With over 7,200 employees in 33 countries, Elkem needed systematic visualisation and allocation of licence costs. With Otheo, the company has gained a better overview, reduced manual work and increased confidence in its own data and cost allocation internally.
From Excel to an integrated platform
By using Otheo, Elkem has gained a structured and dynamic system for licence management. Licence data is integrated directly into the platform and automatically retrieved from internal systems, giving everyone involved access to up-to-date and reliable figures.
«We needed a better overview, control and simpler cost allocation at both location and department level.», says Marianne Nygårdsæter, Global Service Manager, Elkem.
Where previously hours were spent on manual reporting, Elkem can now retrieve overviews in minutes - with confidence that the data is correct.
Global complexity demanded a better overview
Elkem is a global industrial group with headquarters in Oslo and large IT environments in both Oslo and Kristiansand, as well as internationally. The centralised IT structure handles licences and IT costs across 33 countries and 70 companies - a task that previously required significant manual work.
Licence optimisation was previously based on quarterly Excel reports from consultancies, which provided limited insight and a high risk of errors. With Otheo's inbuilt consultancy, Elkem gets this insight on an ongoing and quality-assured basis.
«We now spend far less time on reporting, and the quality of the data is significantly better. The process has simply become more transparent and professional.» Claire Førland, Infrastructure & Operations Director, Elkem.
Increased trust and calm in the organisation
Elkem has established a fixed process for licence review and «freeze» in June, which has given both IT and the business side a calmer dialogue around licence control.
Less noise and fewer discussions have led to increased confidence in both data and process.
«The dynamic user interface makes it easy for local IT contacts, including HR and Finance, to conduct reviews without the need for administrator rights. Nobody questions the facts anymore - everything is retrieved directly from our systems. It has given us a communication interface in Elkem that has created trust across all units.» Claire explains.
Ready for further scaling
After good experiences with the current licence overview, Elkem is planning to expand the use of the platform and include more of their licence-based systems. The goal is to get even better control, better overview of licence allocation, reduce manual errors and lay the foundation for more automation in the future.
The partnership between Elkem and Otheo is characterised by ongoing dialogue, adaptation and joint development. With its openness and dialogue about needs, Elkem has also contributed to the further development of functions in the platform - which has resulted in a product in continuous development for the benefit of both parties.
«We experience the co-operation as professional and solution-oriented. Otheo has been good at listening and adapting to our needs.» Claire says.
Recommend the solution further
Elkem sees great potential for more companies to benefit from the same approach.
«Otheo is probably particularly suitable for organisations with many locations and complex structures. It provides an overview and security that is difficult to achieve with manual processes. However, smaller organisations that don't have large IT departments will of course also benefit from control over licence management.» Marianne concludes.
For Elkem, Otheo has become a key tool for ensuring data quality, efficiency, clarifying cost allocation and professional management of IT licences - a good example of how technology can create value in large, international organisations.
Values created with Otheo:
- Reduced manual labour and risk of errors
- Better data quality
- Full transparency of IT costs across countries and units.
- Increased trust and easier internal dialogue
- Better ownership in the business units, which can now monitor their own consumption.
- Reduced administrative time for IT and finance.
Backe has had a clear goal: better overview and control of IT and licence costs. With the help of Otheo and internal measures, the company has significantly reduced its Microsoft licence costs.
«We must have full control of cost allocation and invoicing down to each individual company» Gunilla Stussi, IT Manager and responsible for licence management at Backe.
IT as an innovation driver
Backe is one of the country's largest property and construction companies, and IT is seen as a strategic resource for development, not just operations in the company. Three quarters of the IT department's time is now spent on development and digital innovation, while routine tasks are largely outsourced.
«We're constantly working to free up funds - such as by saving hundreds of thousands on licences - so that we can invest in new digital solutions»
The aim is to visualise both costs and value creation at individual and project level.
At the same time, automation is now used to remove licences automatically in the event of inactivity, without manual follow-up. This saves a lot of time and gives Backe the confidence to make quick decisions without losing the overview.
Ease of use and better decisions
Gunilla emphasises the user-friendliness of Otheo as a key factor.
«The fact that we can easily export data to Excel means that we can combine the figures with other data sources, such as PC prices and software usage. This provides a much better basis for decision-making.»
The solution makes it easy to check invoice data from suppliers and identify costs that can be reduced.
She also appreciates the close follow-up from the Adite team behind Otheo:
«The ongoing dialogue means that we actually implement the measures - not just plan them.».
A must for medium and large IT departments
She believes that the solution is a «must» for anyone responsible for Microsoft licences, and especially for medium-sized and large IT departments:
«Otheo provides much better control than expensive consultancy services that charge for your savings»
With a data-driven approach and a clear financial focus, Backe has established a model for how IT departments can be both cost-effective and innovative - at the same time.
Summarised
- Automatic licence removal in case of inactivity
- Major time and cost savings
- 75 % of IT time can be spent on development rather than operations
- Better decision making with easy data sharing
- Better cost management down to department, project and individual level
- Close collaboration with Otheo on further development and integrations
From telecoms procurement to end-to-end digital control
When the collaboration between Ecura and Adite began five years ago, Ecura was in the midst of strong growth, major organisational changes and an increasingly complex digital world. What was initially a specific need in telecoms procurement has since evolved into a comprehensive partnership. Today, Adite acts as a natural sparring partner across technology, operations and strategic decisions - on everything from telecoms and switchboard solutions to licence management, insight and automation through Otheo.
The goal has always been the same: better structure, quicker and safer decisions, and a simpler everyday life for Ecura's IT department.
«What we appreciate most about Adite is that they are always at the forefront and know the market better than we do. They provide up-to-date insights, concrete recommendations and clear decision support. This allows us to make the right choices faster - and with confidence.»
— Jan Haslev, IT Operations Manager at Ecura
From project to collaboration: Structure in a complex everyday life
The collaboration started at a time when Ecura was growing rapidly and needed better control over the telecoms area. With a small but ambitious IT department, Adite was brought in as an independent consultant responsible for the structure, procurement and optimisation of telecom solutions and agreements.
Through several rounds of negotiations and technical assessments, Adite helped to secure:
- competitive agreements
- the right fit for Ecura's different user groups and needs
- solutions that make everyday life easier for both administrators and end users
This laid the foundation for a collaboration that quickly grew beyond individual projects.
A partnership in motion: Sparring partner in day-to-day operations
Gradually, Adite became not just an advisor, but a permanent sparring partner in Ecura's everyday digital life. The role developed naturally from project support to becoming part of Ecura's decision-making apparatus within telephony.
In practice, this has meant:
- ongoing counselling during contract periods
- support in questions about how the organisation organises contact points for users
- sparring on the flow of the switchboard solution across the group
Adite delivers ready-made assessments, analyses and decision-making documentation - which means that Ecura's IT department does not have to spend time on extensive preparatory work. By combining technical insight with commercial understanding, Ecura can prioritise correctly without spending unnecessary time.
The result is a partnership where Ecura can rely on expertise and where Adite acts as an extension of the IT department.
Licence management in a new way: Insight and automation with Otheo
In 2025, the collaboration took a new step when Ecura implemented Otheo - Adite's SaaS solution for licence and cost control. Software costs have grown dramatically in recent years, and the need for insight and control has become increasingly apparent.
Otheo performs automated actions on an ongoing basis - often hundreds of licence events a month - that would be very time-consuming to handle manually.
With Otheo, Ecura gets:
- a comprehensive overview of licences, usage patterns and costs
- Automatic flagging of misallocation, inactive licences and over-licensing
- Data-driven decision support that makes it easier to optimise
- Automated processes that relieve the IT department and reduce risk
With automation, licence management is no longer a cumbersome, manual task - but a continuous, data-driven process that provides both control and savings.
«Otheo was a natural extension of our collaboration. Adite helps us to maintain control, reduce costs and simplify our daily work internally. The system provides a good overview and is easy to use - just as we know Adite.»
— Jan Haslev, IT Operations Manager at Ecura
A partnership that creates value - every single day
As Ecura has grown and changed, the partnership with Adite has evolved at the same pace - from individual projects to holistic digital support. The result is a partnership where:
- Adite provides structure, insight and decision support
- Otheo provides automation, overview and cost control
- Ecura gets more time and capacity for what matters most - quality health and care services
Throughout the journey, the principle has been the same: to combine operational relief with strategic insight.
The way forward
With Otheo as the engine for data-driven licence management and Adite as a strategic sparring partner, Ecura is well equipped to meet new requirements in welfare technology, digital collaboration and cost control - and to navigate technological and organisational changes in the years to come.
In this process, Adite has contributed with the following:
- Purchase of telephony/mobile for the company with significant savings achieved.
- Support in the renegotiation of IT services for the company with a significant saving achieved.
- Support in developing a digital strategy for the Lillakerbyen project.
Adite has helped us structure the process of developing a strategy for Lilleakerbyen, which will have approximately 10-12,000 regular users and many millions of visitors. We have divided the work into several phases and are now in phase 3. So far, we have benefited greatly from Adite's expertise in this work - the knowledge Adite possesses is normally found in the supply chain, and we as the customer do not have this knowledge.
Arnstein Stamnes,
Director of Property Operations at Mustad Eiendom
We would like to thank Mustad Eiendom for their trust and co-operation!
Who
Nobina is a publicly listed group that operates throughout the Nordic region. It is the largest public transport company in this region. In Norway, it employs around 1,400 people with a fleet of nearly 400 buses. Adite has had the pleasure of helping Nobina Norway carry out a tendering process for telephony. Through an efficient procurement process, we ensured that Nobina ended up with a customised technical solution at the best possible price.
What
Nobina's telephony solution encompassed several suppliers across the Group, and the IOT solution at the time was only available on a selection of buses. The IOT solution consisted of SIM cards placed in the buses to control the flow of information to timetables, real-time tables, communication to core systems, etc. In addition to the IOT solution for buses, they also had a mobile solution for employees with around 150 subscriptions. Nobina was satisfied with the current suppliers, but at the same time wanted the agreement to be as favourable as possible, both in terms of technical solutions and price. Through its collaboration with Adite, Nobina was able to quality-assure the agreement with its existing suppliers. Our role as advisors consisted of examining the agreement's technical solutions and identifying the potential for streamlining them.
Process
Together with Nobina, Adite carried out a thorough analysis of the service products they had with their current supplier. By mapping what Nobina used the existing services for and what functions they were missing, we were able to get a good picture of their needs and requirements for suppliers. In Nobina's case, there were no requirements as to what coverage the suppliers should deliver, which meant that we were able to go broadly into the market. We then initiated a tendering process.
After receiving offers from four suppliers, Adite agreed with Nobina to split the tender into two: telephone subscription and switchboard solution in one tender process, and the IOT solution in another.
Nobina had previously carried out a major changeover of the IOT solution, where all the buses went from having their own dedicated subscription to having a shared data pool. Replacing these SIM cards again would be a major changeover as the buses are numerous and in constant motion. The tendering process was therefore split in two. In this way, Adite ensured that all suppliers who can deliver well in one area were not excluded from the process due to shortcomings in the other.
To ensure the best possible outcome, we decided together with Nobina to split the tender into two parts - the telephone subscription and switchboard solution in one, and the IOT solution in another.
Results
By splitting the tender in two, Nobina received several good offers for both the pure mobile solution and the IOT solution. They gained a good overview of the prices offered by the various suppliers and the advantages and disadvantages of each one. By working with Adite, Nobina was able to make a qualified choice of supplier based on a thorough review of the alternatives in the market.
Like 60% of our customers, Nobina chose to stay with their current supplier. The difference is that today they benefit from an even better agreement that is tailored to their needs; technically, financially and legally. All in all, the collaboration with Nobina was a success, and the customer is left satisfied with a solid agreement.
Adite is proud to have assisted yet another company with an orderly tender process and thanks Nobina for their trust!
Communication is an essential aspect of their work, so it's important that FJUZ's phone solution is flawless so that employees can reach each other and their customers at all times.
Adite's customers have different needs, and for FJUZ this need was to phase out old IP telephony and move to a pure mobile solution.
When we started the process, Fjuz had a mix of desk phones and mobile phones. It eventually became cumbersome to operate two systems and the choice fell on a pure mobile solution.
For a customer who has been with the same supplier for many years, there was uncertainty about the choice of technology and solution and who could deliver the service they needed.
There are a lot of things to think about, and we're happy to have a partner. It would have been a steep learning curve if we had chosen to run such a process alone.
Jan Thore Nalum - Head of production and design at FJUZ
Adite carried out a needs clarification as well as financial and consumption analyses before we launched the tender competition. The aim of the process was, as mentioned, to modernise the telephony solution while at the same time providing a well-functioning and intuitive mobile switchboard. These requirements meant that several suppliers participated in the tender competition.
The customer chose to switch supplierand switch to Nortel as their new mobile provider. Despite having used a reseller for the past few years, today FJUZ can be satisfied with a financial savings of over 53% at the same time as they have a more modern and seamless communication solution. Adite took care of the switching job which resulted in minimal downtime and coordination on FJUZ's part.
The good result gave FJUZ a taste for more, and they realised the value of having a 100% supplier-independent third party to manage the agreement. Adite has therefore taken on this responsibility, and we make sure that the deal is always as good as it can beand ensures that subscriptions have what they need at all times.
"I'm very satisfied with the co-operation. It's safe and easy to use you instead of communicating directly with the big companies.
Mari Lundeberg - Administrative Manager at FJUZ
Adite would like to thank you for your trust, and we look forward to the road ahead and our continued co-operation.
