Do you manage your local area network services yourself? Outsourcing the management of your local area network frees up resources and helps stabilize the environment. With an expert partner to monitor, develop and proactively manage your network, you can focus on what matters most – growing and developing your business.

Outsourced local area network management frees up time for development 

Does your company’s local area network (LAN) consist of network devices from various manufacturers and several different software versions? Managing such a heterogeneous environment can be challenging. Devices may become overloaded or vulnerable to security threats, especially if they are nearing or have already reached the end of their lifecycle. Old and outdated devices represent a significant security risk to the business. This risk is further exacerbated when authentication methods, device management, and network segmentation are not in place. Without visibility into the state of the local area network, it is difficult to respond effectively to data communications and end user needs.

If these challenges sound familiar, it’s worth considering whether outsourcing and managing local area network services as a service might be a reasonable option. When considering outsourcing, it is important to take into account expectations and needs related to network, network equipment procurement, network management implementation and resourcing, as well as data security and development. An outsourcing solution can bundle all of these into one package. At the same time, the company has a partner of expertise alongside its own IT department who takes on a significant part of the operational responsibility for the network. By outsourcing local area network services, the company can focus on essential business development areas.

Enfo provides real-time monitoring and response to all network events, ensuring the local network environment management remains up to date. “When a customer outsources their local area network environment to Enfo, we take overall responsibility for it. This includes auditing the equipment fleet and monitoring its lifecycle with updates. Additionally, we create a tailored monitoring solution for the environment. This brings the entire environment under Enfo’s control. These measures ensure that the local area network is functioning appropriately, so the customer does not have to maintain it himself,” says Aapo Sormunen, Manager, Network Services.

When outsourcing local area network (LAN) services, it is important that the partnership runs smoothly. This requires ongoing dialogue with customers about environmental development and potential improvements. A cooperative relationship that promotes the development of the environment can withstand concerns that arise. Transparency and customer access to the environment are important to ensure both parties are on the same page.

Proactive monitoring of local area networks 24/7

“Enfo has modern monitoring methods in place to monitor all of its customers’ outsourced LAN services. Together with the customer, we identify which devices in the local network are critical and which are less critical. For instance, if customer service is only open during the day and the associated network service is disrupted at night, the most urgent alert levels are unnecessary. On the other hand, it is of paramount importance for some other sites to be within the scope of continuous alarm preparedness. This brings both manageability, but also cost thinking on behalf of the customer,” Sormunen explains.  

Enfo’s control room monitors network devices with the help of monitoring software, and alarms are raised in the event of disturbances. Customers can also report problems to Enfo’s Service Desk or to the monitoring. If a disturbance occurs in the environment, Enfo initiates a standardized incident management process to quickly locate and resolve the problem. Monitoring systems produce valuable data from the customer’s environment all the time, and Enfo utilizes learning trend data in its proactive monitoring. In addition to the fact that Enfo can use the information to react quickly to the necessary targets, Enfo can also use the information to produce development suggestions for the customer. In the future, artificial intelligence will also support incident management more than before.  

“Information security is an ever-rising trend. Due to the current global situation, companies are paying more attention to their security and investing in it. There are also more general requirements. For example, the NIS 2 regulation requires companies to demonstrate a certain level of cybersecurity capability. When talking about trends, we should not forget about artificial intelligence, which already performs proactive management and corrective measures.

The cloud-based future of LAN services

Enfo is also well prepared for the near future developments in local area network services. Sormunen predicts that in the future, the management of local area network services will largely become cloud-based.  

“Enfo has adopted cloud-managed technologies whenever they have been introduced to the market. We also strive to find new, fresh solutions to find the best practices for providing services to our customers. We are constantly in dialog with different suppliers and modeling services to evolve. We train our experts constantly to ensure that we have the best possible know-how and the most modern solutions at our disposal. This means that our customers don’t have to wonder whether a solution, software, or device is secure or suitable. We take care of the whole.”

Are you considering outsourcing your local area network services? 
Take a closer look at our services and contact us to discuss further!

Artificial intelligence plays a key role both in Enfo’s own operations as well as in the services we offer to our customers. The implementation of AI must not only be efficient but also secure, and it must meet the necessary cybersecurity requirements.

How does Enfo utilize AI in its own operations?

At Enfo, AI and automation have become key strategic elements that support the realization of our other strategic objectives – while improving operational efficiency and developing our customer offering. 

Our main technology partner is Microsoft, and we make extensive use of their Copilot to improve operational efficiency. To support the adoption of internal AI, we have set up a Copilot Center of Excellence team focused on integrating and utilizing AI, while considering security, regulatory, governance, wellbeing at work and user satisfaction aspects. In addition, as the significance of AI and automation has been growing, we have created a dedicated AI and Automation Center of Excellence group within the Center of Excellence unit, which will develop AI and automation solutions to support operational efficiency and monitor the development of AI technologies. This will help Enfo to keep pace with changes in AI and remain a relevant expert in its field in the future as well.

At Enfo, AI is a strategic-level choice that we want to be a visible as well as tangible part of everyday work. Different user groups use AI in different ways, for example to support ideation, sales, data structuring and collection, to improve the efficiency of service desk work as well as contact handling and for technical tasks such as programming. AI also brings benefits in simple tasks such as writing meeting notes. There are many ways to improve the efficiency of service production. While AI supports many tasks making them easier, it does not replace human thinking and decision-making. The Copilot Center of Excellence contributes to ensuring that AI is viewed and considered as a versatile tool for improving work efficiency at Enfo.

Enfo ensures efficient and safe deployment of AI for its customers

Enfo is happy to assist its customers in the efficient and safe implementation of AI. When developing our service offering, we pay attention to what AI means as a megatrend and what opportunities it offers in business. We monitor industry developments to ensure that our services remain up-to-date and provide the best possible support to our customers.

It is predicted that as many as a third of companies are already using AI to access the data mass of their company as well as the entire industry. To support this, they need a partner who can ensure the secure use of both data and AI, as well as sufficient computing capacity to train and use AI. Enfo takes all these aspects into account when developing its own service portfolio: effective AI deployment, safe use of AI, data security and privacy, and the necessary computing power.

The Copilot Center of Excellence was found to be a well-functioning concept in Enfo’s internal use, so we have started to produce a similar service for the deployment of artificial intelligence for our customers as well. Consisting of Enfo experts and customer representatives, the Center of Excellence provides the customer with the coordination of AI deployment, the technical aspect which includes the management of Copilot and its security, and the functional part, which focuses on how the customer uses AI in their business. The client’s employees can present their AI-related questions and observations directly to the core service team. This ensures change management and usage support in the specific business and organizational context of the customer. The Service Desk, which supports day-to-day operations, is not overburdened during the project roll-out, and the initial experiences can be monitored centrally.

How to manage AI-related security issues?

AI security is a hot topic both at Enfo and among our customers. Criminal threats are present, and the sensitive and volatile geopolitical situation makes it even more important to choose trusted partners. Unfortunately, cyber-attacks are also evolving with artificial intelligence. For example, phishing attacks may become even harder to detect in the future, requiring even greater vigilance from individuals.

In questions related to information security of AI solutions, choosing the suitable, competent partner is crucial to risk management. Enfo’s role as a domestic player brings security to our customers, and choosing partners who invest in information security is important for Enfo. As a partner, Enfo trusts in Microsoft and their wide range of security solutions. Enfo solves and delivers customer data security by using MS technologies, which are also constantly being developed. Centralized technology also bring benefit by providing centralized capabilities for data storage as well as controlling and tracking functions. 

Data protection is another key issue in the use of AI. One of the biggest risks in the use of AI is poorly managed data. To use AI reliably, it is important that data is properly classified and managed. Enfo conducts security assessments for its customers to evaluate their readiness for the safe implementation of AI. In addition, Enfo’s range of services includes Traficom’s Kybermittari (Cybermeter) Assessment that also touches on the use of AI, but does not examine it as extensively as a separate survey focused on the use of AI. The assessments can be integrated into Enfo’s Copilot Center of Excellence service, which ensures that the use of AI complies with ethical guidelines and legislation. The service creates the necessary governance models to identify and address the risks of AI solutions before they cause problems.

Those heading towards AI are also interested in the cost structure of deployment. Without adequate risk and data management, AI solutions can be costly, and the benefits do not match the investment. Artificial intelligence technologies are developing rapidly, and companies should be prepared for long-term and repeated renewal related to the use of artificial intelligence and investments.

Artificial intelligence brings significant opportunities, but its utilisation requires sufficient expertise and a reliable partner. Contact us to discuss how Enfo could support the safe deployment of AI and maximize its benefits!

Enfo is constantly developing its services as the market changes and technology advances. Above all, Enfo wants to provide customers with services that meet their needs. We interviewed Jussi Piipponen, Lead Consultant, Offering Development, responsible for service development at Enfo, who explains how service development is done and what is currently on the surface in IT services.

Could you tell us what is the importance of service development for Enfo? Why is it done?

“Service development at Enfo is primarily done to develop and update the customer value of our service portfolio, so that it is relevant to customers both today and in the future. Of course, our services must be appropriate to the market, i.e. they must bring value to our customers, without forgetting the profitability of our own operations. Technological and service developments have not slowed down, quite the contrary – that is why we must be ready to transform, and to develop at a fast pace.

We closely monitor market and technology trends, along with the feedback we receive from our customers, and align these insight to customer needs. As a result, our service development roadmap includes many development themes based on the needs expressed by our customers. Through process-driven service development, we have a standardized way of managing the design work and the release of services to our customers.”

How does Enfo implement IT service development in practice?

“Our services are divided into technology groups: IT Management, End-user, Cloud, Platform, Network and Security services. Within each group, each service has its own service owner who is responsible for the development of the individual services. We gather signals from the technology market and customers through our own idea management process: ideas are centrally collected and evaluated to determine which ones to take forward. Ideas that go forward are added to the service roadmap, which allows us to communicate what we are working on to existing customers. Our account managers go through the roadmaps with our customers and also take new ideas for development from them. We take this feedback into account in our service development, both for new developments and for existing products.”

What would you highlight about Enfo’s service development for 2024?

“Last year was strongly security-focused, but of course, AI was also present in service development. For example, a security awareness service was released from our service design, allowing us to train our customers to identify phishing attacks via email. As part of such an implementation, we can also investigate how employees react to simulated phishing attempts. The results are analyzed, and further training needs can be adjusted accordingly. For example in the field of AI, we launched a service in 2024, that includes Microsoft Copilot, with a strong focus on security. While AI brings a lot of potential, it must be possible to use it in a secure way.” 

“Enfo produces dozens of service publications every year”

Jussi Piipponen – Lead Consultant, Offering Development

With the year already well underway, what’s on the surface in Enfo’s service development right now?

“The use of artificial intelligence and information security will play a significant role in our service development also now in 2025. As one example, the European Union is increasingly publishing regulations that must be taken into account when planning the offering. For example, the new NIS2 – European Union Cybersecurity Directive aims to strengthen both the common EU and the national level of cybersecurity in certain critical sectors. In other words, information security-related issues will be regulated more precisely. With this in mind, we have developed an information security survey, which will be published soon, as the national legislation will be completed, which examines customers’ readiness to take the requirements of the directive into account in their own operations.”

What does the future look like, i.e. where are IT service developments and trends heading?

“In technology and service development, the biggest impact is from IT hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Google and AWS. These players have invested billions in product development, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Our expertise in deploying, leveraging and managing these technological platforms in the context of our customers’ business requirements is a key part of our own service development. At the same time, the role of security services is becoming more important as AI brings new types of threats that need to be effectively addressed.

Alongside these, we are also increasing our focus on basic IT services, such as end-user services and hybrid cloud solutions. Managing these environments remains an important area of development for us and there is a clear market demand for these services.”

What about the customer needs – what are they interested in right now?

“Technological trends such as AI, increased security and digital modelling are causing disruption among IT providers, and at the same time impacting customers’ digital business environment. Enterprises’ business relies extensively and pervasively on IT and digitalization. As a result, there can be uncertainty in the air and a need for clear and easy-to-deploy IT solutions. The deep expertise of the service provider is key here. AI is also becoming more and more a part of the everyday life of the ordinary employee and its adoption requires careful planning in both the operational and technical context of the organization. For this reason, Enfo has developed technical and functional deployment support, for a products such as Copilot.

Customers are also constantly looking for cost efficiency, especially for basic IT services. Many organizations have sought to migrate workloads and digital services to the cloud services of large players, only to find that the end result has not been as cost-effective in all respects as originally expected. As a result, cost optimization of cloud environments has become increasingly important. Enfo offers capacity services both in the public cloud and in its own data centers, and the combination of these can be used to build a cost-effective package that best suits the customer’s needs. In addition, Enfo offers comprehensive cloud governance models and tools that enable cloud cost optimization.”

How would you summarize the interface between Enfo and customers in terms of service options?

“For our customers, ensuring business continuity and profitability in a constantly evolving environment is essential. This requires the use of appropriately selected, well-priced services, along with effective risk management tailored to their specific needs. It’s not a bad thing either that cooperation with the service provider is smooth and constantly evolving. Our customers want to succeed in their own market. Ultimately, it is these needs from our customers that we strive to meet in the best possible way.”

Effective cybersecurity supports risk management and stabilizes the business environment for companies and organizations. The security risks are constantly changing, so monitoring the threat landscape is important. For example, before COVID-19 the focus was on monitoring the physical networks in offices, while the subsequent rise of hybrid work has emphasized the importance of identity and endpoint monitoring. For most organizations, a Security Operations Center (SOC) is the easiest way to safeguard systems against even the latest threats and to respond quickly to security anomalies. The SOC service offered by Enfo utilizes advanced technologies and solutions that can be deployed in a short timeframe.

Over the last ten years, SOC has proven to be by far the most effective way to take care of security in companies and organizations. The SOC service focuses on rapid response as well as containing and remediating any malicious activity. SOC monitors the activity in the customer IT environment and gathers data that can be used to identify anomalies or any events that require response.

The strict trio of cybersecurity

Security is not just about installing software, setting up the monitoring targets and then walking away.  Cybersecurity consists of three equally important core components, which are controlled processes, effective tools and skilled experts. The SOC offered by Enfo is a complete package of services that handles each of the three areas:

1. Controlled processes

Even in many medium-sized organizations, security matters are handled by the company IT staff alongside their other duties. However, in security incidents a rapid response is essential. What’s more, security threats or, in the worst cases, direct attacks and serious breaches do not follow office hours. The advantage of Enfo’s around-the-clock security operations center is its constant on-call capability and a rapid response: When the SOC control room receives a signal from the monitoring technology indicating that something undesirable is happening or is about to happen in the customer’s IT environment, the control room takes notice, assesses the situation, and takes immediate action to prevent the threat or risk from escalating. The whole procedure is based on pre-planned, well-thought processes.

A solid understanding of IT environments, technologies and the different risk situations lays the foundation for helping the customer to stop or mitigate threats as soon as possible. In extreme cases, an attack can escalate to a truly damaging level within hours of the initial exploitation. A SOC service that extends the resources of in-house IT is a significant asset in these situations.

2. Effective tools

Many Finnish companies operate in the Microsoft ecosystem, where most or all the end-user computers are Windows workstations. These run the familiar Exchange email and Office suite, while identity management is typically carried out using Active Directory or Entra ID. Microsoft security products used by Enfo, such as Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel, integrate seamlessly to this environment, while having all the tools from a single vendor offers clear synergies.

Microsoft has always had to take security into account in its products, and these days it is challenging its competitors on a broad front – also with solutions directly related to security. Here, the wide-ranging expertise of an experienced standards setter is a clear advantage. However, management is not limited to Windows products, as customer environments typically consist of a mix of different technologies.

3. Skilled experts

Security experts integrate the SOC service into an effective whole by implementing the agreed processes and utilizing tools in a controlled manner. This expertise adds value to the deployment phase as well as to maintenance and response. Implementing a security solution in an IT environment requires know-how to shape the alert policies, settings and configurations into a set of rules that makes anomalous behavior visible in the customer environment. When anomalies occur, the assessment of their severity and the necessary actions to take requires expertise and knowledge. The experts at Enfo also have visibility beyond a single company, allowing them to try and take a broader range of protective measures in response to specific acute threats or risks. This expertise includes continuous monitoring of the general security landscape in terms of incidents, risk types and technological developments. Enfo is a security of supply operator and also bears responsibility through this role among Finnish IT operators.

Security concerns everyone

Security is like so many other things we take for granted: when everything works, we hardly notice it. But when things go wrong, it can get very ugly. This results in both business disruption and costs. However, the level of security maturity varies between companies: some may have almost no visibility into their environment, others may have security products in place but lack the resources and skills to keep situation up to date, while others are well advanced in protecting their operations. Whatever the size of the business, the most essential thing is to keep the core of the business protected from cyber threats. This is why every company should target a sufficient share of its IT budget for security.

With Enfo, security can be brought up to date with a low threshold. One way to get started is to arrange workshops with the customer to map their security needs. At the same time, it is often possible to get products and licenses for a trial period. In this way, the capabilities and concrete benefits of the products can be applied to the everyday life of the customer, while gaining deeper knowledge of any problem areas that may require special attention. Secured by the well-thought-out processes for the necessary target areas, the right tools and skilled experts, the people responsible for security can sleep better at night, despite the world’s turmoil.

The blog is written in collaboration with Marko Kortelainen, Senior Specialist, Security Operations at Enfo. Marko is a security specialist who works on developing, monitoring and maintaining cybersecurity for customers. Cyber threats, observations about preventing them as well as continuous development of skills are part of his daily work.

We measure customer satisfaction regularly to get an overall picture and to support the selection of development priorities. We received great ratings in our customer survey conducted in December 2024: 9 out of 10 customers are willing to recommend Enfo. The responses highlight in particular strong expertise, customer focus and smooth cooperation.

How important a good customer satisfaction is for Enfo’s business? 
We genuinely care about our customers and believe that a good customer experience is a prerequisite for Enfo’s success. Without good customer experience we cannot succeed in our work. We want to hear the thoughts and feedback of our customers so that we can develop our business to even better meet their needs. A high-quality customer experience is one of our strategic success factors, and it is one of our key objectives.

In December, we sent out our half-yearly customer survey, and the results were once again fantastic: 90% of respondents are ready to recommend Enfo as an IT supplier. The survey also measured the overall satisfaction of our customers, which scored 4,05 on a scale of 1 to 5, and was still slightly up from the previous score of 4.03. The results of the customer survey reveal that cooperation works well and we have been successful in helping our customers to achieve their goals.

Customers praise strong expertise and customer-oriented service 

Based on both the survey results and feedback from other interactions, customers consider high quality and versatile expertise to be a particular strength of Enfo. In addition, our customers value our customer focused service, which is reflected, for example, in smooth and pleasant cooperation and a good customer experience. Reliability, which stems from our domestic roots, also plays an important role – especially in the fields related to security of supply. Overall, according to the results, our customers find it pleasant to work with us.

Our values also strongly guide our actions. It is great to see that the things that we value – cooperation, trust, continuous improvement and expertise – are also visible and implemented externally.

In the survey, our customers said the following about working with us in their open comments: 

“Cooperation is very nice and smooth, and it is nice to work with people every day.”

“Actionable and immediate atmosphere. Things run smoothly without unnecessary bureaucracy.”

“A genuine interest in solving matters and a good perception for taking them forward.”

Customer experience remains high year after year – why?

Customer experience is one of Enfo’s strategic success factors. We monitor it with numerous indicators, from the end-user level to the IT decision makers. The theme is regularly presented to all employees from different perspectives and the delivery of a good customer experience is also embedded in our reward system. We deliver continuous managed services to our customers, and it is our job to deliver on our service promises every day, so that our customers can easily choose us now and in the future.

Our service promise is all about achieving the results you want and working with the people you love to work with. As typically in a service business, the customer experience is created together with our customers in everyday IT matters and dialogues related to development. Smooth collaboration is simply more comfortable for us and our customers, and I know that good results inspire our employees to succeed every day. The customer experience also has an impact on the working day experience of our employees and, through this, their well-being at work, which is part of our social responsibility.

How can we continue to improve?

Although the results of the survey are excellent, we take both positive and critical feedback with open attitude. We tackle themes that give us constructive feedback, and the feedback influences the choices and emphases we make in our development work.

Based on the survey, our customers consider proactive cooperation in development important. It is based on the expertise we use to create value for our customers and are committed to keeping our technological expertise at the top level. For basic IT services, we also identify a clear expectation for a smooth flow of service requests, and we monitor this in a multi-dimensional way. Together with our customers, we also produce a lot of service-related information, and information management is one of the themes around which we are looking for opportunities to develop our operations even better.

We believe that by developing the things that are meaningful to our customers, we can also improve our customers’ results. I would like to warmly thank everyone who responded to the survey for their valuable feedback; Here is a good point to continue towards new joint results.