of speed or performance, while it saves $350,000 a year—more than 50 percent of previous costs—on maintenance.

Beyond cost savings, the far greater benefits from the migration are those that result in faster and better emergency service to the residents of Miami. For example, the migrated solution maintains near the 99.999 percent scheduled availability of the mainframe. Without the scheduled downtime needed for the mainframe, total uptime is increased.

“The bottom line is that we do a better job of saving lives because we migrated our system from the mainframe to .NET. And that’s what it’s all about,” said Kevin Burns, Information Systems Manager for the City of Miami Fire-Rescue Department.

To learn more about Idea Integration, please visit http://www.idea.com. To read the full case study, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000003966.

About Idea Integration

Idea Integration is the IT consulting and solutions unit of MPS Group. Its clients are a mix of Fortune 100, mid-market and public sector entities. Idea’s services include interactive marketing, IT consulting, business intelligence and analytics, web design and development, security, and infrastructure solutions. Idea provides services to clients throughout the U.S. and in seven other countries. For more information on Idea Integration, please visit www.idea.com.

About MPS Group

MPS Group is a leading provider of staffing, consulting, and solutions in the disciplines of information technology, finance and accounting, law, engineering, marketing and creative, property, and healthcare. MPS Group delivers its services to businesses and government entities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and Asia. A Fortune 1000 company with headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida, MPS Group trades on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information about MPS Group, please visit www.mpsgroup.com.