From nothing towards the world’s best IT management – supported by integrator service
The challenge
With the healthcare and social services reform that entered into force at the beginning of 2023, Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava (VAKE) had to integrate and update both its social and healthcare as well as rescue services to meet the requirements of the new legislation. For VAKE, integration required a new kind of strategy for service models and a renewal of the technology in use. A particular challenge was that the wellbeing services county had to establish an IT management function rapidly from complete scratch.
The solution
With the help of Sofigate’s IT integrator service, Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava was able to establish its IT management function quickly and manage its multi-vendor IT service environment. The IT management operating model was based on transparent cooperation, which ensured that VAKE’s IT development consistently supported the wellbeing services county’s strategy. The integrator service accelerated IT processes and provided VAKE with the opportunity to focus on its core tasks and thus meet the expectations of its stakeholders.
The results
VAKE’s IT management is now guided by the wellbeing services county’s strategy and operational needs. Digital development is transparent and targeted at the right needs. IT services function in a controlled way. The partnership has accelerated VAKE’s development processes and created a foundation that enables the organisation to provide higher-quality services faster and more cost-effectively. At the same time, room has been left for service development as well.
A new organisation from scratch
At the beginning of 2023, 21 wellbeing services counties simultaneously started operations across Finland. For Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava, the reform required updating social and healthcare and rescue services. Before the wellbeing services county’s operations could begin, major equipment acquisitions had to be carried out, various contracts tendered, and financial and HR management solutions built from scratch.
The difficulty of the reform was increased by the merging of two organisations, the alignment of processes and technology, and the deployment of entirely new solutions covering the whole wellbeing services county on an exceptionally tight schedule.
VAKE had no existing IT infrastructure or team at all, so it needed a partner capable of combining technological expertise with strategic vision. A key goal was to create a reliable foundation for IT operations that would support the seamless provision of social and healthcare services and ensure the realisation of strategic objectives.
“As a new organisation, our goal was to build up our own expertise, but competition for resources is fierce. Sofigate had already proven to be a reliable partner, and there was excellent experience of the IT integrator service from other organisations. Choosing a cooperation model based on this service felt natural,” says Timo Pitkänen, CIO of Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava.
Based on the Business Technology Model
The IT integrator service is a comprehensive IT outsourcing service that consists of operational steering roles (at service launch: CDO, chief architect, head of development office, and head of service integration), flexible expert teams under their guidance, and ready-made IT management operating models.
The IT integrator service is based on the open Business Technology Model (BT model), which is a framework for managing information technology. According to the BT model, the integrator service consists of the areas of demand, development, and continuous services, along with the flexible expert teams related to them. The service is responsible for the operational and tactical steering of these areas in the customer’s operating environment. Through the service, the customer also quickly gains access to IT expertise and management competence. The integrator service blends into the customer’s own organisation, complementing its competence. The content of the service is continuously optimised to ensure cost-effectiveness and quality.
The integrator service has made it possible to manage VAKE’s IT environments from the very beginning by combining business needs with the flexibility of IT solutions. The ready-made operating model has sped up the launch of processes in the new organisation and allowed the organisation to focus on its core tasks. For IT management, the service has provided a cooperation-supporting operating model.
“When the goal is to combine IT and social and healthcare to serve people’s wellbeing, you need a service that understands the language and culture of both worlds,” says CIO Timo Pitkänen.
What is essential is the flexibility and scalability of the integrator service. It takes into account both strategic plans and daily operations. At the same time, the integrator service ensures that IT structures are ready to adapt to the future requirements of a changing organisation.
“The driving force of our cooperation is to see IT management at the center of implementing the entire organisation’s strategy,” says Sofigate’s Juho Oksanen, who acts as Chief Digital Officer of the IT integrator service at VAKE.
Aiming for the world’s best IT management
The success is evidenced by the fact that at the end of 2023, the service development cooperation association itSMF Finland awarded VAKE the Service Management Act award for IT services that had been successfully set up.
The jointly created development plan ensures that the cooperation between VAKE and Sofigate will continue to evolve and be able to respond to the changing demands of digital services.
“The IT integrator service is a key part of VAKE’s efficient and modern IT management. The service works seamlessly between the wellbeing services county’s IT management leadership and experts. The scope of the service and its team of experts can be easily and quickly adjusted according to the customer’s needs. VAKE has truly proven its ability to operate systematically and flexibly, even amid major changes,” says Sofigate’s Service Director Aaro Reunanen.
“The operations of wellbeing services counties are a matter of vital societal importance. Together we have enabled the functionality and continuity of VAKE’s IT services, and now the new organisation can genuinely develop its operations in line with the goals of the healthcare and social services reform.”
Developing, managing, and operationally steering IT services are not usually part of an organisation’s core activities. Due to rapid technological development, shortage of experts, and heavy cost pressures, recruiting and maintaining one’s own expert staff is often difficult. The IT integrator service helps VAKE ensure that the organisation also has access to the best expertise, in the right amount and at the right time. In this way, the organisation can produce customer-friendly, cost-effective, and secure digital services.
“When we started the work, we set the goal of creating the world’s best IT management for a wellbeing services county. Together with a good partner, we can achieve this aim. Sofigate’s experts bring us a great deal of added value, and I am very satisfied with them.”
Timo Pitkänen
CIO, Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava
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