Hoivatie has a six-person IT team responsible for over a thousand employees. To ensure this compact IT team can manage the entire operation, they rely on external support.
“As a team, we handle the core business-related tasks ourselves, but in a field this large, it’s essential to have good partners to take care of the rest,” confirms Juha Alila, Chief Information Officer.
One major help comes from Tietokeskus’ online store, where Hoivatie employees can conveniently order IT devices and supplies.
“A functional online store is absolutely essential for an organisation of our size. You simply can’t place every order by phone or email.”
– Juha Alila, CIO
The online store streamlines Hoivatie’s device ordering process
With Tietokeskus’ online store, device procurement runs smoothly: supervisors add device orders to the IT team’s ticketing system, and the IT team then processes them via the online store.
For Hoivatie’s order volumes, this saves significant time compared to traditional email orders.
“Time is saved because unnecessary emails and extra phone calls are eliminated,” explains Keijo Kallo, System Specialist.
“Another major benefit is that orders aren’t stuck with one person. If all orders were sent to a single individual’s email, we wouldn’t have any visibility over their status. Now, because everything goes through the online store, we have a clear view,” adds Juha.
The process is further simplified by standardised products, making it clear what to order at any given time. Tietokeskus’ online store supports this with a favourites feature, allowing selected devices to be saved for all to see. The right products are easy to choose from the list and order.
“We will definitely continue using the online store; I never want to go back to email and phone orders.”
– Keijo Kallo, Systems Specialist
The online store makes it easy to share ordering responsibility
In addition to Hoivatie, the IT team handles device procurement for its affiliated associations and foundations. The online store allows multiple business IDs to be linked to a single account, so users don’t need to switch between different logins.
“At our busiest, we’ve ordered devices simultaneously for seven different companies. That hasn’t caused any issues; the user just needs to select the correct company when placing the order,” Keijo explains.
Another advantage is that Tietokeskus’ webshop allows order accounts to be set up for anyone who needs them. This ensures procurement responsibility is distributed, rather than resting on a single person’s desk.
“The online store makes our daily operations easier, but I also find it essential that Tietokeskus provides a local, named contact. I want someone I can call directly if an issue arises. Local faces and personal connections are very important to us.”
– Juha Alila, CIO
In the future, the IT team hopes to further simplify device ordering, so devices can be ordered directly to employees via the online store. This is already technically possible but requires some internal preparation at Hoivatie.
“We operate in 19 locations, so having devices preinstalled in Oulu isn’t a viable option. Implementing this would require wider use of M365 services,” Juha explains.
The first step is likely to start by ordering only devices that don’t require preinstallation, such as additional monitors, directly to the sites.
Overall, Hoivatie has been very satisfied with Tietokeskus’ online store.
“Tietokeskus has performed very well, and our availability has remained reasonable. That’s positive feedback,” Juha summarises.
“And preferably someone with a sense of humour, who I can be straightforward with if something frustrates me. You don’t have to think about how to phrase things diplomatically. We have an excellent contact at Tietokeskus.”
– Keijo Kallo, Systems Specialist
