Elkem improves licence control and data quality with Otheo

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 trust in the data and cost allocation internally.

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.

Elkem is a global industrial group with headquarters in Oslo and large IT departments in both Oslo and Kristiansand, as well as internationally. The centralised IT department manages 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 external consultants, which provided limited insight and a high risk of errors. With Otheo's built-in consultancy, Elkem has access to quality-assured insight directly in the platform.

«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.

Elkem has established a process for licence review with a «freeze» in June, which has given both IT and the business side a calmer dialogue around licence control.

Less friction 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 in Elkem that has created trust across all units.» Claire explains.

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 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.

Elkem sees great potential for other 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.