IMCD, an international distributor of speciality chemicals and ingredients, made a strategic decision to migrate its application landscape to the cloud. With inQdo's assistance, the company established a robust and flexible cloud infrastructure that supports its worldwide operations. "The infrastructure, the foundation, is rock solid, and we benefit from that every single day."
IMCD has locations in more than sixty countries. Previously, the business-critical IT platforms used globally by the organisation, such as ERP, CRM, B2B Commerce, Data & Analytics, integration and infrastructure, were centrally managed and maintained on-premises at the headquarters in Rotterdam. To ensure the scalability and flexibility of IT platforms for the rapidly growing IMCD, the company chose to migrate its application landscape to the cloud in 2018. Jelle Schot, IT Director, is ultimately responsible for all IT platforms at IMCD. "We began by migrating our sales platform to Salesforce, a SaaS solution. Within the various cloud solutions, Software-as-a-Service was our preference. However, a SaaS product wasn't available for our ERP system, so we had to look for an IaaS solution."
Solution that grows with the business
IMCD is a company with a rich history, emerging from a small group of companies that came together in 1995 with an industry vision. As a distributor of speciality chemicals and ingredients, the company focuses on simplifying and growing their suppliers' business activities through extensive local networks, market intelligence and technical expertise. With more than 4,700 professionals employed and a portfolio of 48,000 products used in nearly every aspect of daily life, finding a cloud solution that could scale with the company was essential. Johan Wempe, Global IT Infrastructure Manager at IMCD, explains: "We chose AWS, partly on the advice of our partner who maintained our JD Edwards application. Additionally, we were using SaaS applications, such as Salesforce and Snowflake, which also run on AWS. It proved to be an excellent fit." However, IMCD lacked expertise in the Amazon cloud environment, leading them to seek a suitable partner.
Pragmatic and solution-oriented
IMCD's choice of inQdo as their AWS partner was a carefully considered decision. After discussions with various AWS-recommended partners, inQdo emerged as the best choice. What set inQdo apart was its pragmatic, solution-oriented approach that aligned seamlessly with IMCD's corporate culture. "IMCD is characterised by a flat, decisive organisation with considerable expertise. inQdo's approach complements this perfectly. There is no unnecessary bureaucracy but rather a results-driven approach. They've always executed this extremely well," says Schot. This approach, combined with inQdo's ability to act swiftly with a small team of experts, was the deciding factor.
Secure IaaS environment
Since 2021, inQdo has been crucial in transforming IMCD's IT infrastructure by creating a flexible, future-proof AWS environment that supports IMCD's growth and innovation. "They advised us on how to structure the entire IaaS environment. This was done in close collaboration with the implementation partner of the global ERP system. inQdo established an environment that ensures the ERP system functions properly and provides a secure IaaS environment upon which the global infrastructure could be built," says Schot. A key aspect of inQdo's approach was their forward-thinking strategy. "From the initial setup, we considered that when our local entities migrate to an IaaS environment, they would move to AWS in a manner that integrates seamlessly and securely with our group IT environment." Wempe emphasises the importance of this thorough approach: "The foundation of the entire AWS infrastructure has been absolutely crucial, and that's why we can now act so quickly and efficiently when something needs to be implemented."
Central structure with local flexibility
The AWS infrastructure at IMCD is designed with a central structure that simultaneously offers local flexibility. Wempe explains: "We have one master account with various local accounts beneath it. We have two types: role accounts for different functionalities such as ERP, BI, integration and backup, and location-specific accounts for particular regions or countries." This structure allows IMCD to maintain central management whilst local entities retain their responsibilities. Schot emphasises the balance between central control and local autonomy: "We want local entities to take responsibility for their platforms. It's challenging to maintain local freedom whilst ensuring it's done properly. We must ensure they adhere to our policies whilst retaining their ability to execute independently."
"We rely heavily on inQdo's advice in our decisions"
Challenges and benefits
This approach brings challenges, such as cost management and security assurance. "With AWS, it's not always possible to directly attribute costs to a specific country without setting up complex charging mechanisms, which we naturally want to avoid," Schot explains. Despite these challenges, the infrastructure provides IMCD with significant advantages. Wempe notes: "The infrastructure, the foundation, is rock solid. We benefit from it every day. When a new location wants to move to AWS, we can have an entire environment ready for them within hours. It's so stable; I feel very confident about the environment." This flexibility and stability enable IMCD to respond quickly to changes and new opportunities whilst maintaining a consistent and secure IT environment across its global operations. "We rely heavily on inQdo's advice in our decisions," states Schot. "They play a role in advising, setting up, and managing AWS infrastructure and services. They also play a crucial role in ensuring AWS is configured securely."
Technical and substantive knowledge
The collaboration between inQdo and IMCD is characterised by strong mutual understanding and a practical, results-oriented approach. Wempe particularly praises the relationship with inQdo's technical experts: "The relationship between our IT staff and inQdo's technical specialists is excellent. It couldn't be better. They think well with us, possess extensive technical knowledge, and perform their work excellently." Schot emphasises the pragmatic nature of the collaboration: "Of course, we have regular discussions, but they're very much focused on execution." This approach has delivered tangible results. "This collaboration has ultimately resulted in a globally operating AWS environment," says IMCD's IT Director. "Sometimes you see partners set something up and then leave, requiring you to manage it yourself. But that's not the case with inQdo. We benefit weekly from either their hands-on support or expertise."