Bertel O. Steen is perhaps best known as a car importer and dealer, but houses several companies within the car segment, as well as property management and investments. The IT department at Bertel O. Steen provides services to the entire group.
Sicra has been involved with the group on several advisory assignments.
– They bring in specialized expertise in areas where we need either analysis or training on topics we need to know more about, says IT Director Øyvind Hirsch.
Assistant IT Operations Manager Emil Borge adds that Sicra can take on the roles of architect, advisor, and “Second Opinion” for the management in the IT department.
Hirsch emphasizes that Sicra functions as a supplement to the major operational partners that serve the group on a daily basis.
– When we receive a proposal from them, it’s good to have someone we can brainstorm with, someone who has no other agenda than to help us.
He adds that an issue might be to elevate other suppliers they have.
– A large supplier, who delivers the same to many, can often get stuck in one track. If we want to be a bit special, we can discuss with Sicra how to move forward and tackle that issue.
– For us, Sicra is a product- and service-neutral advisor that is nice to use occasionally, says Borge.
Sicra does not come with a strategy that you have to figure out yourself; you actually get to know concretely how you can do it. The result can be used immediately, and we get immediate value, says Hirsch.
Found a good solution
Sicra has not physically implemented the solutions for Bertel O. Steen, and the group has not needed emergency help either.
– But Sicra is on our list of those we can call, because of the combination of skills they have, says Hirsch.
Bertel O. Steen has not been dependent on named consultants but uses the entire house. A typical advisory assignment can range from a one-hour consultation for a simple clarification to assignments that span several months with a number of workshops.
– For example, we had a discussion about how often and how we should patch our systems and how we segment the network. We have tried many times to divide our network into different parts – without finding a good solution.
– There, Sicra helped find a good solution for how we could implement it in practice, says Hirsch.
Sicra has also been a sparring partner in the design of client management within Modern Workplace.
A practical approach is emphasized by both Hirsch and Borge.
– Sicra does not come with a strategy that you have to figure out yourself; you actually get to know concretely how you can do it. The result can be used immediately, and we get immediate value, says Hirsch.
Typical projects where Bertel O. Steen uses Sicra as an advisor are described by the two as projects where you don’t quite know where to start because there are so many opinions around it.
– Then it is safe to go to Sicra to get two lines under the answer for where to start and where to end. You get honest answers because Sicra is not there to sell a solution – but to sell what you need, says Hirsch.
– Everyone needs an “auditor” who is impartial: Someone who has no other agendas, operations, or has set up anything, concludes Borge.
You get honest answers because Sicra is not there to sell a solution – but to sell what you need.