1. Was this a lifelong goal? / How did you come to do what you do?
From a young age, I was fascinated by computers, the hardware that made them work, and the software they ran. I grew up working on them and writing programs for them to run. I knew I made the right choice after my first college internship. Fifteen years later, I still find myself passionate about the software engineering field.

2. What motivates you every day?
I am motivated by and enjoy learning new skills and finding creative solutions to solve problems.

3. What are your favorite types of projects to work on?
I enjoy projects that present unfamiliar problems that require me to seek out new information in the software engineering field to find solutions.

4. What are your future career goals?
My career goal is to grow into a leadership role and continue to advance my knowledge base in the software engineering field.

5. What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?
The best career lesson I have learned so far is don’t just hear, listen.

6. What do you like most about working at EDI?
The ability to collaborate and brainstorm with my peers to achieve objectives makes working at EDI rewarding.

7. What has been your favorite memory while working at EDI?
During my time at EDI, we’ve rolled out numerous continuous integration products to improve our delivery process. It brings me great satisfaction each time a new product goes live and we start seeing the cost savings and reliability improvements each one brings.

8. Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?
Outside of work, I enjoy outdoor activities with my family. We’ve recently gotten into riding bikes and exploring area parks and trails.

In the spirit of the holiday season, Arora Engineers, Inc. and their subsidiary companies have donated money to plant 2,022 trees in an effort to help endangered Orcas. Tree planting along rivers and streams helps to conserve Chinook Salmon spawning grounds, which are Orca’s primary food source, as well as to decrease water contamination and toxicity. We are doing this with help from the nonprofit organization One Tree Planted and their Orca Project.

Since we know that trees “help clean the air we breathe”, we hope that you will all “take a breather” to watch our 45-second video greeting!

A happy, safe, sustainable holiday, and a prosperous 2022 to you all from your friends at Arora Engineers, Inc., Electronic Data, Inc. (EDI), Arora Technology Group, LLC (ATG), and Arora Systems Group, LLC (ASG)! We will provide updates on the project so we can track the impact our trees are having on Orcas and the environment.

Jenna Riffer joined EDI in May 2017. As Director of Customer Care, Jenna enjoys working with technical and functional resources to deliver solutions to customers and resolve customer issues. Jenna is organized and strives to overcommunicate, working to balance customer satisfaction with keeping projects on budget and driving revenue.

1. How did you come to do what you do?

My degree in journalism led me to start out working with technology for the media industry, which led me to software services, which led me to EDI. I started at EDI managing support customers and renewals and in the past 18 months have added the services team and project delivery to my role.

2. Was this a lifelong goal?

Not specifically, but creating and executing plans is a part of who I am, so I think an operations management job has always been the path for me.

3. What do you enjoy most about your job?

I am involved in many aspects of the business, including support, services, managing a team, and can be heard and influence decisions and processes.

4. What motivates you every day?

Whether it be at home or work, I am motivated by maintaining order, checking things off the list, and moving everyone and everything forward.

5. What are your favorite types of projects to work on?

I did not come to EDI with a background in Maximo, so I enjoy working on eSAM projects that bring the best practices of our solution to the table and allow us to deliver a consistent product. Having a customer with engaged project stakeholders also makes the entire process more enjoyable.

6. What are your future career goals?

I always want to work in an organization that I believe I can make better with my contributions. I look forward to growing the team as our business grows, especially having the opportunity to develop leaders within the team and expanding my own skill set from a business management perspective.

7. What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?

Focus on the challenges within your control or ‘sphere of influence’. Don’t get bogged down in things that don’t immediately affect you or that you can’t change. It only builds frustration.

8. What do you like most about working at EDI?

Starting a job in a new field is a huge change, but four years in it’s the people that have helped me get a better understanding of our customers and the solutions we provide, make the stressful days manageable and bring their best to ensure that we meet our goals.

9. What has been your favorite memory while working at EDI?

I am admittedly a homebody, but I really enjoy the occasional work trip where you are able to interact with the customer team face-to-face and spend some time in a more social setting with colleagues. The best memories are quite possibly made over dinner or crammed into a rental car with your entire project team, trying not to spill your coffee on each other.

10. Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

There is nothing better than a pool day with my daughters, a good book and a nap.

Electronic Data, Inc. (EDI) was featured on the ReliabilityWeb.com podcast “Reliability Radio: Episode 247” featuring EDI’s  Scott Yates, Chief Operating Officer, and Eddie Clayson, Director Airport Maintenance at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). EDI and SLC worked together to provide Maximo Enterprise Asset Management System (EAM) software, consulting, implementation, and hosting services for the SLC South Valley Regional Airport and Tooele Valley Airport.

The project kicked off in late July of 2020 and by September 2020, the Maximo system was live and being used to support work requests and work order management in SLC’s new $4.1 B Terminal that opened the same month. That’s a go-live in less than 90 days. For their work on this project, EDI and SLC were recognized at MaximoWorld 2021 and awarded Best Maximo Enterprise Asset Management Implementation Program.

In the podcast, Yates and Clayson discuss the award and their secret to success: give good, talented people big challenges and they rise to the occasion and do great things.

To listen to the episode, click here.

Large organizations typically house a diverse portfolio of asset systems, each contributing to the overall goals of the organization but presenting widely different investments, performance challenges, and risks. The properly configured asset management system is the bridge which allows facility managers to coordinate and optimize work management activities, manage planned and unplanned activities, and evaluate capital expenditures versus operating the existing assets. When a facility employs the right EAM software system, they can establish maintenance best practices to maximize return on investment for all of their critical assets.

EAM systems allow facilities to transform from relying on planned maintenance for their assets to world class maintenance best practices that are part of a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program. A RCM program relies on the historical data housed in the EAM maintenance software system to identify and predict equipment failures and recommend pro-active activities that will reduce the number of failures and also extend the life of equipment.

Benefits of Implementing Right EAM for Your Facility Can Include

Asset Management is the process of maintaining the physical assets of an organization throughout each asset’s lifecycle. Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Systems arose as an expansion of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), which were IT systems created to track maintenance activities and essentially functioned as work order systems. However, maintenance management is only one aspect of a facility, system, or asset’s lifecycle, and only one component of an asset’s total cost of ownership and its reliability profile. As the assets and systems that organizations rely on became smarter and more complex, facility managers needed technologies which compiled and synthesized all of the disparate smart data they are collecting to optimize and innovate their operations.

EAM is a program, which is typically supported by a software system, that encompasses the entire lifecycle of physical assets from planning, design, build, operate, and decommissioning, as well as all contexts for that asset—including configuration, function, operational context, failure modes, maintenance programs, inspection programs and condition monitoring, safety and environmental profiles and impacts, and much more.

There are numerous EAM software manufacturers with an array of capabilities configured to manage assets for a variety of industries, such as manufacturing, life sciences, airports, transportation and public utilities. Enterprise Asset Management solutions often exist in the cloud and organizations combine the systems, software, and services used to maintain the physical assets of an organization throughout each asset’s lifecycle. Subsequently, the many teams which make up the facility’s organizational structure access the system via their computers or through a mobile application on their smart device, such as a cell phone or tablet, and record and access asset data stored in the EAM.

The purpose of an EAM system is to allow an organization to plan, optimize, execute, and track any needed maintenance activities with the associated priorities, skills, materials, tools, and information. The goal is to optimize the quality and utilization of assets throughout their lifecycle, increase productive uptime and reduce operational costs.

Organizations can further maximize the efficiency of their EAM system by investing in a Mobile Work Order solution to help their disparate groups adopt the EAM system as a regular part of their day-to-day operations. Implementing a Mobile Work Order solution allows operators, office administrators, inspectors, engineers, and supervisors to access important asset information no matter where they are. The right Mobile Work Order solution seamlessly integrates with the organization’s EAM system to provide real-time and actionable information.

At EDI, we partner with organizations to select the best enterprise asset management (EAM systems) and ensure their business processes meet best practices and align with the system selected. To request more information, click here.