T-Systems International today consists of what used to be the IT arm of Daimler Chrysler, Debis, and the original T-Systems' business. The businesses merged in 2000 when T-Systems bought Debis. By then, both companies had global operations, with their own set of reporting standards and different system landscapes. In addition, says T-Systems SA's Gideon Ellis, there was insufficient system support for the business.

“We'd started developing a template around finance and control when the company was still Debis,” says Ellis. “After three years, we had six or seven different implementations and realised the template was no template. The last implementation was totally different to the first, resulting in a lot of frustration for the head office.”

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