Challenge.

Since 1958, the Kanalservice Gruppe (KSG) has been successfully bringing together companies in the fields of sewer cleaning and renovation waste water treatment, sewer inspection and surface cleaning under one roof. The aim? To be the leading corporate group in the sewer system and street maintenance industry in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. To do so, KSG has complemented its organic growth with the addition of other companies. When the holding decided to renew its IT environment, it had to be configured in such a way that all companies could be linked to it and their data securely stored. The reason behind this is because the individual KSG companies create a lot of images and data every day during the course of their work and this all has to be handled appropriately. KSG also has to use the data in its other business areas to provide evidence of its activities. Previously, the dispersed companies only had individual IT solutions to fall back in, but the holding wanted an IT infrastructure that was both centralised and audit-proof and which offered standardisation and high levels of security. This is the only way KSG can continue to grow, create synergies between the individual companies and connect new businesses. After intensive discussions with Bechtle, KSG decided to implement a cloud strategy in Microsoft Azure. In terms of device management, collaboration and applications, Microsoft is virtually unrivalled and offers everything from a single source.


Bechtle’s extensive knowledge helped us put in place an IT structure that enables us to quickly and easily link up new companies in the future. Bechtle supported us in putting together an IT strategy, selecting technologies, implementing the technical features required and training our employees. We can now use the system independently, but have Bechtle as our experienced, reliable partner by our side.

Christoph Tuscher, Managing Director, Head of IT, Kanalservice Holding Deutschland GmbH


Solution.

Once the perfect cloud strategy had been found, Bechtle’s experts supported the holding through the entire process of setting up the Azure tenant and getting the employees on board. The whole time, Bechtle kept in mind the specific application areas and requirements because at KSG, it’s not just about administration and management as even the company vehicles have computers on board, which control, for example, the robots in the sewers and take pictures and recording sound. These computers have to be easy to use and work seamlessly and reliably. Once recordings have been completed, the data have to be saved to a central structure. For this, Bechtle planned to install kiosk devices that save their data to the newly configured Azure tenant. But that’s not all the tenant can do. It is configured in such a way that new companies’ existing IT can be mapped as precisely as possible despite the challenges presented by older applications and the like. Bechtle either integrates these into the cloud or offers new technologies in their place. Working together, every single step and each new feature were tested. Bechtle also developed concepts so that the companies associated with the holding could keep their own administrative rights and thus maintain sovereignty of their IT systems.

The Azure tenant set up by Bechtle is the starting point for a new standardised technology landscape for the entire group. Once the tenant had been set up, KSG tested the various new features and technologies, deployed by Bechtle, in the course of another project. In this way, the company were able to try out Bechtle’s concept and, therefore, make an informed decision about whether to go with it or not. In this way, the Kanalservice Gruppe eventually selected the device management and collaboration tools such as SharePoint and Microsoft Teams that best suited its needs. Moreover, the data are well-protected and centrally managed network receives suitable Azure resources via VPN for the management of local devices and the use of own network technologies at each of the sites. Bechtle has also created a security concept tailored to KSG using the tools available from Microsoft to protect end devices from attacks and data from leaving the company. Bechtle were on hand to answer KSG’s questions both during and after implementation with the group also signing up to Bechtle’s Shared Service Centre for anytime-support. The User Help Desk is available at the touch of a button, supporting KSG’s employees in all things technical.

Business benefits.

The technology platform set up by Bechtle in Azure enables KSG and its affiliated companies to leverage all Microsoft tools—from device management for Windows and iOS and AVD visualisation to various cooperation solutions. Data are well-secured and saved centrally allowing KSG to grow efficiently. Bechtle’s experts have fulfilled all requirements and continue to offer the group support.