"SolutionsIQ made the whole project easy. I thought I would have to be more involved than I have been — they have really allowed me to focus on my main business and concentrate minimal effort on this project. SolutionsIQ has been fantastic, and their onsite presence has been fantastic — people have been raving about the support."
— Dave Aydelott, Senior Recruiter

Corbis is a creative resource for advertising, marketing, and media professionals worldwide, helping to bring creative work to life with the highest quality photography, footage, and rights services. Based in Seattle, Corbis serves more than 50 countries worldwide.

Challenge

In the spring of 2007, Corbis needed to assemble a team of about 50 contractors to integrate their legacy systems infrastructure into new ERP systems.

"We didn't have the in-house technical expertise, nor did we have the number of people needed to implement such a large project," explained Dave Aydelott, senior recruiter for Corbis. "We needed it done in a quick timeframe, so the vendor's ability to staff up the organization quickly was very, very important."

Corbis requested an RFP from three vendors, and Aydelott said they chose Redmond, Washington-based SolutionsIQ for its:

• Industry-acknowledged expertise with Agile methodology
• Proven track record
• Experience in the marketplace
• Solid customer service and support
• Full-service solution

Solution

When the project began, Corbis faced a number of technological challenges, including lack of ERP systems expertise. Aydelott had found that resources with the appropriate combination of technology and business expertise were hard to come by, so SolutionsIQ's 30 years of recruiting experience and network of more than 100,000 IT professionals were key advantages in staffing up the Corbis team. They company was also just beginning to implement Agile methodology, so SolutionsIQ's ability to identify candidates who would integrate well in an Agile environment was also critical.

"We were trying to manage growth within the project as well as understand the complexities of the project," said Aydelott. "We relied quite heavily on SolutionsIQ for trainig, for proven industry experience, and for a recruiting staff that knew what skill sets to source for."

Aydelott's primary concern was that he wouldn't be able to get a team in place and up to speed quickly enough to meet project timelines. "SolutionsIQ did a tremendous job of putting that concern to rest," he said. "It was a lot easier than what people expected. They did a fantastic job of really just sprinting right out of the blocks, and they definitely need to be commended for that."

Key to the successful engagement has been SolutionsIQ's onsite resource manager and account manager Kim Berglind, who helps to manage and bring new resources online, participates in weekly meetings with Corbis managers, and addresses any issues that arise.

"Kim has been fantastic in fitting in within our company and really addressing our needs in a timely manner and a thorough manner," explained Aydelott. "She's really been engaged in very much of a strategic sense, too."

Results

Key benefits of the SolutionsIQ engagement with Corbis included:

• Ability to rapidly recruit technology expertise for a new 50-person team
• Flexibility in pricing and support
• Adept, responsive onsite presence
• Facilitation of Agile implementation
• Financial transparency

"SolutionsIQ made the whole project easy," said Aydelott. "I thought I would have to be more involved than I have been — they have really allowed me to focus on my main business and concentrate minimal effort on this project. SolutionsIQ has been fantastic, and their onsite presence has been fantastic — people have been raving about the support."

Though the initial engagement was geared specifically toward integration of existing systems in support of the Corbis ERP initiative, SolutionsIQ now fills staffing needs for other projects and departments, as well as continuing to support the ERP system resources.

"It will definitely be an ongoing relationship," said Aydelott.

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