IT platform is bursting at the seams

EEG has grown significantly in recent years. However, its IT platform had not kept pace with this growth. The numerous applications running at EEG were centralised on the on-premises IT platform at the head office. All user access and interfacing took place via a complex Citrix environment. The IT department had its hands full onboarding new users and managing an ever-expanding application landscape.

Meanwhile, EEG saw rapid changes looming in the construction sector, and a great deal was changing within the organisation itself: EEG evolved from a specialist player into a total partner in construction projects, with long-term service contracts and an increasingly prominent role for digital technology – such as BIM (building information modelling) and building management.

A digital roadmap as a guide

To secure its future and ensure further growth, EEG is strongly committed to digitalisation. That is why the company decided – on the advice of its long-standing IT partner Savaco – to draw up a digital transformation roadmap, based on a Savaco DX audit. Together with Savaco, various use cases were identified that are set to transform EEG into a flexible, digital organisation. A scalable and easily accessible IT platform became the cornerstone of that roadmap. “Digitalisation is a core component of EEG’s growth strategy,” confirms Pepijn Accou, ICT Manager at EEG. “As the foundation for this, we wanted to build a flexible platform that supports our customers and employees in a rapidly changing market.”

Read more about our digital roadmap

Towards an agile organisation thanks to the cloud

So what exactly was the IT platform supposed to look like? This was set out in a cloud transformation plan. Based on a thorough analysis of workloads and application dependencies, Savaco carried out a cloud readiness assessment. It soon became clear that migration to the Microsoft Azure public cloud was the right alternative to the rigid, HQ-centralised back office. “After all, our choice of Azure fits in with our broader vision: it offers us a secure, scalable and future-proof IT environment that helps our business move forward,” says Pepijn.

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Phased migration with a future-proof vision

As this shift to the cloud was just one part of the wider digital transformation journey, EEG deliberately opted for a programme-managed approach. “We deliberately chose a ‘shift-and-shut’ approach for the migration rather than an automatic migration to Infrastructure-as-a-Service,” explains Pepijn. ‘Our aim was not to move workloads one-to-one, but to critically assess each workload, modernising or even eliminating it where possible. This allowed us to make the most of the cloud’s capabilities whilst future-proofing our processes. Savaco supported us in the practical implementation of our vision: they provided the technical expertise and best practices to successfully roll out this strategy.’

IT that is ready for further digitalisation

Today, EEG’s entire IT environment runs in the public cloud. All locations are supported from a single central cloud platform, with significantly improved remote access for users. The new platform now forms the foundation for the further digital steps that EEG, in collaboration with Savaco, has set out in its digital roadmap and which are now being implemented step by step. “Every day, we see and feel the impact of our revamped IT platform in terms of user experience and performance. At the same time, this cloud platform is a foundation on which we are continuing to build and which can grow alongside our organisation,” concludes Pepijn.

“Throughout this process, Savaco has proved to be a strong technical partner who really takes charge, but also a reliable advisor who understands our needs.”

Pepijn Accou
IT-manager EEG

Savaco Managed Services: continuity and reliability for EEG

In addition to the successful implementation of the solution, EEG opted for Savaco’s Atlas Managed Services to manage the environment effectively and ensure its continuous improvement. Thanks to this partnership, EEG benefits from:

  • Proactive monitoring and incident management: Savaco monitors the environment 24/7 and takes immediate action in the event of any anomalies.
  • ITIL-based processes: incident, problem and change management ensure a structured and reliable service.
  • Transparent reporting: regular SLA reports, cost overviews and recommendations for improvement give EEG full control.
  • Optimisation and governance: through workshops and GAP analyses, areas for improvement are identified and implemented, including cost optimisation in Azure.
  • Flexible service levels: from co-managed to controlled, tailored to EEG’s needs.

With Savaco Atlas Managed Services unique offering, EEG has opted for a bespoke, workload-based solution that takes the pressure off. Fully tailored to EEG’s needs, based on its business requirements. This approach ensures EEG has a stable, secure and cost-efficient IT environment, whilst allowing the company to focus on its core activities.

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Migration of SQL servers to SQLaaS

As part of EEG’s modernisation programme, we investigated the benefits of migrating on-premises SQL servers to a fully managed SQL as a Service (SQLaaS) solution. This approach offers:

  • Scalability: Easily adjust resources based on the workload.
  • Reduced maintenance: Patching, backups and monitoring are outsourced to the cloud provider.
  • Enhanced security and compliance: Built-in encryption and disaster recovery features.

Proof of Concept

To validate the feasibility and performance of SQLaaS for EEG’s environment, we conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC). Key results:

  • Successful migration of selected databases without downtime.
  • Performance benchmarks met or even exceeded.
  • Simplified management thanks to automated provisioning and monitoring.

This PoC confirmed that SQLaaS perfectly aligns with EEG’s objectives regarding flexibility, cost optimisation and future-proof data infrastructure.

What does your future IT look like?

Is your organisation also ready for a thorough overhaul of its current IT environment? Our experts have a proven track record in designing and migrating to a scalable (hybrid) cloud platform. We’d be happy to discuss your requirements.

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