Embriq’s services include operating the Infor M3 ERP system for Cycleurope as well as monitoring and storing data. We had a chat with Kenneth Syvertsen, the company’s IT director, to hear more about his experiences with IT, ERP and digitalisation which have rapidly gained momentum during the pandemic.
The Emperor’s new clothes
Like many of his colleagues, Syvertsen works from home and has had to restructure many procedures and systems over the past year.
“Digitalisation for us is a bit like the Emperor’s new clothes – we’ve been doing it for many years, but now we are calling it something different to what we did before. IT is, of course, essential to our business model. Of all our systems, the Infor M3 ERP system is by far the most important – it’s our bread and butter. Everything else can be considered support systems.
This is extremely important for us as those who host and operate our systems are real experts and we need the system to be up and running 24/7. We work in a so-called mirrored environment, something only very few people in Europe are able to offer in-depth expertise in – but we know that Embriq has exceptional specialists,” says Kenneth Syvertsen from Cycleurope.
Several hundred offices
Cycleurope is an international group with offices across the world. The number of offices has increased rapidly to several hundred smaller offices during the pandemic when people have had to work from home. This presented new challenges and requirements for accessibility and security. Currently, several hundred home offices are connected to the Embriq systems.
“When we decided to change our IT partner, we researched providers in all the regions of the world where Cycleurope operates. All our IT operations have to be processed in the same way and preferably from the same location by the same provider. Even when the pandemic hit, and some offices suddenly became more than several hundred home offices, all the way from Japan to California, it all worked seamlessly,” says Syvertsen.
Continuous uptime
A group like Cycleurope has very stringent requirements for continuous uptime. Even when changing IT partners and systems.
“The migration process took place over a weekend, almost without any downtime. This can be a really comprehensive process, but we didn’t experience any problems. Embriq was very well prepared and maintained full control all the way. Working with people who really know what they’re doing is reassuring,” says Syvertsen when explaining what changing IT partners was like.
About Cycleurope
The Cycleurope story started in 1996 with the acquisition of Swedish bicycle manufacturer Monark. The company developed fast to become an important European manufacturer and distributor. Cycleurope has offices in every corner of the world and distributes bicycles from many famous brands to more than 50 countries, but its largest market is in Europe. In 1996, Cycleurope also acquired production of DBS, the Norwegian bicycle brand. The company is represented in Norway by Cycleurope Norge in Sandnes.
Services provided by Embriq:
Infor M3
Servers supplied as ‘As a Service’ or ‘Private Cloud’
Office 365
Network monitoring for all locations.
S2S – IP-VPN solution. This is secure communication for remote offices with Internet connections to ensure a cost-effective solution.
User VPN connections