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Customer Story

Real Estate IT Service Provider Goes to Market with Intelligent Cloud-based Platform

Cegeka DSA bolsters IT Infrastructure, using Agile and SCRUM to increase workflow and market share

Related services
Cloud and DevOps 

Industry
IT, Business and Technology

Cegeka DSA offers intelligent real estate solutions throughout the Netherlands. The company is a subsidiary of Belgian IT service provider Cegeka. With a thirty percent market share, Cegeka DSA is the largest home automation company in the Netherlands. It works in close cooperation with customers, the market, and its partners, gauging where software can best help inform business decisions. Microsoft Dynamics is used to deliver these services to its client base. The company has over 550 employees with locations in Belgium, Austria, and Italy. Cegeka plans to expand into the broader European market in the near future.

Why
Meet demands of changing real estate market
What
Reorganize and revamp existing IT architecture
How
Use SCRUM approach combined with a new platform to increase market share

Room for Remodelling

The Dutch real estate market had been rapidly evolving. The advent of cloud computing, a consumer-on-demand business mentality, and ever-changing political winds influenced the market on a daily basis. All of which brought Cegeka’s existing IT environment front and center—it was in need of renovation. Cekega’s CTO, Jeroen van der Heijden remarked, “The market has made a revolutionary change from proprietary-owned systems to sharing standardized applications that can be tailored to accommodate individual differences.” In order to keep up with the times and remain competitive, Cegeka teamed up with Xebia and ordered a full retooling of its IT infrastructure, one that would meet customer’s demands and allow Cegeka to grow its market share.

State of the Art for a Start

Cegeka saw a need to overhaul its platform to match the service levels and performance necessary to meet the demands of the market. One of the first steps taken to create a flexible and Agile architecture was to move Cegeka’s IT architecture from on-premise to the cloud. With Xebia’s highly experienced consultants there to ensure the move was frictionless, Cegeka could work smoothly during the transition. Secondly, Xebia oversaw the development and construction of a new environment that would bring elasticity and agility to the workflow.

“Traditionally, clients wanted proprietary solutions. Their old legacy software had involved lengthy development cycles, resulting in complex source code that was lacking the flexibility to accommodate easy-to-implement changes. Meanwhile, the software world has changed drastically, in terms of architectural approach and customer demands.”
Cegeka-dsa
Jeroen van der Heijden CTO Cegeka DSA

SCRUM for Success

Upgrading Cegeka’s platform quickly and efficiently had its challenges. For IT teams, holding on to old source code and practice had become habit. Xebia’s experts led the way in coaching Cegeka’s IT teams in Agile ways of working and most importantly in using SCRUM techniques to improve functionality. A SCRUM-based project approach included Continuous Delivery and automated testing to make sure time wasn’t wasted. A customizable and user-friendly platform was developed as a SaaS using Microsoft Visual Studios. The financial and performance implications of this turnaround for Cegeka were apparent. Cegeka managed to go to market with short turnover and 100% reliability and traceability.

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