“If a server goes down for half an hour, 600 people can’t access their files, their appointments get delayed… in short: it’s a minor disaster,” says Vicky Coryn.
3.5 years ago, she joined Groep INTRO as managing director. At that time, the An organization in the midst of a major transition. “In its early days, Group INTRO was much smaller, more dependent on subsidies, and organized on a more provincial scale. Gradually, we has evolved into a more complex structure, with broader partnerships. In addition, grant funding is decreasing year after year. ”As a result, we are now even more compelled to take a more proactive approach in reaching out to the public."
Those changes called for a new approach. In January 2016, the INTRO Group launched a new organizational structure. “We’re much more agile now and are actually not much different from a regular company,” Vicky says. “The only difference is that we reinvest our profits back into our operations.”. We are active in six areas: work, school, leisure, the community, the justice system, and customized services. Our work is very diverse. For example, we provide training for teachers, help long-term unemployed individuals find jobs, and intervene in ‘problem neighborhoods,’ …”
Alistar is an IT partner that continues to support us.
Vicky Coryn, Managing Director
Sluggish servers
The transition to the new organizational structure It was the perfect opportunity for Group INTRO to take a close look at all its suppliers as well. “We were running into problems in a number of areas, which meant we had to put out small fires time and time again. IT was one of them. In my early days as director, as the person ultimately responsible, I was constantly being hassled because of issues with the servers. That couldn’t go on.”
At the same time, the INTRO Group is increasingly positioning itself as innovative work organization, which is also changing IT needs. “A results-oriented and flexible approach is our hallmark,”, Vicky clarifies. “But with 600 people in your organization, it’s not easy to make that manageable.”. It is vitally important that internal communication be quick and smooth. ”That won't work if the infrastructure keeps failing."
“By leveraging new technology, we want to avoid a situation where employees from, say, Limburg and West Flanders schedule a meeting in Brussels—only to realize afterward that it would have been better if Colleague X had been there too—and then have to schedule yet another meeting.”
Migration to the Cloud
The combination of unreliable servers and a growing need for flexibility leads Vicky to decide to take a different approach. She asks several IT partners for proposals.
Alistar ultimately comes out on top. Their suggestion: moving away from proprietary physical servers and switch to a cloud solution via Microsoft Azure. You only pay for what you need. So you no longer need to invest in physical servers – and to hope that they will be sufficient to accommodate all the changes that will occur within the organization over the next six years.
With Azure, you can scale up capacity quickly and easily. What if you suddenly have a hundred extra employees starting tomorrow? All it takes is practically one click to add extra servers.
Safe and in your own hands
Group INTRO can—thanks to the user-friendly system from Microsoft Azure – also handle first-line support on our own. “While preparing for the migration, we were in daily contact with our IT partner and received internal training from them. As a result, we’re now able to handle a lot on our own in our new environment, without having to call Alistar right away.”
“In the past, if we wanted to grant someone access to certain features, we had to go through our IT partner. Now it’s just a matter of checking a few boxes. You simply grant people access to certain files based on their role, location, … ”It's convenient and much safer, because you don't run the risk of overlooking a folder."
However, Vicky initially had her doubts about the security of the ‘cloud.’ “I am responsible for the data of approximately 16,000 customers annually. There's also a lot of sensitive information including: interview reports, reasons why people can't find work. That must not be disclosed to the outside world, But we also ensure the necessary privacy safeguards internally. So a migration to the cloud like that is definitely something I didn’t feel comfortable just saying, ‘Okay, you say it’s safe, so I’ll take your word for it.’ In that regard, Alistar put our minds at ease. Not just by saying, ‘It’s true,’ but by backing it up with concrete, real-world examples.”
No ready-made solutions
Above all, Group INTRO is looking for an IT partner who understands the company, thinks proactively, and isn’t afraid to speak up. Someone who looks over our shoulder with care to see what the organization truly needs and how IT can play a facilitating role in that. Group INTRO employs educators, psychologists, social workers, and others. IT isn’t the first thing that comes to mind for them. Before we make any decision, we ask ourselves: How does that affect our employees and customers? ”How can they experience as little inconvenience as possible and enjoy as much ease of use as possible?"
Alistar stays up to date on the latest technological developments, responds quickly, and takes the time to develop well-thought-out solutions for us. “They’re there to support and advise us.”. That's why I also attend their informative breakfast sessions. It's a great way to stay up to date. ”And that's how it should be: an IT partner who helps us and continues to support us.".
