Bravedo is a Finnish multi-industry group, comprising of over 30 independent technology and service companies, operating in 12 countries.
The group’s old ERP (Enterprise Resource System) was at the end of its lifecycle, and Workday was chosen as the new replacement.
The smooth migration to Workday was executed by the Frends integration platform. Doing system migration with Frends ensured that there was no disruptions in the operations of the group's companies during the process. In addition, using Frends iPaaS for these ERP integrations made them more manageable.
“We aimed for a smart and professional integration development strategy to prevent IT complications. Frends, with its low-code approach, provides a user-friendly interface that simplifies error detection and correction. This allows Bravedo's companies to adapt quickly to changes and utilize vendors' standard APIs, eliminating the need for custom interfaces. As a result, we can seamlessly connect and collaborate across different systems and services used in various business units,” says Olli Wirpi, Project Manager at Bravedo.
Frends iPaaS was selected for its exceptional commercial terms and ability to meet Bravedo's needs best. The low-code integration platform allows for easy copying and modification of processes once they are created. The ultimate goal was to improve information flow between systems and reduce manual work through smart automation.
The interfaces to Workday are quite complex due to their extensive coverage. However, with Frends iPaaS, we've created much simpler interfaces with good maintainability and monitoring.
Jussi Ahonen, Integrations Lead at Bravedo
Led by the group's financial management development team, the ERP project ensured a smooth migration to Workday for all Bravedo companies. The collaboration with Frends began with planning and defining the central integrations, which were initially prioritized for development. Frends offered support throughout the process, providing developers for the first year and a half.
"The project was extensive. Initially, there was a learning curve as we familiarized ourselves with the new platform and technology for building integrations. However, efficiency improved rapidly, clarifying our workflow,” says Wirpi.
All financial data, such as sales and purchase invoices, undergo processing through Frends iPaaS for accounting purposes. Numerous systems have been seamlessly integrated with the platform, leading to standardized integrations that can be conveniently managed within a single platform. Automating processes and workflows, spanning sales invoices, purchase invoices, and various accounting document imports, enhances efficiency and mitigates human error.
"The interfaces to Workday are quite complex due to their extensive coverage. However, with Frends iPaaS, we've created much simpler interfaces with good maintainability and monitoring. Centralizing integrations onto a single platform makes them more manageable for us, as errors are easier to locate and solve quickly,” says Jussi Ahonen, Integrations Lead at Bravedo.
Utilizing Frends iPaaS, Bravedo seamlessly completed their ERP migration on time, ensuring uninterrupted business operations across the group's companies. Frends iPaaS improves data monitoring and transparency while enabling process reusability. Additionally, it substantially cuts IT costs and streamlines the development of innovations. Moreover, scaling the business becomes effortless with this platform.
"Interface changes no longer need to be requested from system vendors; instead, they can be made centrally within Frends, which has significantly streamlined the adoption of Workday in particular. Going forward, implementing other technologies and business development will be faster and more flexible. Bravedo companies can receive the requested changes more quickly,” says Ahonen.
Bravedo highly values its close and active collaboration with Frends, which includes daily meetings. One of their developers even works from Bravedo’s office. Through their dedicated efforts, the Frends developers successfully onboarded Bravedo’s team and provided comprehensive support, empowering them to operate independently.
"We are highly satisfied with the collaboration. No detail has been overlooked, and the integration platform continues to evolve. One of my development ideas was also accepted, demonstrating the team's responsiveness," says Ahonen.