Euro Pool System provides reusable packaging for fresh products, such as fruit and vegetables. The company aims to make its entire logistics chain as efficient, sustainable, and scalable as possible. With 82 branches across Europe, everything at EPS revolves around crate circulation: from distribution and return logistics to cleaning.

In recent years, the IT environment of EPS largely relied on rCloud, the private cloud of Inetum. But the company’s rapid growth and the increasing demand for scalability and flexibility led EPS to reassess that choice. Together with Inetum, EPS mapped out its current and future needs. The most suitable solution turned out to be a move to the public cloud, with Microsoft Azure as the chosen platform.

The transition was phased but decisive: from an initial small workload as a test to the full migration of all servers, middleware, and applications. “The migration went smoothly, without significant downtime,” says Sibbe Gielen. “We are now in a robust cloud environment with very high availability, fully managed by Inetum.”

Hybrid reality

Not all of Euro Pool System’s infrastructure runs in the public cloud. Each of the 82 European branches has two physical servers with a local implementation of virtualized servers. “These local servers are essential,” says Sibbe Gielen. “We collect a lot of scan data on-site. If the internet connection fails, our operations must continue. No matter what happens, with local servers our branches can always keep running.”

EPS also relies on Inetum for the management of these local servers. The hybrid approach, with Azure for central workloads and physical servers for local processing, requires precise management. “We install the hardware ourselves,” says Sibbe Gielen, “but Inetum configures and manages everything remotely.” Thanks to the managed services for the entire backend environment, Euro Pool System can fully focus on its core activities.

Security as a priority

In recent years, cybersecurity has moved to the very top of Euro Pool System’s agenda. “An incident prompted us to reassess our security risks. Since then, we have invested heavily in security.” The result is an ecosystem built entirely on Microsoft Defender, combined with the SIEM solution Microsoft Sentinel.

At the heart of this approach is LiveSOC, Inetum’s 24/7 monitoring service. “LiveSOC ensures continuous monitoring. That provides peace of mind. We do not need to build our own security operations center because we rely on Inetum’s expertise. They know our infrastructure inside out.”

A managed workspace

In the past, Euro Pool System worked with what was known as an ‘unmanaged workspace.’ The consequence was predictable: employees installed all kinds of software themselves and did not always pay enough attention to security updates. That approach is now history.

“We opted for a managed workspace via Inetum. We now have full control over our workplaces,” says Sibbe Gielen. “Security and user-friendliness go hand in hand.” The deployment and management of all applications are now centralized via Microsoft Intune, which fits within the company’s broader security policy. “The integration of backend, frontend, and security into a single whole represents a huge step forward for us.”

Bestshoring for data & AI

In the field of data analysis and reporting, Euro Pool System works with an internal DAI department (data analytics & insights), which also receives support from Inetum. “Our previous partner was based in Belarus. Given the geopolitical developments in the region, we found it undesirable to maintain that relationship. We deliberately chose Inetum, which, through its team in Madrid, provides a stable and secure service.”

Specifically, Inetum’s Spanish DAI service provides support and maintenance of EPS’s data lake. “For the development of new functionalities, we collaborate with Inetum branches in other countries, mainly for our sister company Stack & Track. This allows us to work very efficiently at a European level.”

Servicedesk as a stable pillar

As the importance of IT increases at EPS, so does the need for adequate IT user support. EPS relies on Inetum’s servicedesk for this. “For us, it is much more than just a helpdesk. Inetum’s employees know our environment and our people. For our staff, it is important that they can call a familiar central number. Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., they can turn to the servicedesk with their IT questions.”

The servicedesk acts as a single point of contact for both frontend and backend issues. “For an employee calling the servicedesk, it is reassuring to be assisted in Dutch or English. They speak to someone who knows who they are. That is quite rare in the IT sector. That kind of service really makes a difference in the field.”

ChatEPG

Meanwhile, new forms of digitalization continue to emerge. One of the recent innovations is the development of a proprietary generative AI tool: ChatEPG, named after the organization’s group name: Euro Pool Group. “The tool works in isolation with information from Microsoft Copilot, but without any connection to the internet or the public cloud. This ensures that sensitive EPS information remains within the company. Other chatbots are blocked.”

EPS developed the tool together with Inetum. The project once again highlights how Inetum acts as a strategic partner in EPS’s journey. “Of course, our IT teams contribute ideas, but their focus remains on the added value IT offers us. We do not want to run night shifts for monitoring or support ourselves. We focus on our core, namely the circular flow of reusable crates. IT plays an important role in this, but for the actual operations and support we rely on Inetum. ‘Brains inside, hands outside’ remains our credo.”