Industry: IT Services
Partner type: System Integrator
Partner since: 2020
Netum, a leading IT service partner with over two decades of experience in demanding IT projects, has long been dedicated to building a functional and secure digital society. In 2019, as part of its ambitious growth strategy, Netum embarked on a journey to transform its integration capabilities offering.
As Netum’s customer base grew and their needs became more sophisticated, the limitations of traditional integration methods became apparent. The company faced key challenges:
How to ensure seamless real-time information flow between multiple systems for customers.
How to manage customer integrations in-house without relying on costly third-party tools.
How to automate manual processes to enhance operational scalability and efficiency for customers.
Juho Elometsä, Head of Integrations at Netum, recalls the pivotal moment when his team realized the need for change:
“We were spending an increasing amount of time maintaining complex, open-source integrations, which not only slowed us down but also limited our ability to focus on delivering value to our customers. It became clear that we needed a solution that could simplify these processes and help us scale,” says Elometsä.
This realization drove a careful evaluation of available integration platforms. Juho and his team assessed various solutions, weighing factors such as cost, functionality, ease of use, and scalability. Ultimately, they chose Frends iPaaS for its ability to address these pain points effectively and align with Netum’s business goals.
Discovering Frends iPaaS: A Turning Point
Netum found its answer in Frends iPaaS, a low-code integration platform that offered a comprehensive, all-inclusive service. The platform’s ability to combine simplicity with robust functionality was a game-changer for Netum.
“Frends quickly pays for itself since the infrastructure costs with other platforms are so high. It allows us to provide added value to our customers more cost-efficiently and with higher quality,” reflects Juho Elometsä.
Unlike open-source solutions, which required extensive customization and investment in error monitoring tools, Frends offered a plug-and-play model with:
Netum’s adoption of Frends iPaaS delivered measurable business impact:
Development time was slashed by 50% compared to full-code platforms, allowing Netum to deliver faster results for customers.
Automated manual tasks reduced operational costs and created significant time savings for both Netum and its customers.
By centralizing integrations, Netum provided streamlined data exchange across systems like accounting, HR, and order management. Customers experienced faster error resolution, cheaper maintenance, and seamless data migrations.
Netum values Frends iPaaS for its strong reputation in the Nordics, attracting interest from many customers. This model allows customers to avoid investing in their infrastructure and simply access a complete service.
Previously, overseeing customer integrations was challenging with point-to-point integrations from different vendors. Now, by centralizing all integrations with an iPaaS like Frends, Netum can easily manage the entire network for customers.
By offering faster and more reliable integration services, Netum was able to attract new customers and deepen relationships with existing ones.
“When we help customers migrate CRM systems, the need to connect with other systems becomes clear. Frends works quietly in the background, making it easy to access customer data for marketing and other business needs,”says Elometsä.
The partnership with Frends iPaaS has been instrumental in driving Netum’s growth and rethinking the overall service package:
By streamlining integration processes and reducing costs, Netum has been able to offer competitive pricing to customers while maintaining healthy profit margins.
Frends’ reputation as a reliable and high-quality platform has enabled Netum to expand its reach, particularly within the Nordics, and attract customers across various industries.
The low-code nature of Frends has empowered Netum’s teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive manual tasks, increasing overall productivity.
Netum can easily recommend Frends iPaaS to nearly all its customers, thanks to its flexible pricing model suitable for any business size or industry, including special pricing for startups. Netum values working with a Nordic company with a solid Finnish presence.
Juho Elometsä highlights the broader impact:
“Frends has given us the confidence to take on more complex projects and scale our operations. It’s not just a an integration tool for us; it’s a partner in our business growth.”
Frends’ hybrid model was particularly impactful for Netum’s customers, many of whom were navigating varying stages of cloud migration. The platform’s ability to seamlessly integrate on-premise and cloud systems ensured that customers could transition at their own pace without compromising operational continuity.
Elometsä emphasizes the importance of Frends’ self-documentation feature:
“Without proper documentation, pinpointing and resolving errors becomes more difficult, and there’s a risk of vendor lock-in. Frends ensures quality documentation that supports reusing previous work, which adds incredible value.”
Additionally, Frends’ deployment model streamlined the transition from development to testing to production, enhancing reliability and reducing time-to-market for new integrations.
Netum’s partnership with Frends has proven to be a win-win—boosting sales, and solidifying the company’s position as a leader in the Nordic IT services market, and trusted integration parter. Today, Frends iPaaS is an integral part of Netum’s strategy, providing the company with:
A competitive edge through a well-known, high-quality platform.
Expanded solution offerings that address modern business integration challenges.
Streamlined processes that enable scalability and cost savings for customers.
“We’ve quickly adopted Frends iPaaS, and we can always rely on their support if needed. Operating within the same time zone local Nordic vendor means quicker responses, and sharing the same language facilitates efficient communication, ” Elometsä sums up.
For IT consultancies seeking to achieve similar success, Juho shares a few key takeaways:
Choose solutions that grow with your business and adapt to changing customer needs.
Platforms like Frends iPaaS reduce the learning curve and empower teams to focus on delivering value rather than managing complexity.
While cost is important, consider the long-term benefits of operational efficiency, reliability, and customer satisfaction.
Work with a partner who understands your market and shares your vision can make a significant difference.