Case Study

Establishing a Defensible Technology Baseline Across a $30M Voice and Data Environment

Executive Summary

  • Consulting-led engagement establishing a complete, defensible inventory across a $30M voice and data environment
  • Multi-vendor, multi-account services reconciled into a single source of truth
  • Inventory validated against operational reality, not billing records alone
  • Data gaps and risk areas identified that had previously blocked optimization efforts
  • Engagement established the foundation for future audit, sourcing, and governance initiatives


The Challenge

The organization managed a large and complex voice and data environment supporting clinical facilities, administrative offices, and remote sites. Over time, carrier changes, legacy services, contract rollovers, and incomplete documentation eroded visibility into which services were actually active. Leadership did not have a reliable inventory of voice and data services, clear ownership across vendors and billing accounts, or confidence that invoices reflected real, in-service assets.

Previous attempts to audit or optimize the environment stalled due to one fundamental issue. There was no trusted baseline. Before pursuing savings, sourcing, or governance initiatives, the organization needed to establish an accurate and defensible inventory of services across all vendors. This was not an audit. It was a forensic baselining exercise.

The DBC Consulting Approach

Dev-Byrne & Company was engaged on a time-and-materials basis to create a complete and defensible inventory of the organization’s voice and data services. DBC’s role was to establish ground truth by coordinating across vendors, internal teams, and fragmented data sources. The engagement operated across three parallel workstreams.

Vendor Coordination and Data Collection

DBC worked directly with multiple carriers to:

  • Obtain complete billing files, service records, and account hierarchies
  • Reconcile inconsistencies between invoices, carrier systems, and contract documentation
  • Identify undocumented services, orphaned circuits, and legacy accounts
 

This required persistent vendor engagement and escalation to obtain data not available through standard portals.

Client Collaboration and Validation

In parallel, DBC worked closely with the client’s IT, Network, and Finance teams to:

  • Validate services against known locations and systems
  • Identify services tied to decommissioned or consolidated facilities
  • Clarify business ownership where documentation was incomplete
 

This collaboration ensured the inventory reflected operational reality rather than billing records alone.

Forensic Inventory Construction

Using the collected data, DBC performed forensic reconciliation to:

  • Normalize service records across vendors
  • Map circuits and services to physical locations and business functions
  • Identify duplicate, legacy, or misclassified services
  • Create a single, consolidated inventory of voice and data assets
 

The result was a defensible baseline trusted by Finance, IT, and executive leadership.

The Outcome

  • Creation of a complete, validated inventory across an approximately $30M annual voice and data environment
  • Clear visibility into services, vendors, accounts, and ownership
  • Identification of data gaps and risk areas that had previously blocked optimization efforts
  • A trusted baseline enabling future audit, sourcing, and governance initiatives
 

The primary value of the engagement was not immediate savings, but clarity and control.

What Changed

For the first time, the organization had a reliable view of its voice and data environment. Leadership could clearly see what services existed, where they were deployed, and who owned them. Decisions related to optimization, sourcing, and modernization could now be made with confidence. The inventory became the foundation for all future technology expense management efforts.

Why It Worked

  • Consulting-led approach focused on truth creation rather than cost takeout
  • Deep vendor coordination and escalation
  • Close collaboration with client stakeholders
  • Forensic reconciliation across incomplete and inconsistent data sources
 

DBC provided the discipline and persistence required to establish a baseline that previous efforts could not achieve.

Considering Your Approach

Organizations managing complex technology environments often benefit from a disciplined review of inventory accuracy, contract alignment, execution ownership, and sourcing decisions. A structured discussion can help determine whether audit, consulting, or sourcing support is appropriate for your environment.