A Swiss freight forwarding company secures competitive advantages thanks to IT outsourcing

When the Windows 7 operating system was phased out at the beginning of 2020, it was clear to the freight forwarding and customs clearance company Nauta SA, based near Basel, that it needed to renew and modernize its entire IT infrastructure. Supported by Swisscom and its local IT partner innobit AG, the internationally active company decided to outsource its entire ICT infrastructure. Nauta is benefiting from this change: thanks to IT outsourcing, business processes have become faster, more efficient and more fail-safe.

About the customer

Nauta SA is a medium-sized, flexible, dynamic and owner-managed Swiss transportation company. Intercontinental and European transportation, as well as warehouse logistics and a neutral customs agency form the core business of Nauta SA.

The project

The contract awarded to innobit was for the complete renewal of the IT infrastructure in all business areas (customs agency, warehouse logistics and order picking, event logistics).

The IT solution: The advantages of the Swisscom Smart ICT product

Cost efficiency and performance: always at the cutting edge with the help of a modern, secure and stable IT infrastructure
Flexibility and growth: thanks to the managed service model, your IT environment adapts to your requirements and company structure at any time
Predictability and budget security: everything under control at all times thanks to transparent costs with pay-as-you-go billing
Relief thanks to operating and support services: operational focus on the core business

A detailed needs analysis is essential for the success of IT outsourcing.

Christoph Lehmann

Head of IT, Nauta SA

The project process

With six locations throughout Switzerland and additional partner companies in areas close to the border, Nauta has been a specialist in logistics, transport, customs clearance and handling for over 75 years. With over 70 employees, Nauta guarantees fast and precise customs clearance at all major border crossings in Switzerland. The company relies on a constantly functioning IT infrastructure, as drivers expect short waiting times.

A step towards modernization

In order to reliably meet its customer needs, Nauta decided to renew its IT infrastructure at the end of 2019. When Microsoft announced that the Windows 7 operating system would soon be discontinued, Nauta had to decide whether to simply continue with new hardware or modernize fundamentally. As some of its IT infrastructure was not optimally aligned, it quickly became clear to the company that it would take the step towards modernization. This was the beginning of a successful collaboration between Nauta, innobit and Swisscom.

During the initial discussions with Nauta, innobit Lead Architect Sven Differt recognized the company's strong desire for modernization. With the new IT infrastructure, all resources were to be focused as much as possible on the core business. In line with this wish, Nauta was presented with the Swisscom Smart ICT solution (see info box below). The company's IT infrastructure is outsourced to Swisscom. This creates several advantages for companies: With online storage and cloud applications, employees can work together efficiently, securely and on the move from anywhere. The smooth operation of the IT infrastructure is ensured by the support service provided by Swisscom and innobit. The collaboration between innobit and Swisscom was also an important factor for the freight forwarding company Nauta. Christoph Lehmann, IT manager at Nauta, emphasizes that Swisscom is a large group that can be relied on and will be successful in the long term.

Before the implementation phase of the IT outsourcing started, innobit carried out a detailed needs analysis of the company to identify all important IT interfaces. It is important to invest enough time in a detailed analysis in the initial phase of such a project to avoid unwanted surprises later on. Christoph Lehmann from Nauta explains that companies often have a certain "operational blindness". The IT infrastructure is taken for granted, which is why not all IT interfaces are often considered. This is why innobit was given a tour of the company to get an idea of the entire IT structure. Christoph Lehmann remembers the commitment and precise work of their IT partner: "It's a pleasure to work with people like that."

Parallel operation of old and new systems allows work to continue

It was important for the internationally active company to be able to work during the entire implementation phase. The IT outsourcing by innobit and Swisscom therefore took place in two stages. First, all background systems were modernized. It became apparent that the network connection in particular was not optimally solved. There was always a risk that if the main site was offline, other sites would also go down. These weak points in Nauta's IT infrastructure were eliminated with the Smart ICT solution. The old and new systems were then operated in parallel for two weeks before the entire IT was finally transferred to the new solution over a weekend and all workstations were equipped with the latest software from Swisscom.

The implementation phase of the IT outsourcing went smoothly and minor project hurdles were easily overcome. The project was finally concluded with a training session that showed Nauta employees the benefits of the new IT outsourcing solution: Nauta's data is now all in the cloud, allowing employees to work efficiently from anywhere. All internet access is now also redundant. Should an outage occur at some point, not all locations are automatically affected. The Swisscom servers in Switzerland also ensure that Nauta's data always remains in Switzerland.

Always the right contact person

As Nauta's IT manager, Christoph Lehmann is responsible for the employees' IT issues. Depending on the IT issue, he decides whether to contact Swisscom or innobit. He usually opens a ticket with the Swisscom Support Center and is then assisted by a Swisscom employee. However, if the question is more about industry-specific software, he turns to the innobit team, which is very familiar with the special features of freight forwarding companies. No matter who Christoph Lehmann turns to, he has access to specialized expert knowledge.

Christoph is now relieved that he no longer has to deal with complex IT problems. For him, it is a relief to receive all the services and support from Swisscom and innobit. As he says with a smile: "Now we no longer have to update 50 PCs by hand. IT is much easier to manage and regular backups and data protection in the Swisscom Cloud prevent data loss and cyber attacks. Day-to-day business also benefits: There are no long waiting times at the border and Nauta can put all its manpower into its core business.

We can now focus more on our core business.

Christoph Lehmann

Head of IT, Nauta SA

Get in touch with us

Do you have any questions or need personal advice? Our team will be happy to help you.