Metia S+S Social Enterprise Expands Transportation for ...



|Overview | | |“The software-plus-services approach and Microsoft products make our business model possible. They’re|

|Country or Region: United States | | |helping us create a sustainable solution to address a national challenge.” |

|Industry: Transportation | | |Katherine Freund, Founder, ITNAmerica |

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|Customer Profile | | | |

|ITNAmerica, based in Westbrook, Maine, U.S., | | | |

|partners with ITNAmerica affiliates to | | | |

|provide door-to-door transportation for | | | |

|senior citizens. It employs 54 people. | | | |

| | | | |

|Business Situation | | | |

|ITNAmerica wanted to expand its business | | | |

|nationwide, but was limited by technology | | | |

|that could not be easily replicated in | | | |

|different locations. | | | |

| | | | |

|Solution | | | |

|The company used a software-plus-services | | | |

|model and Microsoft® products to create a new| | | |

|version of its ITNRides solution for local | | | |

|transportation networks. | | | |

| | | | |

|Benefits | | | |

|Offers scalability that will help to expand | | | |

|business nationwide | | | |

|Operates well with other IT systems | | | |

|Provides flexible development environment for| | | |

|modifying solution | | | |

| | | | |

| | | |ITNAmerica is the first national nonprofit transportation service for senior citizens and the |

| | | |visually impaired. It was founded with the goal of providing affordable, easy-to-access |

| | | |transportation in automobiles through paid and volunteer drivers in local communities. To make it |

| | | |work—and to expand the ITNAmerica service nationwide—required flexible and scalable technology that |

| | | |could be simply deployed and managed. The ITNAmerica development team turned to Microsoft® products |

| | | |and, with the help of Reliable Software, used a software-plus-services model to redesign its ITNRides|

| | | |software. The result is a highly scalable, flexible software solution that can be easily deployed to |

| | | |new ITNAmerica affiliates and is opening up a huge potential market for the company. |

| | | | |

|[pic] | | |[pic] |

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Situation

The Independent Transportation Network (ITN) program was launched in the early 1990s to serve a large and rapidly growing market need—flexible, affordable transportation services for older people who cannot drive themselves and have limited access or limited ability to use public transportation.

ITNAmerica, which links affiliates into a national network, helps to deliver door-to-door transportation by providing affiliates with management expertise, IT, and other services such as public policy development, fundraising, and consumer research. The affiliates, in turn, set up and run ITNAmerica transportation services for local populations. The affiliates use the ITNRides system for logistics, reservations, dispatching, payments, and other community outreach activities to match up people who need transportation with either paid or volunteer drivers. The drivers provide transportation for a fare that is subsidized by voluntary local community support, rather than taxpayer dollars.

Katherine Freund, Founder of ITNAmerica, which is based in Westbrook, Maine, says: “I got the idea for the company after seeing what a huge need there was for a service like this. In the U.S., less than 2 percent of all trips are taken on public transportation, and more than half of all older people live in communities where there is no public transport. Elderly women who stop driving outlive that decision by at least 10 years on average, and men outlive the decision by more than six years. That is a long time to go without adequate transportation. It’s a huge social need.”

Freund began researching ideas for the company in the early 1990s. With encouragement from her brother, a software developer, and other colleagues, she realized that technology would be the driving force behind the business. This was reinforced when the company initially tried paper-based systems, but found it nearly impossible to manage all the facets of the business—such as payments, locating drivers, and scheduling pickups—efficiently.

Alan Fried, Chief Operating Officer of ITNAmerica, says: “Our first IT system—version 1 of what we call ITNRides—was a major advance in helping us manage the business.” Created in 2000, the system used a traditional client-server design. But, by 2004, the company realized the limitation of the initial ITNRides technology.

“It was designed to operate in individual affiliate locations,” says Fried. “But around 2004, we started evaluating how we could expand our operations nationwide or even internationally. Our technology at the time simply was not adequate to meet the company’s goals. We had real concerns. We needed a solution that would be scalable, customizable for different users, and interoperable with other platforms and services with which we connect.”

ITNAmerica began searching for possible IT solutions. A successful solution would have to be highly scalable so it could be up and running quickly when ITNAmerica signed on dozens—or even hundreds—of new affiliates in communities across the U.S. It had to interoperate with a variety of hardware and software systems, such as portable computers and smartphones, or software applications already being used by affiliates. And it needed to work within a rich, flexible development environment so ITNAmerica could add or modify features in response to customer needs and expand the service to other demographic groups, such as younger people who want to avoid buying their own cars.

Solution

The ITNAmerica development team, working with Reliable Software, a Massachusetts-based software consultancy, decided to create a new version of ITNRides using a software-plus-services approach based on Microsoft® products and technologies.

Reliable Software helped ITNAmerica design an application that uses Web services to support multiple applications. Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 data management software stores the application information in a virtualized environment that is hosted at an off-site data center. The application environment includes Web services, Web applications, and a portal. The database holds information—such as membership data—generated by affiliate organizations, ITNAmerica Personal Transportation Accounts for rides, and logistics information for the affiliate running the program. The system is managed remotely using Microsoft System Center components such as System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008.

The software-plus-services approach lets ITNAmerica customers and other potential clients use the same technology behind the ITNRides Web application. This allows affiliates to use their own locally installed software, such as Microsoft Office Excel® or Microsoft Office Word, to generate and manage additional information used in running an ITNAmerica-affiliated transportation service.

Michael Stiefel, President of Reliable Software, says: “Building an application using a software-plus-services architecture was the only way a small company such as ITNAmerica could deliver its solution to many affiliates without a large number of support staff. It’s easy for affiliates to sign up because there’s no infrastructure to add or manage. That’s good for the affiliates, because they want to focus on delivering transportation, not on understanding the details of the technology.”

The ITNAmerica development team began working on the new version of ITNRides in 2007. Currently, three affiliates—in Florida, Nevada, and Missouri—are using that version. “As we add affiliates, all new operations will run on the software-plus-services solution,” says Fried.

Benefits

Creating a new version of its business-critical solution on a software-plus-services model allowed ITNAmerica to improve its existing business dramatically, while opening up a huge potential market. The solution is extremely scalable, helping ITNAmerica to pursue its plans for national expansion. Because it is interoperable with many kinds of hardware and software, the solution can integrate with existing technology at affiliate locations. Plus, the rich Microsoft development tools, including Microsoft Visual Studio® Team System, lets ITNAmerica staff work in an efficient, flexible environment to modify the solution in response to market demands.

Scalability for Expanding Business

Because the software-plus-services model can use a broad range of both Web-based services and locally installed software, it provides scalability for the growing organization. For ITNAmerica, this is a key aspect of using a software-plus-services approach based on Microsoft products.

“With the previous version of ITNRides, we couldn’t efficiently replicate a sustainable ITNAmerica model on the scale that we envisioned for our business. There were simply too many components requiring on-site, manual installation and maintenance,” says Fried. “The software-plus-services model and Microsoft technologies allow us to provide a highly centralized service to our affiliates—and all they need is a browser and a broadband connection. It makes it easy to install a system and provide customized features, depending on what the affiliate’s needs are for its community.”

And, with the scalable system, ITNAmerica can offer easy access to support. The organization created a Web-based portal through which affiliates can get answers to their questions. “It allows us to deliver support to affiliates efficiently and cost-effectively, regardless of their location,” says Fried. “That, in turn, supports our goal of growing both nationally and internationally. These opportunities were simply not viable with our previous system.”

Interoperability for Integrating with Other IT Systems

To attract affiliates, ITNAmerica needs to ensure a relatively easy setup process. The software-plus-services model is important in making that happen.

“Many of the people running the affiliates don’t have a lot of training in IT,” says Freund. “Their goal is to improve the lives of senior citizens and others who need transportation. They don’t want to spend a lot of time installing, integrating, and managing IT.”

The software-plus-services solution using Microsoft products is critical for helping affiliates operate because ITNAmerica easily integrates with familiar hardware and software products that are already in place.

“The software-plus-services approach has helped ITNAmerica, as a small business, to develop and deliver a sophisticated IT solution to users who would not be able to manage such technology on their own,” says Fried. “It has helped us create a highly efficient system for our affiliates.”

Flexibility for Modifying Solution

Along with the scalability and interoperability of its solution, ITNAmerica needs a system with the capacity to incorporate constant innovation in response to market needs and business opportunities when they arise. The software-plus-services approach and Microsoft products give the company the technology platform it needs to grow and adapt, including a rich set of software tools for continually modifying and enhancing ITNRides.

“The Microsoft products give us an agile, highly flexible development environment for building our technology solution,” says Fried. “The IT architecture provides a lot of flexibility to innovate, and allows us to bring our customers into the development loop. It also lays the foundation for connecting and collaborating with other systems and organizations.”

Freund adds that the efficiency of the software-plus-services model allows ITNAmerica to advance its business.

“Our business model involves trying to solve a huge national problem and meet a growing challenge—providing greater mobility for people in the last years of their lives,” she says. “The software-plus-services approach and Microsoft products make our business model possible. They’re helping us create a sustainable solution to address a national challenge.”

Software + Services

Software-plus-services is an industry shift driven by the fast-growing recognition that combining Internet services with client and server software can deliver exciting new opportunities. Microsoft is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses take advantage of these opportunities. By bringing together the best of both software and services, we maximize capabilities, choice, and flexibility for our customers. The broad software-plus-services approach unites multiple industry phenomena including software as a service, service-oriented development, and the Web 2.0 user experience under a common umbrella.

For more information about software-plus-services, go to: softwareplusservices

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“We needed a solution that would be scalable, customizable for different users, and interoperable with other platforms and services with which we connect.”

Alan Fried, Chief Operating Officer, ITNAmerica

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“Building an application using a software-plus-services architecture was the only way a small company such as ITNAmerica could deliver its solution to many affiliates without a large support staff.”

Michael Stiefel, President, Reliable Software

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“The Microsoft products give us an agile, highly flexible development environment for building our technology solution.”

Alan Fried, Chief Operating Officer, ITNAmerica

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| |Software and Services

Microsoft Server Product Portfolio

− Microsoft SQL Server 2008

− Windows Server 2008

− Microsoft System Center

Microsoft Visual Studio

− Microsoft Visual Studio Team System

− Microsoft Visual C#

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Technologies

− Microsoft .NET Framework

− Microsoft

− Windows Communication Foundation

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This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published October 2009 | | |

For More Information

For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:



For more information about Reliable Software products and services, call (617) 739-4730 or visit the Web site at:

For more information about ITNAmerica products and services, call (207) 857-9001 or visit the Web site at:

“The software-plus-services model and Microsoft technologies allow us to provide a highly centralized service to our affiliates."

Alan Fried, Chief Operating Officer, ITNAmerica

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