Digital investment in analogue operations

Stångby Nursery is a leading supplier of plants in Sweden and produces mainly established avenue trees and fruit trees as well as potted shrubs. The business places great emphasis on quality, competence and service through close cooperation with customers and suppliers. The company is located in both Lund and Arlandastad and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Its customers are primarily gardeners, municipalities and cemetery administrations, and the company's aim is to supply quality plants and to guarantee the best possible management. Jörgen A Warpman is CEO of Stångby Nursery and talks about the journey towards a more digital environment in an otherwise analogue industry.

Increasing need for digital services in growing business

Stångby nursery is now located in two places in Sweden, more than 60 kilometres apart, and the company has expanded over the past ten years - especially in the last five. As the company grows, it therefore becomes increasingly important that communication works, which also increases the need to digitise the business. Jörgen explains:

- Previously we used a local server that we were outgrowing. It often hung and was too slow. The in-house server required regular backup and fire protection in case something happened. There were simply too many risks - if something happens to the server, all the digital evidence we have for our business is lost.

The work is highly seasonal and at its most intensive in spring and autumn. During these periods, nothing can stand still. Orders have to come in and order processing has to run smoothly. Jörgen, again:

- We both grow and buy plants and have suppliers from a variety of countries and other areas in Sweden. To keep everything running smoothly, we need to keep a constant eye on our stock and ensure that our customers receive the right information. Communication must therefore always work from our system and out to them.

Broad expertise and close dialogue

Jörgen came to the conclusion that a change had to take place to ensure reliability and quality towards customers and suppliers. In the dialogue with WeSafe IT, Jörgen and Stångby Nursery got a better picture of what would be required to push through these changes. He continues:

- We have a close dialogue with WeSafe IT. They know our business well and have good insight into the challenges we faced in the past. They are professional, have knowledgeable staff who all have different specialisms in their expertise which gives us a breadth of skills.

The move to the cloud brought more flexible ways of working

The first step was to transfer all company documents to Sharepoint, which led to a major review of files, where documentation that was no longer needed could be sorted out and deleted. A positive 'side effect' of the process of thoroughly reviewing what data was stored was that the file structure could be rebuilt from scratch, creating order and clarity, while the move to the cloud itself provided flexibility and accessibility:

- For us, the advantage of cloud computing is flexibility - that no matter where you are or what device you're using, you can access the information you need. Digital work now has a clear structure and it's easier to get an overview of the information being managed.

The business system, which was previously on the local server, was also migrated to a server in Microsoft Azure. WeSafe IT manages the server and ensures backup.

Get help with GDPR

Like many companies, Stångby Nursery has been working to prepare for the new General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, and saw an advantage in using its IT partner for GDPR-related services as well:

- We had a workshop together where we were helped to develop an action plan. Based on it, our internal GDPR team has developed a basic structure in the WeSafe IT GDPR hub. This is where we collect procedures and documentation that we gradually continue to build - it's a work in progress. We have also been very helped by the fact that everything is collected in Sharepoint and that it is searchable - something that has become increasingly important with the introduction of GDPR.

Reliability, structure and security

The move to Azure has provided increased reliability, which is a great reassurance - especially during the busiest times of the year. With WeSafe IT's help, Jörgen feels that digital work now has a clearer structure and it is easier to get an overview of the information being managed:

- We value their broad expertise and the knowledge they can share with us is very valuable. This applies not only to the cloud services we use, but to everything from GDPR to hardware, where they are helpful both practically and with advice on the choices we face.

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