SDIS 40 in figures:
- 400 professional firefighters
- 1600 volunteer firefighters
SDIS 40 needs:
- Large influx and outflow of volunteer firefighters
- The need for users to be able to manage their logins independently, due to shifting working hours
Integrating our business applications with Youzer in just one month? Impossible!
Philippe Arnould (IT Director) and Romain Dejean (IT Project Manager) at SDIS des Landes.
What was the initial problem?
An organizational challenge
We needed to optimize the working time of the people in the IT department. We were losing time with arrivals and departures. Before Youzer, when someone arrived, we knew it 15 days later, and when someone left, we knew it 5 years later. What's more, it was always in the databases.
At the same time, for the department welcoming the new firefighter, it was very frustrating not to be able to provide anything. You had to make 10 phone calls to get all the information.
- We needed a tool to automate access, using our HRIS as a source of information on who arrives and who leaves.
- We had to optimize IT resources and ensure that users were satisfied with their access to the information system.
- We needed a tool that would act as a link with the HR department.
Great fluctuation
We have a fixed base (administrative staff and permanent firefighters) that moves very little, and we have 1,600 volunteer firefighters whose arrivals and departures are very frequent. We have around 10 to 30 new arrivals every month. For the IT department, it's very time-consuming, and what's worse, we were dissatisfied with the people arriving.
A quest for user satisfaction
What's more, with the RGPD we no longer wanted to take recruits' personal emails to send them items.
Admittedly, there was a tightening of security and user rights, but that wasn't what motivated us in our search for solutions: we wanted to satisfy users when there were changes in their service.
There was a great deal of frustration among new arrivals and a huge loss of work time in the departments.
I still don't have my e-mail address!
A newcomer
Youzer will enable us to evolve towards their endowment: training software (self-service, enabling them to manage their training), intranet access. We're working on these resource packages for each user profile.
How was the solution chosen?
We began our search without really knowing that there was a precise name for this type of solution. We came across the term IAM (identity and access management) several times, and realized that this was what we needed.
We found a few solutions that were very expensive, cumbersome and time-consuming to deploy. Then we discovered Youzer. It was a French solution that promised a lot at a very attractive price.
We had very clear doubts about the feasibility of our request, as Youzer promised us implementation in just one month, even though they didn't have the connector for our HR solution (Cegid).
I said to myself, they're going to break their teeth, they're not going to make it.
Philippe Arnould (CIO)
The people in our team are sharp and have a lot to say. They really hit it off with their Youzer contact, so we gave Youzer a try and set up the desired connector.
The launch of Youzer at SDIS des Landes
What was really great was that the project was concrete, with things moving forward and being validated at each milestone.
Youzer's people are very good at what they do, they're insightful and sharp, and their prices are unbeatable. In just a few months, they showed that they could develop very quickly and that they were extremely responsive.
It's really nice to have hyper-technical people to talk to: it gives you that feeling of moving forward and having something to say. Conversations are fluid.
In big companies, you have to deal with sales people who tell you that anything is possible, always.
When we say it's possible, it's really possible.
Philippe Arnould (CIO)
We set up our software trio: AD, Exchange and Cegid. This enabled us to automate account creation and suspension.
Youzer in everyday life
4 people are administrator members on our Youzer instance, but one person really uses it on a daily basis for account creations and suspensions. Sometimes another person works on it for the HR database.
Is the interface easy to use?
It's a pleasure to use on a daily basis, and very intuitive. What's more, there's a great deal of communication about new features. The platform evolves in line with customer requests, which benefits everyone. We also have a space for getting answers quickly, which is really effective.
I could easily delegate, because once set up, use is extremely fluid.
Romain Dejean (IT project manager)
What are your favorite features, and which ones are missing?
What we like is the generation of packages for the creation of accounts for newcomers. What was missing was work on correspondence tables, and you've implemented it! As soon as we have needs, we send them to you and you implement them very often, so we're really satisfied.
What have you been able to improve at SDIS with our solution?
We used to handle 20 incoming users in 2.5 hours; today, in 1 hour, it's all over. We've more than halved the number of accounts we create.
There's more rigor in the creation of users, and we no longer have any errors. This is also reflected in the management of our user database.
We no longer have active units with users who have left. Every month, cleaning up is quick and easy: "We've cleaned up, and it's very beneficial".
We can't really quantify the time saved over a year, because in the departments that receive new recruits, the time saved being operational is invaluable.
We won on another point, that of licenses. We have license packages for 2,000 users. Today, we're no longer swamped with problems of 'excess' licenses for users who have left. We almost have the right number of licenses allocated.
We've also set up a system for sending login details by SMS, which saves us a lot of time instead of sending letters.
What's next for Youzer?
Recruits don't need a lot of software, but as they're volunteer firefighters, the most important thing is to have an e-mail address. The AD unit will enable them to connect to business software at a later date and have an e-mail address.
- Youzer will enable us to move towards their endowment: training software (self-service) and intranet access. We're working on these packages. We will then develop new connectors.
- We're also working on user profiles. Youzer will enable us to create profiles automatically and apply them to the business.
- We're implementing a password reset system, as this will enable greater autonomy on the part of volunteer firefighters, who log on mainly in the evenings. It will also save IT time. It will also increase user satisfaction.
Would you recommend Youzer?
Identity management is a real problem for local authorities. Youzer evolves really well and very quickly, with a cost that defies all competition and an immediate response to expectations. The work done for SDIS 40 is valid for many entities with similar configurations.
