Plan International Finland transformed its data operations by designing and implementing a Microsoft Azure-based integration platform with Norrin. The platform enables secure data flows between systems while providing transparency into business-critical processes. Satisfaction with Norrin's work has led to further cooperation across the international organization.
Plan International is a global humanitarian organization focused on advancing children's rights and equality for girls. The Finnish office manages projects funded by entities like the EU and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, with a strong emphasis on efficiency and transparency.
Plan has adopted a data-driven strategy in its operations and management to ensure its resources are allocated effectively. To support the strategy, Plan began a comprehensive renewal of its core systems and adopted a unified integration platform.
"We want to lead with data and use it to guide our decision-making so that every euro is spent wisely. We knew from the start that an integration hub was an essential part of the architecture that would enable us to do that", says Director of Finance and Administration, Katri Koski.
While looking for a provider for the platform, recommendations brought them to Norrin.
"We talked to a few candidates, but the unanimous choice was to go with Norrin. The way they listened to us and understood what we wanted made the decision easy."
Azure-based Integration platform increases transparency and sustainability
Norrin helped Plan design and deploy an Azure-based integration platform that enables secure data pipelines between Plan's systems. The platform was designed with long-term sustainability in mind, and it brings clarity to the overall system architecture. It also ensures that Plan has the capabilities to unlock the full potential of their data in the future.
"It was important to us, that if we ever switch from one service or system to another, we only need to change the individual integrations and not rebuild everything", Koski explains.
Following the successful project in Finland, Plan's Belgium office requested a similar solution. Norrin was able to deliver it efficiently by using the Finnish platform as a blueprint.
"Using the same solution made sense from both technical and financial perspective."
Managed Services prevent "grey hairs"
The integration platform provides Plan with a clear view of its data flows. Norrin also supports the organization with continuous monitoring of the data flows via managed services, ensuring that if issues arise, they are quickly caught and resolved.
"Many of our data flows – such as billing – are business critical. Knowing that everything is being monitored and taken care of saves us from a lot of grey hairs", Koski says.
Norrin has proven to be a true partner for Plan
With limited internal IT resources, Plan values having a service provider that genuinely looks after its interests. According to Koski, Norrin has become a true partner, which is reflected in their proactive approach to topics like cybersecurity.
"Norrin proactively brings up concerns and improvements, and we can trust that requirements are met. Their service isn't dependent on individuals either. If someone is sick or on a holiday, the cooperation continues smoothly. Their whole team takes pride in doing things to the highest standard."
Koski recalls one incident where a critical data flow broke due to a service update. Norrin worked tirelessly with both Plan and the external provider and eventually helped identify a bug in the third-party system.
"Norrin helped us tremendously in that situation, and as a result, we received a year of free services from the third party. That showed real partnership."
Next step: a Microsoft Fabric-based data platform
The success of the integration platform has already led to further cooperation between the organizations and there have been discussions about expanding its use to additional country units.
And to further support its data-driven strategy, Plan Finland has also deployed a new Microsoft Fabric-based data platform with Norrin. Next, its use will be broadened to cover Plan's analytics needs more comprehensively, and the careful work already put into Plan's Azure architecture allows new features to be implemented in Fabric without difficulty.
"We're currently introducing new functionalities to our data platform to take our analytics and reporting to the next level. We selected Microsoft Fabric for its capabilities and future potential, and choosing Norrin as our provider was the natural next step", Koski concludes.
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