Successful IT Modernization at igefa

By digitizing its IT infrastructure, igefa was able to not only reduce costs but also significantly increase efficiency and employee satisfaction in the wholesale sector.

IGEFA SE & Co. KG, known as igefa, is one of the leading specialist wholesalers in Germany with a broad range of products and services in the areas of cleaning, hygiene, healthcare, occupational safety, and hospitality supplies. With a nationwide network and its own fleet, igefa guarantees reliable and fast deliveries. The company is digitizing procurement processes and pursuing sustainability goals along the entire value chain. A key aspect of this success is the comprehensive digitization and modernization of IT infrastructure. By leveraging modern technologies from Microsoft and glueckkanja, igefa was able to significantly increase its efficiency while substantially reducing IT infrastructure costs.

Challenge

Over the past 40 years, igefa has evolved from individual family businesses into a unified full-service provider with over 3,000 employees across 28 locations nationwide and several subsidiaries in other European countries. The merger of four of the six family businesses into IGEFA SE & Co. KG in 2022 simplified the structure but also required efficient and centralized workplace organization.

Previously, the legally independent business units used different IT strategies and systems, which fragmented the IT infrastructure and hindered company-wide collaboration.

"Our constant goal was to ensure consistent support across all locations," explains Dandy Bräunlich, Head of IT at igefa. "Our customers prefer to have a single point of contact regardless of location."

Different IT systems, including multiple Active Directories and Exchange Servers, made consolidation necessary to guarantee modern standards and secure, efficient operations.

"The need for consolidation and modernization was obvious. In the past, it was a challenge to convince the various business groups of this," adds Bräunlich. During the critical phase of the merger, the company discovered glueckkanja's innovative solutions and their 'Starbucks Deployment' approach.

Solution

With Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online, the communication landscape, scheduling, and document access were improved. Employee availability transparency was also enhanced, and collaboration was strengthened with tools like Teams.

"The deployment of these technologies was a decisive step in standardizing our workplaces across all locations," explains Dandy Bräunlich.

Furthermore, igefa implemented Windows following the glueckkanja blueprint through a strategically planned pilot rollout. Continuous updates ensure that the operating system always receives the latest security patches and performance improvements. Intune and the cloud-based platform RealmJoin simplify the management of endpoints and applications. This also optimizes the onboarding process for new employees.

The implementation of Single Sign-On and Multi-Factor Authentication with Microsoft Entra has increased security and improved the user experience through seamless and efficient interactions.

Teams Voice and Operator Connect expand the communication structures and are being gradually rolled out across all locations. Comprehensive training, change management, and adoption initiatives were conducted to increase acceptance. SharePoint Online modernizes the intranet and strengthens internal communication. The dedicated Microsoft 365 adoption program 'MOVE IT' with the tagline "Growing Together" supports this process. The program was developed by PHAT Consulting and successfully implemented in close collaboration with IGEFA SE & Co. KG and glueckkanja.

In addition, igefa introduced further glueckkanja M365 Companions that close technical gaps in a fully cloud-based Microsoft environment. Products like RADIUSaaS and SCEPman enable secure, serverless network authentication, and KONNEKT effectively replaces traditional file servers with SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive.

These comprehensive measures have even convinced the initial skeptics of the project, who are now among the strongest advocates of the cloud-based solutions. They experience significant relief in their workload.

In short: "The Modern Workplace has become of central importance at igefa and is continuously transforming the way the company works. The goal of IT is to provide workplaces that meet today's necessary security standards regardless of work location or time, while also delivering one of the most modern workplaces in the wholesale industry," says Dandy Bräunlich.

Conclusion & Outlook

The implementation has already paid off: "Today, we are not only technically up to date, but our way of working has become significantly more modern, especially across locations," reports Dandy Bräunlich. "Thanks to the new IT structures that were quickly implemented, we can respond to requirements faster and more efficiently."

Dandy Bräunlich and his team have precisely planned the technological future at igefa. The company aims to integrate further systems into the Azure Cloud. With the support of the glueckkanja Azure Foundation and AVD Foundation as well as the Cloud Security Operations Center, the cloud strategy will become more secure and scalable.

Full speed ahead: The joint journey between igefa and glueckkanja continues. The recently launched project program "SECURE IT - secure together" focuses on security in all dimensions.

About igefa

igefa is a leading trading, service, and logistics partner in Germany. It supplies the facility management, healthcare, industrial, transportation, hospitality, gastronomy and catering sectors, as well as public institutions and municipalities. The company offers a broad product range and comprehensive services, including consulting, digital services, training, and sustainability management. IGEFA SE & Co. KG, formed in 2022 from the merger of four family businesses, enables bundled solutions as an industry leader. With 28 locations in Germany and several subsidiaries across Europe, igefa serves its customers both digitally and in person.

What particularly sets igefa apart is its ability to grow with its customers. The product range and ordering process adapt flexibly to their needs while remaining from a single source. The company calls this scalability the 'Single Source Solution'. Whether a single successful restaurant or an entire franchise system – igefa already has the right solution at hand.

Learn more about igefa as a leading trading, service, and logistics partner for businesses in Germany on their website.