ALMA is a versatile and flexible information system usable to replace a number of isolated and obsolete systems in an organisation. In the course of change processes, ALMA ensures efficient operation of the organisation, because it is easy to update 24/7.
A scalable, responsive information system is indispensable in our ever-changing world. The environment outside the organisations and the competitive situation are constantly changing, but a lot also takes place inside an organisation: New products and services are being launched, people change jobs within the organisation and new employees are being recruited.
Many of our customer projects have constituted in replacement of several different and partly outdated information systems with a single functional system. After system update, all functions important for operation can be found under the same user interface. Real time data are at the disposal of all who need them – anywhere, anytime. Even though the environment around the organisation changes constantly and inevitably, at best, new data are uploaded to the system in real time, states Janne Mäkinen, Lead Project Manager at Vitec ALMA.
Mäkinen, who played football in his spare time as a playmaker, is also a playmaker at Vitec ALMA. Today, he is responsible for the company’s customer projects and the related team activities. With the exception of a few short “strays”, Mäkinen has been working with ALMA ever since 1997.
Data management and the related issues have always fascinated Mäkinen. Vitec ALMA is a pioneer in data management, and the company’s customers have noticed this as well. For Mäkinen, the possibility to contribute to ongoing development of the system has been important. Finding solutions for the customers’ problems and operations development have always been an important part of Mäkinen’s workdays.
With the help of ALMA, many different software products and their functions can be combined under the same system. We have developed numerous harmonised and standardised solution models, based on which we can offer speedy project implementation to our customers. We need not reinvent the wheel time and again, since we have experience with various software and their interfaces, Mäkinen points out.
This greatly accelerates introduction of software, which is a major advantages for the customer.
In more complicated systems, changes often require customisation as well. We have a lot of skilful personnel for this, Mäkinen reminds.
The COVID era has stressed the importance of software solutions used by companies. It must be possible to keep things running even without physical interaction. In practice, the effectiveness of ALMA has been evident in that all data important for operations have been available to customers, regardless of location. It has been fairly quiet even at Vitec ALMA’s own office, since our employees have been busy with solving the customers’ problems and developing better solutions at their home offices.
Among the greatest benefits of ALMA are ease of use and scalability. The ease of use encourages adoption of the new system by people in these times of change. Scalability makes the system suitable for many kinds of organisations and enables growth and addition of further features in the future, Mäkinen says.
Text: Kai Tarkka
Picture: Janne Mäkinen