Transavia outsources its entire IT infrastructure to Cegeka

Is it smart to put all your eggs in one basket? Dutch low-cost airline Transavia wondered if it was a good idea to outsource its entire IT infrastructure to Cegeka, as they were also managing its workplace IT infrastructure. Yet, the results of the comprehensive bid process and positive past experiences all pointed in the direction of Cegeka.T he new 5-year partnership proved that it was the right choice.

24/7 continuity at a lower cost

Transavia, which is parented by AirFrance KLM, has been taking passengers to Europe’s most popular holiday destinations for over 50 years. To provide these customers with the best possible travel experiences, Transavia invests big in digital transformation. The IT team available to support Transavia’s ambition to become ‘Europe’s leading ‘digital airline’, however, is relatively small, while the company keeps growing. Outsourcing seemed like the ideal solution.

“By relying on an expert partner to support and maintain our IT infrastructure, we wanted to guarantee 24/7 continuity and reduce operational costs,” says Michel van Hout, Transavia’s CIO. “At the same time, we’d have an extra partner on our side to guide us on our journey to digital transformation.”

Best value for money

Transavia launched a tender according to the best value procurement (BVP) method. Michel: “We specified the project scope, our main business objectives and the maximum budget, expecting a ‘best value for money’ proposal from the competing suppliers.” The original list of 21 IT service providers quickly shrunk to a shortlist of three. Cegeka came out on top in every respect.

“I was hesitant at first to select Cegeka,” Michel admits, “as they had designed our entire workplace infrastructure in 2016, which they are now managing too. At the time, we had chosen Cegeka for the know-how, experience and cultural fit. And rightly so; mid-sized just like our company, Cegeka appeared to be a very knowledgeable, friendly and flexible partner. They’re very goal-oriented and cost-conscious too, which is key for a low-cost carrier like Transavia. While I was cautious about putting all our eggs in one basket, it was clear that Cegeka would offer the best value for money.”

Fresh, new ideas

In the process of shaping the collaboration and infrastructure platform, Cegeka came up with innovative ideas, which Transavia enthusiastically embraced: “The BVP procurement method forced us to describe our need, without specifying how they should be achieved. That was, I admit, not easy for us, as IT people typically think in terms of applications and technology instead of outcomes. It was a great approach though. Long experience enabled Cegeka to come up with fresh, new ideas that we would have never thought of ourselves.”

Today, Cegeka has full responsibility for Transavia’s IT infrastructure, which is housed in a hybrid cloud environment (a private cloud and a shared cloud), combined with public cloud services. In addition, Cegeka manages the 100+ applications that Transavia runs.

Agile, flexible and future-oriented

“This outsourcing project is pivotal in our strategy to become Europe’s leading digital airline. To provide our customers with ever-better digital services, we have to be agile and flexible. So, our technology platform has to quickly adapt to changing needs. Cegeka understands that, so they’ve designed an innovative, future-proof infrastructure based on proven technology. More than being a mere IT supplier, they are also happy to think along with us.” In other words, Transavia’s baseline ‘It’s a pleasure’ perfectly describes the collaboration between Cegeka and Transavia.