Steven: It’s quite a transition to move from in-house IT to outsourced IT. But what immediately set Alistar apart was the personal approach to this partnership. We work with Alistar staff members who are all deeply committed and always willing to go the extra mile. We really notice that, and I’m incredibly happy about it. And it’s not just me—the FME employees are also very satisfied.
Maarten: That’s very important to us. For an organization, this can be quite a challenge. In this case, for example, it meant that FME employees could no longer turn to a physical help desk at any time of the day. There are now only two times a week when that’s possible, but we’re always available online and by phone.
Steven: Of course, it took some getting used to, but everyone is very pleased with our service desk’s responsiveness, customer-friendliness, and focus on finding solutions—even now that our employees can no longer physically come in at any time.
Maarten: What helps is that the people at FME are also open to new ideas. That’s where Alistar really shines—it makes collaboration a lot easier and more successful. In this case, they’ve seen that we’re also very capable of resolving their issues over the phone and digitally.
Alistar truly lives up to the motto "Where empathy goes, business flows.".
Steven: We’re an organization open to change; there’s a real “can-do” mentality here. Our core values are connection, innovation, and entrepreneurship. You can really see that reflected in how our employees behave. We tackle everything head-on, work together on many projects, and embrace change. Our work revolves around innovation. If you promote that to the outside world, you can’t be afraid of change internally either. That’s where Alistar really makes a difference. Through their customer focus and the calm confidence their consultants exude, they inspire trust in the end user. Even if that person is standing at the service desk with a laptop for the third time. They take a de-escalating approach, and that’s exactly what you want. That’s how you truly bring the words “Where empathy goes, business flows” to life.
Maarten: We think that's very important, too. Making sure problems are solved and that the end user gets the help they need. Helping out wherever you can—not only when it comes to service, but also, for example, with the Cloud Migration which we handled for FME. For this collaboration, FME was primarily working with servers still located on-site. At the end of last year, we began migrating the on-premises servers to the cloud, from the initial assessment through to the phase-out. We are and will remain in control of the entire process.
Jeroen: We’re increasingly migrating to the cloud. We’re currently phasing out all our old infrastructure, and I expect that by the end of this year, we’ll be operating almost entirely in the cloud. That’s a significant step for FME, but one that will ultimately pay off.
Alistar is able to work well with other partners.
“Alistar is able to work well with other partners.”
Steven: On top of that, Alistar is also able to collaborate effectively with other partners. When you migrate to the cloud, you inevitably have to deal with more parties. Alistar has taken charge of the entire supplier management process, which I was very pleased with. There are still a few servers on-premises that Alistar manages. But Alistar also proactively offers valuable suggestions for migrating those servers to the cloud as well.
Jeroen: Last year, in line with the ‘modern workspace’ concept, we moved a few servers to the Microsoft Azure Cloud migrated. This is part of a broader modernization of our workstations; for example, we are now rolling out Windows 11 and facial recognition for FME employees. It’s part of our strategy to meet the new needs and preferences of employees as they gradually return to the office. This is how we continue to evolve.
Maarten: Ultimately, you want to be in a cycle where you’re constantly improving. You have to keep asking yourself questions. Where is FME headed, and what can Alistar do to help achieve that goal?
We're always looking for ways to keep improving.
Steven: Ultimately, Alistar provides better service than we could on our own. Their expertise is extensive, both in terms of service-related solutions and Cloud Migrations and server management. Ultimately, it even saves us money. But more importantly, our people are satisfied. At FME, people have very high expectations, but Alistar meets them time and time again. The consultants are easy to reach and transparent about their expectations.
Jeroen: We really do that together. For example, from the very start of our collaboration, we’ve been working on optimizing the licensing infrastructure. As a result, we’re now better able to track who needs which license, and FME can develop more effective procurement plans. Ultimately, Alistar provides a clearer overview, making it easier for managers to make decisions and allowing FME’s IT department to focus on more important matters such as information security and obtaining ISO certifications. We continue to develop our solutions, and that pays off time and time again.
Maarten: At both Alistar and FME, we are fully aware that we are part of a continuous improvement process. FME demands a lot from us, but they also have their own affairs very well organized. That’s why this is such a valuable partnership.
Steven: We're always looking for ways to keep improving. That's what makes a partnership like this so valuable.
