Inlumi

Becoming future-proof is a challenge for many MSPs. After all, how do you ensure security and continuity in a future where we are increasingly online? Utrecht-based Inlumi, a full-service provider of Enterprise Performance Management Analytics services, enlisted the help of Fundaments. Operations Director Frank Wessels and Commercial Business Development Manager Christian Hoekstra Yuzbashian explain how Fundaments prepared them for the future.

Frank, what do you think the organization of the future will look like?

Looking at our market and our clients within the EPM domain, I foresee technology increasingly acting as an enabler rather than a limiting factor. By incorporating technologies like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), data analytics, and artificial intelligence, clients are able to make more concrete decisions, using the right data, much faster than they have been able to do until now.

Christian, what are the necessary elements in that vision of the future?

The systems used by our clients primarily contain financial and sensitive information. In that context, clients are setting increasingly high requirements for things like digital security, data integrity, auditing, and various compliances and certifications.

What challenges did you face in meeting those increasingly high requirements?

In the past, our strength was that we handled the entire IT chain in-house. It gave us flexibility, the opportunity to grow with the latest developments, and the ability to meet the unique and often specialized demands of our clients. But due to the large-scale adoption of the Cloud, the globalization of how companies work, and the fact that everyone needs access to their data anywhere at any time, IT requires a different approach in the future. When we took a critical look at ourselves, we concluded that we could no longer continue to do everything in-house because it would come at the expense of our core business. We therefore made the choice to outsource infrastructure, data center management, and all associated IT requirements to a strategic partner. This allows us to continue meeting the increasingly high requirements and the needs and wishes of our clients.

And based on that conclusion, what was your specific search criteria?

We were looking for a strategic partner, not just an IaaS provider. We didn't want to be the ones pulling the levers ourselves. We were looking for that one partner who could think along with us on client issues that require customization, who could guide us into the future, who could share knowledge about shared technologies, and who had the certifications in order so that we didn't have to spend time and energy on that.

Frank, why did Fundaments ultimately emerge as the best strategic partner to solve your challenge?

Reliability, scalability, and especially a sense of urgency are very important to us and our clients. Technically, it was also a match. Fundaments had all the knowledge in-house and provided the right services. What was also very important to us, perhaps even decisive, is the cultural fit. Like us, Fundaments likes to roll up their sleeves; they think proactively and are genuinely willing to work on the issues we face. As a result, we can arrive at some truly great solutions together. Both we and our clients benefit greatly from that.

Christian, how are security and continuity ensured in the partnership with Fundaments?

The most important selection criterion for a partner is that they guarantee security, continuity, availability, and redundancy. Fundaments does this ‘by design’. Everything they design, set up, and manage always includes these elements. This is reflected, for example, in the fact that we had a wide range of physical locations to choose from for our hosting, as well as the various options offered to ensure backup and recovery. This is great, because one of our major challenges was: how do we ensure we have an off-site backup at all times? Fundaments had a solution for that: Cohesity. No matter where the client environment is located or what scenario you are in, thanks to the Fundaments solution, our backups are always off-site.

What role does VMware play in the solution to your challenges?

VMware is the foundation of the Fundaments platform, and their technologies contribute significantly to the very issues we faced: continuity, security, availability, and redundancy. Thanks to VMware, we were able to meet the specific needs of clients who require complete isolation from other clients. VMware provides the solution for this with their vCloud Director and virtual datacenter concept. With this solution, we can set up a virtual datacenter for each client, completely isolated from all our other clients, while still maintaining the benefits of a shared infrastructure.

Frank, how does the partnership work for you in practice?

It works very well. Fundaments thinks along with us in a very concrete and practical way regarding our unique client challenges. From connectivity issues to facilitating processes that require so much computing power that we couldn't build them with a standard solution. Fundaments works with us to see what is technically possible and what is actually feasible for implementation. Thanks to our partnership, we can serve our clients very well and optimize our internal processes.

Christian, what makes the collaboration so successful for you?

The fact that we work closely together on all fronts. It’s not ‘us’ or ‘them’; we work together on the challenges the client presents to us. We think about the best solution together. Fundaments doesn't really feel like a partner, but like a colleague. As if we are one company. For me, that is a major success factor in our collaboration.

Frank, in what way are you working towards the future now?

Thanks to the collaboration with Fundaments, we are able to respond to increasingly complex client questions in a fast and accurate manner. Because we now have an environment that is more scalable and flexible, we can go through development cycles much faster and serve our clients even better.

What feeling does being future-proof bring with it?

The feeling that we are in control. Because Fundaments is future-proof and continues to respond to technological developments in the market, we and our services remain future-proof as well. It’s a great feeling that we can now focus entirely on what we are truly good at for our clients.

How do you view the future with Fundaments as a partner?

Exactly! If they grow and continue to develop within their field, they make it possible for us to continue developing within our field as well. This allows us to provide excellent service to our clients, now and in the future.

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