A coordinated
and efficient IT
environment supports
Uniwater's growth
journey
It's often said that like children play best, and in the partnership between Uniwater and Nordlo, this expression is very true. Both parties are growing groups with offices in both Sweden and Norway - and there is more to come. Currently, Nordlo serves as Uniwater's external IT department with full outsourcing of operations, support, and security services. The aim is to contribute to a smooth growth journey with a coordinated and efficient IT environment.
An IT partnership that lasts over time
The collaboration began in Ronneby in Blekinge over ten years ago. Despite expansion on both sides, Nordlo has remained a close partner that Uniwater has been able to grow with.
“The more we grow, the more resources become available to us at Uniwater. Nordlo picks up on our issues, and it's evident that they prioritize us as a customer. This, combined with a solid understanding of the business, means that our team at Nordlo always sees what needs to be developed or updated to match the growth. We're more than just another customer,” says Christoffer Wetterlund, IT Manager at Uniwater.
“Nordlo picks up on our issues, and it's clear that they prioritize us as a customer”
Creating a coordinated IT environment
Being a group with the ambition of becoming the leading player in water and wastewater infrastructure in the Nordic region comes with its challenges. With acquisitions at both national and international levels, it is challenging to establish a coordinated IT environment where everyone has the right access to shared spaces and environments. Another challenge associated with this is to get everyone on board and create a way of working that aligns with the group-wide IT strategy.
“We are working on finding solutions that can coordinate all IT so that everyone is not sitting in different systems duplicating work. The goal is to consolidate into a whole that is efficient and cost-effective,” says Johannes Samuelsson, Sales Manager at Nordlo.
Today, Nordlo collaborates with Uniwater to expand smoothly with acquisitions and new employees. "It's partly about streamlining our day-to-day operations in a coordinated IT environment and avoiding duplication of work to ensure satisfied employees and the achievement of business goals. But it's also about being a modern company and a sought-after employer, which also attracts new graduates with different educational backgrounds," Christoffer continues.
What the delivery looks like today
Nordlo delivers operations, security solutions, IT infrastructure, support, license management, networks, and development and digitalization services. The team also handles all contact with system suppliers and other third-party suppliers.
“We have a very close partnership that has lasted over time. The close cooperation has resulted in our team at Nordlo knowing our business and our needs well. This also enables them to act as advisors on work processes and investments. We have great confidence in them.”
Automation and safety-enhancing measures in the coming year
Working with the planning and construction of water and sewage infrastructure means delivering a socially critical service with high safety requirements. Nordlo supports Uniwater in its cybersecurity work and in complying with laws and industry-specific regulations. At the end of the year, the updated EU directive NIS2 will come into force, with stricter requirements for security testing, risk and incident management, and reporting for socially important actors. Nordlo will support Uniwater in this work.
Of course, Uniwater has more going on in addition to regulatory compliance and security enhancement measures. In the coming year, Nordlo will review the network environment based on a zero-trust framework, work on information classification, and start looking at smarter management of devices for Uniwater's operations. The most significant project going forward will be automating the onboarding and offboarding flow. "We have a lot going on next year. We look forward to continuing to grow and develop together with Nordlo," Christoffer concludes.
Christoffer Wetterlund, IT manager at Uniwater
About Uniwater
Uniwater is a group of 13 companies specializing in water and wastewater infrastructure. With different specialties in water and wastewater solutions and water infrastructure, the companies can work together to create sustainable solutions and contribute to the water cycle in society. The journey began in 2014, and Uniwater consists of 310 employees operating across the Nordic region. Read more about Uniwater.