Atmosphere and warmth: an experience with continuity

Dwain Hutten, IT Infrastructure & Operations Manager Bolsius, says: "For Bolsius, continuity, innovation and sustainability are extremely important. For that, we need the right technology and a partner who can provide us with it. No order will come in, no truck will move and no candle will be on the shelves if this is not properly taken care of. Let alone that we can focus on innovation, new consumer demands, sustainability or home working needs of our employees." Bolsius focuses on distributing ambience internationally, but is not a specialised IT party. "We are just not big enough to do it all ourselves. We need a party that knows what it takes to support and optimise our international processes. A party that is at our service 24/7 and that we can count on if something comes up", says Marc Jurriens, Group ICT and MasterData Manager at Bolsius.

Moving to Previder's Twin Datacenters

But what did the IT environment look like before looking for an IT partner? Dwain: "In 2016, we still had two on-premise server rooms in Schijndel. However, there were renovation plans and Bolsius would move to new premises. What will happen to those servers then? And how do we keep things up and running? We are good at making candles, but we are not going to set up two new server rooms again. That was when we decided to look for a partner. Previder, with its reliable, geographically separated, Dutch data centres, was a logical choice for colocation. Our processes must never come to a standstill, so redundancy was a top priority for us. Everything is redundant, including the connections at international level. This was important for us because we also operate abroad. International connections are a challenge, but Previder gladly accepted it. They offered us continuity and availability, allowing us to produce, transport, work from home 24/7, etc."

"Challenges? There are, but we have them together!"

The fact that things click well between Bolsius and Previder may be because there are many similar values. For example, reliability, commitment and accessibility are of paramount importance to both parties. Dwain says: "We are a family business and are used to a certain way of communicating. We like approachability, responsibility and fast switching. That's where we found Previder. It feels like we are an equal team. Whether we're in contact with the back office or the technical people at core: it feels like one. We communicate by phone, email or even WhatsApp." Marc adds: "The hard requirements we set for IT, a number of other parties were also able to meet them. I particularly value the cooperation and fast switching. With many other parties, you come in to a helpdesk and are backed into a corner. They ask standard questions and often don't understand the impact on your business. Previder is not focused on tickets, but on promises. They know that when we call, something is really wrong. They get straight to work. They are independent and feel that responsibility. If we have a challenge, we have it together."

A partnership for the future

Bolsius and Previder have been working together as a team for years now. Will that continue? "In 2020, we had to make some adjustments to our environment. For that, we had to break open the contract. We then immediately decided to extend the contract until spring 2029. After all, we like to go for a long-term commitment when a cooperation feels good. There is no better proof of our satisfaction. I think this partnership contributes to our mission to give light and warmth to the world in a more sustainable way," Marc emphasises. The fact that Previder likes to think and consider future developments also weighs in. Dwain: "The world doesn't stand still. There is constant change. We too have to innovate, become more sustainable and, for example, ensure that our employees are kept warm when they work from home. Previder understands this and is a sparring partner for us. If we have plans and respond to certain developments, they think along with us and connect with suitable IT plans. Together, we really are an A-team."