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Leading Dutch Energy Corporation
Client
A major energy company in the Netherlands, plays a critical role in the Dutch energy infrastructure, responsible for the distribution of electricity and gas to millions of households and businesses across several provinces. As part of the ongoing digital transformation in the energy sector, the company embarked on a journey to modernize its IT infrastructure and leverage cloud technologies to enhance operational efficiency, improve service delivery and support the transition to sustainable energy solutions.
The company’s operations require robust, secure and scalable IT systems to manage the complex energy grid, handle customer data, support field operations and facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources. With increasing demands for real-time data processing, advanced analytics and improved customer interfaces and it needed a modern cloud foundation that could support both current needs and future innovations in the rapidly evolving energy landscape.
As the energy sector faces growing regulatory requirements, cybersecurity challenges and the need for cost optimization, the company required a structured approach to cloud adoption that would balance innovation with governance, security and financial control.
Challenges
Prior to the implementation of a comprehensive cloud strategy, they encountered several significant challenges:
- Lack of Cost Transparency: Cloud spending was difficult to track and attribute to specific projects or departments, resulting in unpredictable costs and budget overruns. Management lacked visibility into resource utilization and spending patterns.
- Inconsistent Cloud Environments: The absence of standardized cloud deployment models led to inconsistent security configurations, operational inefficiencies and governance challenges across different projects and teams.
- Security and Compliance Gaps: Without a unified security framework for cloud resources, the organization faced challenges in ensuring consistent security controls and demonstrating compliance with industry regulations and internal policies.
- Limited Cloud Expertise: Teams across the organization had varying levels of cloud knowledge, creating bottlenecks in adoption and implementation of best practices.
- Inefficient Resource Provisioning: Manual processes for provisioning cloud resources and environments resulted in delays, inconsistencies and inefficient use of both technical resources and staff time.
- Container Management Complexity: As container adoption increased, the company struggled with managing containerized workloads efficiently across different environments and ensuring proper security, scalability and operational practices.
These challenges hindered the company’s ability to fully leverage cloud technologies for business innovation while maintaining control over costs, security and operational efficiency.

Our Solutions
To address these challenges, a comprehensive cloud transformation strategy was implemented with several key components:
- Cost Control and Visibility Framework: Implemented robust cost management tools and processes that provided detailed visibility into cloud spending across all platforms. This included tagging strategies, budget alerts and regular cost optimization reviews, enabling management and teams to track and control expenditures effectively.
- Collaborative Requirements Gathering: Conducted structured workshops with stakeholders across the organization to align visions, define requirements and create a shared understanding of cloud objectives and principles. This collaborative approach ensured that the cloud strategy addressed actual business needs.
- Knowledge Transfer and Capability Building: Organized comprehensive training programs on cloud platforms and software engineering principles for both internal teams and external partners. This upskilling initiative accelerated cloud adoption and promoted consistent implementation of best practices.
- AWS Landing Zone Implementation: Established a robust AWS Landing Zone in 2019, creating a foundation for secure, compliant and efficient cloud operations. This included standardized account structures, security controls, networking configurations and governance mechanisms.
- Multi-Cloud Management Platform: Developed a unified platform for efficient provisioning and management of resources across AWS and Azure environments, including automated firewall configurations and security policies.
- Automated Security Monitoring: Implemented comprehensive security monitoring and automated incident response capabilities, ensuring rapid detection and remediation of potential security issues across all cloud environments.
- Container Orchestration Strategy: Set up multi-tenancy Kubernetes clusters for shared services alongside dedicated clusters for specific workloads, providing scalability and isolation where needed. Facilitated the migration from Amazon ECS to Kubernetes, standardizing container management across the organization.
The implementation approach emphasized collaboration, knowledge sharing and the establishment of sustainable processes that would continue to deliver value as the organization’s cloud usage evolved.
The Results
The implementation of these cloud transformation initiatives delivered significant benefits:
- Optimized Cloud Spending: The cost control measures provided unprecedented visibility into cloud expenditures, enabling targeted optimization efforts that reduced unnecessary spending while ensuring adequate resources for critical workloads.
- Accelerated Provisioning: The standardized cloud foundation reduced the time to provision new environments from weeks to hours, enabling faster project initiation and reducing time-to-market for new capabilities.
- Enhanced Security Posture: Automated security monitoring and standardized controls significantly improved the organization’s security posture, reducing vulnerabilities and simplifying compliance with industry regulations.
- Improved Governance: The structured approach to cloud management established clear accountability, consistent policies and transparent processes across all cloud environments.
- Increased Cloud Competency: The training and knowledge transfer initiatives created a more cloud-capable workforce, reducing dependency on external expertise and enabling teams to innovate more effectively.
- Standardized Container Platform: The Kubernetes implementation provided a consistent, scalable platform for containerized applications, improving reliability and reducing operational overhead.
- Business Agility: The modernized cloud foundation enabled them to respond more quickly to changing business requirements, particularly in supporting the transition to renewable energy sources and smart grid technologies.
- Reduced Operational Overhead: Automation of routine tasks and standardization of environments reduced the manual effort required for infrastructure management, allowing IT staff to focus on higher-value activities.
These improvements positioned them to leverage cloud technologies more effectively in its mission to provide reliable, sustainable energy services while maintaining operational efficiency and cost control. The cloud transformation supported the company’s broader digital strategy and its role in the evolving energy landscape of the Netherlands.