Incredibly successful migration project when Cegal took over IT operations at Skagerak Energi
Recently, Cegal won a four-year contract for managing Skagerak's IT systems. The transition from the previous service provider to Cegal has now been successfully completed. "This is one of the very best migration projects I've been a part of— and I've been involved in quite a few since the 1990s," says Stein Ove Røv at Skagerak Energi.
Skagerak Energi is one of Norway's largest energy companies, headquartered in Vestfold-Telemark. The company's activities are centered around the production, distribution, and transmission of electrical power and other forms of energy. The group has approximately 710 employees, an average power production of 6 TWh, over 213,000 grid customers, and a revenue of over 9 billion NOK.
Recently, Cegal secured a strategically important contract with Skagerak Energi to manage and modernize the energy company's IT infrastructure and systems. The agreement includes the operation of Skagerak's local data center. Additionally, Cegal is assisting in modernizing Skagerak Energi's IT systems, migrating IT solutions to the cloud where possible, and automating IT processes to the greatest extent possible (ITSM). Cegal also provides advice on new digital initiatives within the group.
Migrating IT operations is complex
– Taking over operations from another service provider is no easy task. One must dive into all the systems, map out everything and how it all connects, before transitioning the IT systems to the new operational environment," explains Stein Ove Røv, Head of DigiTek Platform Services at Skagerak Energi.
Despite the challenging task, Røv shares that nearly everything has gone according to plan, with only a few minor deviations. This encompasses maintenance, patching, setting up the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), and more. Røv also compliments the previous service provider for being flexible and cooperative throughout the transition.
– Cegal has been highly professional and engaged. It's not common for an establishment project with a new operational partner to go so smoothly, says Stein Ove Røv - Head of DigiTek Platform Services at Skagerak Energi..
Only once before in my 40 years in this industry have I experienced a project as successful as this.
Stein Ove Røv, Skagerak Energi.
He adds that he has a backlog of tasks but is confident that everything will be resolved.
(Stein Ove Røv - Head of DigiTek Platform Services at Skagerak Energi.)
Total provider of IT operations
As part of the operational takeover, Cegal, in collaboration with Skagerak Energi's IT department, has streamlined the IT setup and infrastructure. The result is a more stable IT platform, higher quality IT services, and fewer vulnerabilities. This has made the IT platform more secure against data breaches while also accelerating backup and recovery processes.Automation of IT processes has also been a significant part of the project. Automation has reduced server setup time from weeks to just a couple of hours. The goal is to fully automate 100 percent of ITSM processes.
"The project's execution and timing complexity demanded thorough planning, extra effort, and endurance from all involved parties. Alongside Skagerak Energi's IT staff, we have followed the plan and achieved the success criteria set in advance. The strong collaboration has resulted in a smoother, more cost-effective, and labor-saving solution," states Heidi Skare, Senior Project Manager at Cegal.
Among other things, Cegal has delivered:
- Established a private cloud platform and migrated Skagerak Energi's traditional on-premises solutions to it.
- Managed Oracle solutions along with the rest of the IT systems—all from a single service provider.
- Security solutions.
- Cegal Cetegra Cloud—digital workspaces for Skagerak Energi employees (client-side operations).
- Service desk for second and third-line support. Skagerak Energi handles the first-line support to retain expertise.
Learn more about our Cetegra solution here >
Time for more valuable tasks
Stein Ove Røv of Skagerak Energi commends all Cegal consultants for their effort and collaboration in ensuring the success of the project.
– Major consulting firms often showcase presentations with the tagline 'Customer Focus,' but in most cases, this is something management talks about without it permeating through the organization, says Stein Ove Røv.
At Cegal, every employee on the ground is focused on the customer's success and the project's success. Everyone wants the customer to succeed. Cegal consultants are more responsive and oriented toward collaboration than what is typical.
Sten Ove Røv, Skagerak Energi
He also highlights that the consultants have been willing to challenge Skagerak Energi: "They say 'this isn't working' and play to our strengths."
Magnus Grønås, Customer Manager at Cegal, praises the Skagerak Energi staff for their strong collaboration and trust: "When you build a partnership based on trust and collaboration, you achieve the best results."
One outcome of increased IT operations and services automation is that Skagerak Energi's operations team has more time for valuable tasks. Simultaneously, the company has saved significant operational expenses through reduced manual work, improved IT setups, and licensing.
To succeed, we need a reliable technology partner who understands our specific needs and can guide us through a digital transformation that provides us with a future-ready IT platform. That's what we have found in Cegal.
Tor Heiberg, Skagerak Energi.
– Moving forward, Skagerak aims to be a regional energy partner with sustainable solutions for industries, ports, larger cities, and developers. Through increased digitalization and new flexible work methods, Skagerak will work towards innovation and new business operations, concludes Tor Heiberg, CEO at Skagerak Energi.
Read the story: Cegal awarded Skagerak Energy contract >
