brightfin merger of mobile solutions, visage, and mobichord

announcing brightfin

Three technology expense management (TEM) companies merge to expand offerings into IT Finance Management (ITFM)

Mobile Solutions, Visage, and MobiChord have joined forces to become brightfin, a unified platform to manage mobile, telecom (fixed), and cloud expenses offered natively through ServiceNow or as a SaaS solution.

IDC reports that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) spending is expected to continue its rapid growth with worldwide spend reaching nearly $6 trillion by 2023. With the rapid expansion of technology and devices, companies are struggling to keep track of IT spend, optimize cost, and properly allocate expenses. Traditional telecom expense management (TEM) companies only address mobile expense optimization while brightfin will provide cost savings, workflow efficiencies, and transparency into all IT expenses for better decision making.

Ed Roshitsh headshot

“We didn’t want to make the same mistake we’ve seen others make by trying to stitch our technologies together and end up with a frankenstein-like platform. By going ‘all in’ on our strongest piece of technology, we cut months out of the typical integration cycle and focused that time on expanding our capabilities to serve a wider ITFM audience.”

Ed Roshitsh CEO, brightfin

brightfin has taken the best of all three acquired companies to form the most powerful and forward-thinking IT expense management platforms in the industry.

MobiChord Logo

brightfin is built on MobiChord’s core technology which means that Mobichord clients will see very minimal changes.

 

Mobile Solutions and Visage Logos

Check out this short video with answers to questions you may be asking:

Webinar for existing clients

Questions our Mobile Solutions & Visage clients may be asking:

Product

What can brightfin help me with?

brightfin builds on the core mobility solutions and services you’ve been using to run your business by expanding to deliver comprehensive IT expense management for telecom (fixed) and cloud in a unified platform

What is new in the brightfin platform?

The brightfin platform is built on-top of the legacy MobiChord platform, a Built on Now solution that rates as the #2 ServiceNow app within their app store. The base of ServiceNow provides us with a stable, industry-leading IT service management platform so we can align investments in new features and expand our support for other IT asset classes beyond mobile. All of this by leveraging ServiceNow, a tool that over 50% of the Fortune 1000 have already adopted for user and technology management initiatives. 

Whether you are an active ServiceNow subscriber or not, the brightfin platform provides your organization with the global power to supercharge your IT finance initiatives.

Some exciting features within the brightfin platform:

  • Robust carrier automations for procurement, including major international carriers
  • Invoice mappers and support for over 300 carriers globally
  • API based integration with 6 of the leading MDM/UEM software providers in the market to provide enhanced inventory management and policy governance 
  • Advanced invoice processing automations and dispute management tools
  • Detailed analytics and advanced report building capabilities leveraging ServiceNow’s Report Builder.

*Since we are building brightfin on the existing MobiChord structure, no migration is necessary for legacy MobiChord clients. We will continue to update you as exciting new releases become available.

Will I have an opportunity to provide feedback about the platform?

Absolutely. Client feedback is critical to the ongoing development of our platform. You will continue to be supported by a client delivery team and any information can be provided directly to our team.

Will Mobile Solutions or Visage clients lose any features or functionality by moving to the new platform?

Our goal and expectation is that features and functionality will increase as part of the migration and client’s expected outcomes will be delivered without disruption. Our product roadmap addresses all functionality gaps categorized as critical so that brightfin can deliver on all contracted services. 

Legacy capabilities from both Mobile Solutions’ MAX platform and Visage’s MobilityCentral solution are in the process of being ported over. While all functions will not be available on May 1st, all of the differentiated capabilities of these platforms will be available on the brightfin platform by the end of the year. We have targeted the highest value differentiators and requirements to time the migration of legacy clients, and will provide advanced communication, planning and training to our clients, prior to their platform migration.

Are other major changes on the roadmap?

The migration schedule is being driven by the product roadmap and release schedule so that required functionality will be available in brightfin to support each client effectively. The roadmap addresses functionality and enhancements that drive the brightfin product offerings forward.

The power of being Built on Now means brightfin will continue to develop to add additional value across your IT infrastructure. By unifying mobile, fixed, and cloud you can future proof your IT investments.

Will your email domain change?

Yes, contact information and email domains will change but any emails that are being used to communicate with your support teams today will continue to be active for several months after the change.

What reports will be available?

The brightfin platform offers a robust reporting engine that provides standard reporting on spend, usage and cost allocation (among many other things). We have worked diligently to ensure that the reports that are most important to our clients are thoroughly supported going forward. In addition, you will continue to have the ability to build custom reports specific to your company. Our implementation teams will work with you to make the transition as smooth as possible.

How do I view my list of services?

The brightfin platform includes a list of all services by type, with the ability to filter based on contract, billing account or other device or assignment information.

How does the new product affect our current invoice workflow?

Invoice workflow is core to the brightfin platform and we anticipate that all current processes will be supported.

Can I change line status from the new portal?

Line status can be updated in the portal.

When will new devices become available in brightfin’s catalog?

Catalog configuration updates are easy in brightfin with changes appearing in the portal within contracted Service Level guidelines.

Can custom reports be made in brightfin?

The Implementation team will work to have the custom reports that are key to your program available in the new platform prior to the conversion.

Can we create equipment bundles in the portal?

While devices and accessories need to be selected independently, the request workflow makes this a simple process, presenting only approved and compatible assets.

Is the new portal optimized for touch on mobile devices?

The brightfin platform is mobile responsive, and there is a mobile application in BETA stages today. Stay tuned for more advanced mobile capabilities.

Cost & Contracts

Is there any cost to move to the new platform?

There is no cost to convert your existing services to the new platform and rates for these services will not change. 

We recognize that each of you have unique IT environments and we’re excited to be able to further support your organization by bringing actionable visibility of your entire IT environment into a unified portal. Your client success team will follow up about new ways brightfin can support your IT financial management.

Will this change affect any of my current contract conditions?

In most situations, recontracting will not be required. The new brightfin name will be reflected in your next renewal or service order for incremental services you may purchase. If you are on a contract that requires amendment, your client success manager will be reaching out in the next month with details.

Should we expect some paperwork because of this change?

In most situations, recontracting will not be required and new paperwork would only be issued on future order forms or agreements.

Will new LOAs need to be put in place?

No updates to LOAs will be required as a result of this change. It may make sense to complete new LOAs as part of your next renewal or if new services are added.

Migration

How do I bring my fixed telecom and cloud into the new platform?

Your client success team will be reaching out individually to discuss how brightfin can better support your IT financial management.

Are there any action items to be done on our side because of this change?

Our implementation teams will be migrating data from your existing platform to brightfin in order to minimize the impact to you and your organization. You will need to be trained on the new platform and assist with communicating the change through your organization. Additionally, there may be some configuration changes associated with HR feeds, SSO or file delivery.

When will my company have access to see the new platform?

We would be happy to coordinate an overview of the platform at your convenience, with conversions targeted to begin late Q2, 2021.

When will my data be migrated to the new platform?

Mobile Solutions and Visage clients will be migrated to the new platform over the course of the next 12 months, focusing first on those clients that will benefit most from the additional functionality. 

Migration schedules are in development and will be shared by your delivery team. Current functionality, system usage and customizations are all being considered in the migration plan.

Will there be any downtime in service?

There will be no downtime. We anticipate a two week interval where you will have access to both platforms to ensure you have time to adapt to the change with no loss in functionality or data.

What does the migration process look like?

It is anticipated that the conversion process will take place over a 4 week period, with a requirement of about 2-4 hours per week from your team, to assist with configuration and to be trained on the new platform. .

Client data, configurations, and reports will be migrated to brightfin by the implementation team to reduce the time required by your administrators. Once migration is complete, administrators will receive training while they continue to have access to the legacy platform.

Will any changes be made to SLAs?

Technology SLAs will see slight improvements, with a higher focus on security that meets both enterprise and local and federal government requirements. Updated SLAs are available for review, but will not be changed without notice to existing clients, and likely not until their time of renewal. We will take advantage of this opportunity to right-size to more industry standard delivery SLAs for managed services, specifically when it comes to procurement and MACD support. 

What does this mean for the platform and services I am using?

brightfin will continue to provide all contracted services, though the supporting platform will change. You will be notified by your delivery team in advance of any change to ensure that you get the appropriate training. Once the migration is complete, legacy platforms will be discontinued.

How will vendor integrations be affected?

Current vendor integrations will be supported. You will continue to have access to your existing platform until all integrations are operational on the brightfin platform.

Will service policies change?

Our goal is always to provide quality service and to support this, brightfin will continue to deliver services in accordance with your existing statements of work and contracted service levels.

Will I be able to control who has access in my organization during rollout and can we phase access by department or region?

Access to the brightfin platform can be granted by organization, department or role and each user can be welcomed independently. Users will lose access to the legacy platform at the end of the conversion window.

Will my historical data transfer?

There will be a limit to the historical data that is migrated from the old platform to brightfin, however historical data will be retained and available to you upon request through your delivery team.

Will my URL change?

The brightfin platform will have a new URL. We highly recommend bookmarking so it’s easy to return to.

Will I need to whitelist new IP addresses?

As brightfin is hosted on new infrastructure, any whitelists will need to be updated to reflect the new IPs or servers.

Will I need to establish new SSO or user logins?

SSO is supported by brightfin but may require some additional configuration. All users will be required to register a new login to the brightfin platform.

Will I need to establish new APIs?

Our delivery team will ensure any integrations that need to be ported to the new platform will be revisited and reconfigured.

What will I have to update on my side to accommodate the new company name?

Our delivery team can advise on what updates are required based on your agreement and implementation.

What happens to my custom reports in MAX?

The implementation team will work to have the custom reports that are key to your program available in the new platform prior to the conversion.

I have a lot of users with custom visibility, will that carry over to brightfin?

brightfin allows for permissions to be granted by role at the user level.

Will my ticket approval workflows translate over into brightfin?

The brightfin platform supports the approval workflows from the legacy platforms. Conversions requiring custom workflows may be scheduled later than others.

Training & Resources

How will my employees be trained for the new product?

A training program is being developed specifically for clients moving from your current solution to the brightfin platform. Reach out to your client success team if you would like to set up training for fixed and cloud readiness as well.

Training materials, including online tutorials and live support from our implementation experts, will be provided as part of the conversion process. Additionally, a documentation portal will be accessible from within the platform to assist you as questions come up.

Will brightfin provide communication collateral I can use to announce internally?

At the time of conversion, your implementation manager can assist with building a communication plan for all users requiring access or needing to submit a request.

Should we expect any change to the Account/Support team that is working with us?

Your existing support teams are being trained to support your account on the new platform and across each of our new services.

How will this impact the support I receive from the Service Desk at the moment?

The Service Desk remains an active, viable support option and all requests will be logged and processed through the brightfin platform.