As a staffing services company, Eilakaisla handles large amounts of personal data and other confidential information in its daily work. This means its IT environment must be secure, while also supporting smooth work across Finland and beyond the country’s borders.
However, the company’s previous IT environment no longer supported everyday work in the best possible way. Setting up a new device could require access to a specific office network, and logging into systems required VPN connections. In a nationwide company, this created unnecessary friction.
Together with Netox, Eilakaisla set out to simplify its IT environment, move away from its own servers and take the environment in a more cloud-based direction. The goal was to improve cybersecurity and the user experience at the same time.
“We handle a huge amount of personal data, so the information must be strongly protected. At the same time, the user experience is very important to us. Solutions should make everyday work easier, not more difficult,” says Katja Pekkinen, CFO and IT Director at Eilakaisla.
Netox has been Eilakaisla’s IT partner for several years. According to Kristian Dahlgren, Service Manager at Netox, the renewal is a good example of how an IT environment should be developed based on the customer’s real needs.
“When there are solutions in the environment that are no longer needed in the same way as before, a good partner dares to bring that up. The point is not to maintain the old just because it exists, but to build a more sensible and easier-to-manage environment for the customer,” Dahlgren says.
From unnecessary friction to smoother everyday work
Eilakaisla has employees across Finland, and some work fully remotely. This meant it was no longer practical for a new employee or a device replacement to depend on visiting a specific office.
“We have people who work 100 percent remotely, so it has to be possible to set up a device anywhere,” Pekkinen explains.
The decision to move towards a lighter and more cloud-based environment was made through close dialogue between Eilakaisla and Netox.
We know what we want, but Netox understands how it can be implemented. Things are not simply handed to us as finished decisions. We go through them together,” Pekkinen says.
“We know what we want, but Netox understands how it can be implemented. Things are not simply handed to us as finished decisions. We go through them together,” Pekkinen says.
According to Dahlgren, the change was not just about moving away from servers. It was about making the environment smoother, more secure and better suited to future needs.
“A technically good solution is not enough if it does not work in the customer’s everyday life.”
The change was made with users in mind
The renewal included several separate projects, which were taken forward through a joint steering group. According to Pekkinen, the work was systematic: project phases, responsibilities and communication needs were defined carefully.
Pekkinen, who was responsible for Eilakaisla’s internal communications, received guidance from Netox on what users needed to be told and how they should be instructed during the changes. Netox was also ready to provide personal support if users encountered problems, for example when updating or setting up devices.
As a result of the renewal, setting up new devices has started to run more smoothly than before. The processes are still being developed based on everyday experience, but according to Pekkinen, the direction is the right one.
“The process has been refined and is still being refined, but we have also helped our people learn new ways of working internally. Gradually, there are moments of realisation that this can actually be this easy now,” Pekkinen says.
A lighter environment supports future development
A lighter and more cloud-based IT environment also supports Eilakaisla’s future development. The company has expanded to Norway, and its employees there are part of the same environment as users in Finland. According to Pekkinen, the current solution serves this much better than before.
Pekkinen says Netox’s strength is that it does not offer the customer a single ready-made mould. Instead, solutions are built around the company’s needs.
“Netox does not force everyone into the same generic mould. They want to serve us in a way that serves us specifically in the best possible way,” Pekkinen says.
