Koper-IT chooses again cloud expertise van Uniserver
Don’t change a winning team
Software company Koper-IT has extended its contract with cloud distributor Uniserver for three years. The companies have been working together for 10 years.
Don't change a winning team, says Richard Vos, director of Koper-IT: “Uniserver is a reliable IT service provider with excellent customer service. Thanks to their cloud expertise, we can continue to do what we are good at: developing software for the floriculture sector.”
Koper-IT is a well-known specialized service provider for floriculture traders. The company – of course located in Aalsmeer – started in 2001 as a restart of a bankrupt service provider. Koper-IT rebuilt the old DOS system with Windows C# into a high-quality, specialized ERP system. Since then, the development team has grown from seven programmers to fifteen. Koper-IT builds and maintains 30.000 hours of software every year.
Accuracy, speed and quality
According to director Richard Vos, it is logical that many floriculture companies prefer an ERP package that is tailor-made for the industry over generic planning software. “It is a very specialized sector with many turning cogs. Accuracy, speed and quality are essential. A lot happens in one day for our customers. If something goes wrong somewhere, the entire chain comes to a standstill.”
Vos outlines an average trading day: “Our exporting customers receive orders through various channels: by Floriday, ordering app, webshop, e-mail, etc. Orders are received 24 hours a day. These orders are collected by our system and are shown on the purchasing screen of the specific buyer.
The buyer distributes the flowers to the correct orders on the computer. The purchased flowers – called stems – arrive at the processing hall and undergo an entry check during which they are reported as 'in' and their quality is checked. They then travel via conveyor belts of up to five kilometers long to the processing hall or expedition and then to the customer. Our system keeps track of each stem exactly where it is in this logistics chain.”
What this means in numbers:
Example
On busy days there are 20 milion bought stems.
On average there are daily 150 thousand order lines written via Koper-IT software.
The system knows 100% accuracy where each stem is located in the process.
No wonder it is important to Koper-IT that the applications run safely and stably at all times without downtime.
Uniserver is a reliable IT service provider with excellent customer service. Thanks to their cloud expertise, we can continue to do what we are good at: developing software for the floriculture sector.
Cloud services
Koper-IT has developed several desktop ERP applications that are used by around 30 companies in the floriculture industry. The wishes and needs of these organizations vary widely, says Vos: “Some customers manage their own environment in Azure public cloud, for other customers Uniserver's private cloud services are a better fit. We also manage the hardware for some, such as monitors and workstations. We still have quite a lot of hardware such as servers, but the ambition is to bring much more to the cloud.”
Koper-IT has been working with Uniserver since 2012 but is not considering switching. “We have never looked at alternatives because we are a loyal company. Uniserver does its job very well, they are accessible and fast, so why would I switch?”
In the past, Koper-IT once fell victim to a ransomware attack. Vos: “Panic in the tent, of course. Uniserver helped us very quickly and adequately. The continuity of our customers has never been in danger. Uniserver really proved its worth then.”
Koper-IT uses the following Uniserver services:
Koper-IT's applications run on it Uniserver private cloud platform. This is located in various data centers in the Netherlands. Uniserver provides the resources and ensures that the platform is available 24/7 so that Koper-IT customers can always use the software. Copper IT demands stability, availability and reliability of the platform and that is what Uniserver delivers.
To ensure business continuity, Koper-IT opts for disaster recovery from Uniserver. In the event of major disasters, we move from one data center to another elsewhere in the Netherlands so that Koper-IT customers can always continue working.
Floriculture has regularly recurring peak loads, for example around Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. Thanks to virtual data center Koper-IT can scale up and down easily and quickly. That makes the organization flexible.
Everyone has their own specialty
External factors can have a major influence on floriculture. From weather conditions to geopolitical developments: trade is affected. Koper-IT is a highly specialized organization that often has to deal with the issues of the day. Vos: “At those times I am happy with a proactive party such as Uniserver. They provide the preconditions that allow us to do our work. That is their specialty and I don't have to worry about it.”
The most important advantages of Uniserver according to Koper-IT:
Service; the support desk is easily accessible and proactive input is provided in all areas.
Quality; the Uniserver platform and services are reliable, innovative and stable.
Cost efficient; when necessary, you are flexible to scale up. You move from Capex to Opex, so you pay as you go and don't have large IT investments that weigh on the balance sheet.
Persoonlijk. De persoonlijke benadering ervoer Vos toen het tijd werd om het contract met Uniserver te verlengen. “We zijn 10 jaar trouwe klant en doen niet moeilijk over contractverlenging. Toch namen de mensen van Uniserver de moeite om, zonder dat we daarom vroegen, naar ons account te kijken en het contract te herzien. We zijn erop vooruitgegaan in prijs en dienstverlening. Die klantgerichte, proactieve houding stellen we erg op prijs.”
Vos experienced the personal approach when it came time to extend the contract with Uniserver. “We have been a loyal customer for 10 years and do not make any fuss about contract renewal. Still, the people at Uniserver took the time to look at our account and revise the contract without us asking. We have improved in price and service. We really appreciate that customer-oriented, proactive attitude.”
Thijs Draper is an account manager at Uniserver and greatly appreciates the many years of partnership with Koper-IT. “Koper-IT is a very nice software club with a real no-nonsense mentality. The contacts are always good and warm. We regularly have sessions that discuss the rapidly changing cloud world. For example, we discuss ways in which Koper-IT can make optimal use of new opportunities that the cloud has to offer, and how they can apply them to stay relevant and accelerate developments. It is nice to work with a partner who has complete confidence in our knowledge and skills.”
