Recion – comprehensive ICT services to support critical systems

Pinja provides extensive services for Recion

In the fall of 2023, Recion reorganized its IT functions and went out to tender for a new centralized external IT partner. They chose Pinja because of it was able to provide the services and expertise that Recion needed.

Pinja’s service package for Recion includes internet and telecommunications services, a centralized firewall solution and network equipment management, capacity services, server management, workstation management, expert support, and end-user support assistance. In addition, Pinja is a support, management, and development partner for business-critical information systems and a licensing partner for selected technologies (HCL and Microsoft).

However, IT is not completely outsourced, as Recion still has a two-person IT team that takes care of the day-to-day activities. Pinja provides expert support to Recion, and Recion provides the end-user support.

It was clear from the start that Recion would get the right level of expertise from Pinja.

“Pinja’s expertise is not dependent on a single person in any area – they are professional and well organized. They help us ensure that we have the resources we need in all situations” says Teemu Hänninen, IT manager at Recion.

An important reason for choosing Pinja was their expertise in HCL technology, as several business-critical systems have been built using HCL technology over a period of decades. For example, the systems are critical to the pre-manufacturing of products, and therefore the continuity of the business. Pinja is also a Fortinet partner, which is what Recion’s network services mainly consist of.

A smooth migration to a new partner

The services were smoothly migrated from the previous partner to Pinja at the end of 2023, even though the schedule was quite tight with only about two and a half months to go. The actual migration was well planned, and didn’t cause any disruption to daily activities. This was widely praised within Recion. 

“The migration went well, and any minor issues were handled in cooperation with the previous partner. Hats off to Pinja and our experts, who really gave it their all, and made sure that the systems were up and running the next workday”, Hänninen says. 

Since the migration, Pinja has become an integral part of Recion’s operations. Hänninen appreciates the fact that Pinja is not a typical external partner, but part of the company’s core team. 

“We appreciate open communication, and this has been the case with Pinja. We share the same information with Pinja as we do internally – this enables fruitful cooperation.”

Modern ICT services facilitate business risks

Pinja mainly provides support to Recion’s IT experts: Pinjans help Recion’s IT experts, and Recion takes care of the internal IT support for its employees. To ensure a smooth day-to-day operation, Pinja is also a continuous development partner. Among other things, Pinja has updated and modernized servers and HCL systems, and this work continues in close cooperation. 

According to Hänninen, the updates and development activities with Pinja have reduced data security risks by ensuring that hardware and software are up to date. Personal risks have also been reduced by the fact that Recion’s employees always have Pinja’s experts at their disposal. This means that IT services are not dependent on Recion’s experts in case of illness or when more resources are needed.

“We operate in several locations in Finland and Europe, and we don’t always have the time to handle everything ourselves. That is when we need a partner like Pinja who understands our operations”, he says. 

As a licensing partner, Pinja also provides the HCL and Microsoft licenses for existing and new employees. The cooperation has improved the cost-effectiveness of the licenses, and ensured that Recion only pays for what it uses. 

Out-of-the-box solutions facilitate business

Recion’s work sites are often located outside cities or in remote locations, such as power plants, and network connections need to work there, too. 

For this reason, Pinja modernized Recion’s work site network architecture with a solution that brings the office network to sites around the world. It helps employees communicate and use devices in a secure and reliable way. A standardized method has proven to work for Recion. 

“Recion’s staff and IT find it easier to have a standard solution that can be moved around”, Hänninen says.  

More than IT outsourcing – proactive development

Recion and Pinja are currently testing new HCL applications and planning their next steps. The year-long cooperation has taught Recion’s IT department to better assess its needs. In addition, Pinja actively presents new ideas for the development of operations.

“We want our partner to suggest ideas that we didn’t even think about. Pinja’s experts describe things in a way that we understand.”, Hänninen says.

Recion’s IT experts are primarily in contact with their designated service manager at Pinja when they need something. In addition, Recion has its own team of experts at Pinja, with skills related to special projects or development needs, such as cloud architecture development or HCL applications.

According to Recion and Pinja representatives, the communication works perfectly, and the work is transparent.

Pinja’s ICT manager Tuomas Lassila is pleased with the close cooperation with Recion: “We are honored to be Recion’s trusted partner and to provide them with comprehensive ICT services. We look forward to even closer cooperation in the future.”