"The goal of the project was significant cost savings and increased transparency. Both of these were achieved. With the project, the management of integrations is now in our own hands"
Anu Asikainen
Head of AI, NRC Group
Case NRC Group Finland: Modernization of the Integration Platform
NRC Group Finland is Finland's largest railway constructor and one of the largest construction and design offices in the infrastructure sector. NRC Group Finland was previously known as VR Track. It merged with the Norwegian NRC Group at the beginning of 2019, which is the leading infrastructure operator in the Nordic countries.
Modernization of the Integration Platform: from Data Center to Cloud
Cloud1 carried out a system migration for NRC Group Finland, in which its integration platform was moved from a traditional data center environment to a modern cloud environment. In the project, NRC Group Finland's integration platform was modernized to meet current needs.
A Unique Project
Cloud1 was selected for this project due to its specific expertise that perfectly suited the task. Seamlessly combining old technological knowledge with new was especially critical for the success of the implementation. In this project, that meant top-tier expertise in both Microsoft BizTalk Server solutions and Azure Logic Apps service. Understanding both these worlds simultaneously and in-depth was crucial for the success of the system migration.
The project was unique, as similar implementations had not been done in Finland on the same scale before. Additionally, mastering these two specific areas of expertise at the same time is rare, and experts are scarce. However, Cloud1 possesses top expertise in both technologies. Therefore, Cloud1 was the natural choice to execute the modernization of NRC Group Finland's integration platform.
Project Schedule Provides a Frame for the Project
For the success of the project, the planned schedule needed to be kept. The schedule set tight frames for the implementation of the project, and there was no possibility to deviate from the deadline for the transition to production.
The steps of the project were:
In solutions where two technologies are integrated or where an environment that has remained static for years is changed, surprises inevitably arise. It is essential to react quickly and efficiently. Plans must be able to be changed on the fly. In practice, this could mean, for example, building custom solutions in Azure to circumvent a problem. Experience helps in anticipating and identifying risks. Also, the courage to make decisions that deviate from the plan largely comes through experience.
Even though the schedule was tight, the project was completed on time.
”The project was completed on schedule, and the modernized platform was put into use before the billing congestion at the turn of the year,”Anu Asikainen Head of IT at NRC Group outlines.
Cleaning and Detective Work
Those at Cloud1 who participated in the project found the modernization project interesting, as they got to utilize the extensive expertise they had accumulated over the years. At times, the project had almost detective-like elements. Especially in the early stages, there was a focus on understanding what had been done previously and conceptualizing the whole picture. Time was also spent rebuilding old development methods, practices, and models.
The project offered an interesting balance of freedom for the creators to implement technical solutions in the way they saw best. However, the solutions had to be executed within the strict condition that everything must work exactly as before.
In the picture, Harri Puupponen, the integration architect responsible for the project at Cloud1.
