CSU

CSU and Tzorg: complete IT makeover in record time

CSU is an innovative cleaning company that is growing rapidly. Because it wanted to provide better IT support for its own people - including those of sister organization Tzorg - a complete makeover of the infrastructure was needed. With Valid's help, this was accomplished in just five days.

Challenge: modernizing the application landscape

In addition to CSU, Tzorg is also growing rapidly. This means an increase in mobile workers (and therefore devices and data). With the existing static environment, this was difficult to accommodate. So there was a need for more flexibility and scalability. However, there was a lack of ICT knowledge and capacity to realize the infrastructure needed for this, especially to keep it operational 24/7. That is why outsourcing was chosen. 

The preference was for "a medium-sized partner where you still get personal attention," Adegeest says. "We made inquiries in our personal network, and consulted benchmarks such as Giarte's. Then we shortlisted and invited candidates for a presentation." Although Adegeest immediately had a good feeling about Valid, four more reference visits followed. "At a housing corporation, an administration company, a factory and a government agency. After that, we were definitely convinced."

CSU cleaning
CSU cleaning women
Solution: Azure and fleXpace

The scalable, flexible and reliable cloud solution CSU was looking for has been found in Azure, Microsoft's public cloud. All the on-premise ICT systems of both CSU and Tzorg are now housed there.

A new workplace concept was also introduced: fleXpace®, from Valid. The idea of fleXpace in combination with Microsoft 365 is that users - regardless of their location - can view, share and edit data and documents with any device. FleXpace also makes it possible to combine apps from Microsoft 365 with systems that already exist in the organization.

Besides the implementation and optimization of Azure and fleXpace, Valid also took care of the management. Valid also supported the logistics side by delivering laptops ready to use on site.

Originally, the job was to be done incrementally, in about three and a half months. Enough time for any problems to come to light and be fixed. Users would also undergo training before going live.

Because of the pandemic, however, things turned out differently. Adegeest: "From one day to the next, all employees had to work from home. We then completed the job together with Valid in just five days by working extremely hard. A stress test, from which we came out well."

Benefit of cooperation: frictions removed

Huurman: "Valid has done a good job, both in the construction and in the transition to new situation. Valid's people have a lot of knowledge and experience and are pleasantly proactive. A Valid specialist helped to further develop the scrum teams. Valid further played an important role in setting up and running tests, and was of added value in removing frictions that always occur in this type of project."

"If you want to move to the cloud and you're looking for a mid-sized organization to outsource your IT to, I would definitely put Valid on the list."

John Adegeest Director of ICT
Valid - woman 5
Valid - consultancy
Benefits of cooperation: strengthening each other

CSU and Valid share values, such as human, innovative, reliable and personal. They also share the same view of collaboration. "You have to strengthen each other. CSU and Tzorg want to be able to work more efficiently. If Valid successfully facilitates us in this, it strengthens their market position. This in turn benefits us, because it puts Valid in a better position to offer continuity."

Another important benefit of the cooperation between CSU and Valid, is that ICT now has more time to focus on answering user questions. "We man the first-line service desk ourselves, because we believe in the power of contact with our own people," says the director.

The result: future-proof application landscape

In the new situation, people from CSU and Tzorg can work more efficiently. "Being able to work and do registrations safely on the road, at home or at a municipal office at all times is essential for us." Using Office 365 products has great added value for CSU and Tzorg. Microsoft's portfolio is extensive and products are continuously updated, so users always have the latest functionality.

With Valid taking over management, IT security and continuity is assured. ''That's important,'' Adegeest says, ''because ultimately over 27,000 people want to get their salaries at the end of the month. IT just has to be in order."

The move to the cloud was a giant leap, according to Adegeest, but delivers immediate benefits. "At night, for example, we need less capacity than during the day, so then we scale down. Part of the capacity is always needed. You can fix the rate for that. That saves on costs.''

Future

Both parties are constantly looking for opportunities to innovate and have periodic discussions about this. In the future, CSU wants to do more with data science. Valid is strong in that, according to Adegeest. He can recommend this service provider to anyone: "If you want to move to the cloud and you are looking for an organization to outsource your IT to, I would definitely put them on the list. Because Valid is an organization where it's first and foremost about the people."

CSU
  • Founded in 1968
  • 15,455 employees
  • Seven business units
  • Headquarters in Uden
  • Active in 14 different industries
  • Over 490 million euros in sales
TZorg
  • Exists since 2009
  • Contracts with more than 300 municipalities in the Netherlands
  • Over 12,000 employees
  • 213 million euros in sales