StackWorks backs bexio as it grows
"StackWorks is an indispensable support in our daily work. This is the conclusion of Daniel Ketelsen, Head of internal IT at bexio. The Mobiliar subsidiary based in Rapperswil SG offers cloud-based business software for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and helps them to simplify their administration. With more than 50,000 customers, bexio is a market leader in the industry. So that employees can concentrate fully on their work, StackWorks works together with bexio's internal IT to ensure smooth, simple IT processes. This collaboration originally started with smaller projects.
The initial trigger for a more intensive cooperation was that bexio, as a user of Google Workspace, wanted to commit more strongly to the Google ecosystem and reduce licensing costs. In the course of this, the decision-makers planned to replace their previous identity and access management solution OneLogin with Google Cloud Identity in order to log in to the required web applications. In January 2021, StackWorks began to analyse the IT environment and build an identity access management system. As a basis, the cloud specialists developed a concept for 40 different static access groups. This determines how the departments, freelancers, trustees and partners receive access to the required applications. Single sign-on access was set up for the approximately 170 users and more than 140 cloud applications were added. The users can use these after a one-time authentication at a workstation.
IT solution with high acceptance
The switch from OneLogin to Google Cloud Identity took place without interruption in summer 2021. "Acceptance was high right from the start," recalls Daniel Ketelsen. The employees and partners of bexio call up the Google Dashboard via a URL as the central element for them. After logging into their Google account, they can see the cloud applications that have been approved for them and can use them conveniently.
To ensure that bexio always has control over access, StackWorks manages it centrally via the Admin Console. bexio has no administrative effort, saves resources and costs - partly because Google Cloud Identity is included in bexio's Google Workspace Enterprise package. In addition, the certified Google Cloud Engineers from StackWorks take care of the ongoing support as well as further development of the IT landscape as part of their support and consulting services. "Together with bexio's internal IT department, we work on automations to increase efficiency, for example," says Kevin Heeb, Cloud Consultant at StackWorks. The coordination takes place weekly in virtual meetings.
Professional development and support
In the course of this, StackWorks helped design an automated device management system. This was designed so that the IT department orders notebooks for new employees. The supplier deposits the device in the system so that it is displayed in Device Management. When the employee receives the notebook and switches it on, a welcome message is displayed. He is then guided through the login process so that all the necessary applications are installed. After a short training session, he can start straight away. In the case of offboarding, bexio has the option of deactivating access to all applications in one step, thus efficiently ensuring that an employee who has left the company can no longer log in to the company applications. Another example is the automatic maintenance of the profiles of more than 100 employees on the bexio website. This was automated via the HR tool used.
Furthermore, StackWorks provides 1st level support for bexio employees. If a PC is suddenly too slow, someone has forgotten their password or another problem arises, they post it in a special Slack channel. Tickets are created for all requests, which StackWorks then processes so that the problems are solved.
The HR department in particular is very satisfied because the employees have been able to significantly reduce the manual effort that used to be associated with onboarding and offboarding.
Daniel Ketelsen
Positive feedback at all levels
The feedback from employees that the internal IT department receives from bexio is consistently positive. "The HR department in particular is very satisfied because the employees have been able to significantly reduce the manual effort that used to be associated with onboarding and offboarding," says Daniel Ketelsen. There is also a lot of praise regarding the speed of response in support. "The responses to queries are so fast that we have the feeling StackWorks is here," describes Daniel Ketelsen and emphasises: "We see our employees similarly to our customers and want them to be satisfied as part of bexio. Therefore, we put great emphasis on empowering them and making their work as easy as possible."
The IT manager considers the joint work with StackWorks to be very enriching, both on a professional and personal level: "The collaboration is fun. We share a similar mindset. We address problems in order to then solve them and grow." So the next project is already in the starting blocks: the development of an IT dashboard that aggregates the various information sources so that bexio has an all-encompassing overview of users and tools. "StackWorks offers what we need to continue to grow. This gives us the optimal conditions to live our vision and help even more SMEs to succeed," Daniel Ketelsen concludes.
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