Torm Metall

How did BRS Networks Baltic become the IT partner of Torm Metall?

The IT of Torm Metall grew and developed alongside the company. In the early days, when there were few people, the internal network worked well enough with information written on sticky notes – everything necessary got done.

The company's growth and the next stage of development brought about an IT service provider who was more of just a phone number to call for help when needed. When we adopted the Microsoft 365 solution, it became clear that we needed a real IT partner to review, map out and improve our entire IT.

An important factor in selecting an IT partner was the ability to provide a very broad-based service.

We were looking for a partner who would not only fulfill IT user support tasks, but who also had knowledge of IT hardware, network solutions, software, server management, Microsoft 365 and security.

Together with BRS Networks Baltic, we considered another, larger service provider. Since it seemed that the larger partner better covered our IT needs and had a wider range of services, BRS was not chosen at that time.

After some time, it became clear that the service offered by the new IT partner did not fully meet our expectations. When contacting user support, you had to prove first that you were their client. When you reached the point of describing the problem, you were directed to the next person and problem solving took a long time.

The attitude was such that the goal was not to solve the customer's problem, but to close the support ticket as quickly as possible. The partner also lacked the desire to provide new development opportunities and generally deal with IT management.

At some point, enough was enough and without much consideration, BRS Networks Baltic became the new IT partner of Torm Metall.

Were the previous IT concerns resolved?

These previous concerns cannot be defined as so insignificant that one could say, "Done and sorted!"

Initially, there was a series of tasks that needed to be completed. This process was smooth and enjoyable. We identified areas for improvement and the need for changes, and we resolved issues related to servers and internal networks.

Some of the previous concerns were not about things not working. Instead, the problem lay in the feeling that we didn't receive enough support from our previous partner. Employees had given up on seeking help because the communications led to unknown paths, and they didn't have faith that meaningful solutions would come from user support. This was a concern, but there is no specific solution to fix it.

When we started working with BRS, we had to address people's attitudes first, so that trust in the IT partner would be restored, and employees would give BRS a chance to prove themselves. By now, employee satisfaction and attitude towards the IT partner have changed.

There were other concerns expressed primarily through the feeling that we weren't receiving what we expected from the partner. The solution to such concerns is the feeling that now we can receive that support from BRS.

With the previous partner, there was a lack of IT management. With BRS, it's positive that once the initial list of tasks is completed, there is no attitude of "our work is done." When all the checkboxes are ticked on one list, the question arises: What do we do next, and development takes place.

What kind of feedback do you hear from employees?

Employees don't talk much about BRS, and that's a good thing. In the past, when people discussed the IT partner, it wasn't usually in a positive light. There were problems like unanswered questions, fixes causing new issues, or long waiting times.

When things are resolved quickly and smoothly, it's not as interesting to talk about during lunch as waiting a long time for a new docking station and having to remind yourself multiple times. So, the fact that employees don't talk much about it shows that BRS is doing a good job.

Torm Metall is a rapidly growing company. Even during the time when BRS has been your IT partner, you have experienced significant growth. How has the IT development kept up with the company's growth?

When you have a good IT partner, keeping up with the fast-paced growth in IT is not very difficult. Naturally, we outgrow some of the ways that used to work in the past. We are becoming increasingly systematic, and for some topics, we have previously made decisions that certain things were not necessary, but now they are.

Currently, I believe that IT development has kept pace nicely with our needs, and there are certainly areas that need to be revisited. The most important thing in all these matters is that we don't find ourselves next year saying, "Well, we talked about this last year, " but rather we can already discuss how far we have come, weather the approach is right, and what needs to be changed.

The IT development clearly keeps pace with the company's growth.

Let's go back to March 2020 for a moment when employees had to transition to remote work almost overnight. How did it go from an IT perspective?

There weren't any direct issues that arose. Covid was a good reason to align certain things that were previously within our control, not the responsibility of the IT partner. For example, before Covid, some employees were already using Microsoft Teams, while others were using Skype or other platforms.

At one point, we made the decision to discontinue the use of other solutions, and when Covid hit, employees had to manage and ask for help if they didn't know how to do something. Previously, if someone didn't know exactly how to conduct a meeting, it was easy to pass on information differently and not bother with figuring out how things work in Teams. Now, due to the circumstances, employees were forced to learn many things.

How are security solutions and the various additional security measures adopted?

I think there's a bit "fear has big eyes" attitude here. If there hasn't been a habit of changing passwords before, then when the notification comes, it may seem annoying and bothersome. In reality, these are relatively simple things, just like multi-factor authentication. Once every two weeks, you receive a notification on one device or another, enter the code, and that's it.

Initially, when implementing something new, it's natural for there to be some grumbling, but it's short-lived. When looking at the bigger picture, the entire security system is the right and good decision; it just requires some adjustment and configuration at first.

People are increasingly understanding why these security measures are necessary, and it's not difficult to sell these ideas internally within the company. Maybe a few years ago, it would have been more challenging.

Additionally, our clients are also starting to ask more about security. During supplier audits, when examining how IT security is organized, we can pleasantly surprise our clients and show them how well we handle it. It's a selling point for us.

How is the pricing, is the price paid for the IT service in line with the value received?

Part of the price consists of everything that BRS resells to us, licenses, etc. When we talk about pure management service, we definitely receive value from it and have no complaints about it in any way.