Workrate Boosts Scalability and Security on AWS with Managed Services Provider SoftwareOne

Workrate, a data center premises security operator, worked with AWS Partner SoftwareOne and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to transform its internal and external software systems and lay the foundations for future growth. Using AWS, Workrate has greatly improved scalability across its 190 customer locations, giving it the technological capacity to support a 20 percent year-on-year growth rate. Compared to its previous on-premises systems, Workrate has also improved its availability and uptime, and has more predictable costs.

Workrate is a data center security company, protecting the physical, on-site security of data centers around the clock, 24/7. It ensures that access to data center premises is carefully controlled. Workrate’s 2,000 employees control and monitor door access and front desk functions, such as booking in approved guests and giving access to engineering staff. Data centers are highly sensitive infrastructures and require tight on-site security. Access is controlled by security systems, such as swipe cards, and front desk security staff log all activity using Workrate’s software, called Workstate.

This system is a daily activity reporting tool that combines several features into one. It lets security employees log and view daily security checklists and tasks, allows staff to check in shipments, provides a complete company directory, and gives staff access to the customer’s list of approved guests (such as engineers). Workrate also operates an internal system, Workmate, which runs HR, payroll, finance, sales, and the company staff roster.

Workrate originally made its move to digital operational tools to improve its efficiency and capacity. “We were founded in 2003 with just three people,” says founder and chief operating officer Eelco Wiertsema. “At first, we only looked after a few customer locations, so we could manage with basic tools, like Microsoft Excel, for day-to-day work. But we soon grew and needed dedicated software solutions for both Workstate and Workmate.”

After the company built its systems in-house, it hosted both on premises. Workrate grew rapidly, going from €5 million in revenue in 2008 to a predicted €100 million in 2023, and servicing nearly 200 customer locations. In 2020, the company decided to migrate its on-premises system to the cloud using AWS.

The company wanted to focus on its core business of security. It realized it needed a technical managed services partner to help it run its AWS environment on a day-to-day basis. Workrate engaged with AWS Partner SoftwareOne, a global provider of end-to-end software and cloud technology solutions. “SoftwareOne was recommended to us by a number of contacts,” says Jonas Hoving, Workrate’s software development lead. “They understand our business and are experts in AWS.”

Working with SoftwareOne and AWS has brought Workrate several major benefits. Using Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS)—a collection of managed services that makes it simple to set up, operate, and scale databases in the cloud—it now has the capacity and scalability to take on more clients and expand into new geographies. It also has a more reliable service compared to its previous on-premises infrastructure.

Workrate and SoftwareOne also use Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), which is critical to Workrate’s operations, enabling containerized services that help it run secure operations for multiple clients simultaneously, and Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), an object storage service offering industry-leading scalability, data availability, security, and performance.

Regular stand-up meetings between Workrate and SoftwareOne mean that everyone is working toward the same goal. “We ensure communication is regular and clear,” says Angelo de Bruin, SoftwareOne’s AWS services sales executive. “Workrate’s expectations are understandably high, and we’re delivering the support and services they need to succeed.”

SoftwareOne, an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner with AWS Managed Services Provider designation, manages all aspects of Workrate’s AWS environment, giving Workrate more time to focus on its core business tasks. “We want to run a security business, not a server business,” says Wiertsema.

Workrate’s AWS environment now complies with AWS security standards and best practices—this helps Workrate attract new customers. “Our customers are reassured that we use AWS,” says Wiertsema. “It helps build trust and belief in our security compliance, and it makes auditing easier.” Another benefit for Workrate is the predictability of costs. Keeping control of costs is important as the company expands.

Together, SoftwareOne and AWS are delivering a technology platform that Workrate can believe in. “SoftwareOne has been very responsive,” says Hoving. “We’ve got the rapid support we need. Between them, SoftwareOne and AWS always have the answer.”

Service reliability has also improved, a key service pillar for Workrate. “We run a 24/7 business, so our customers notice when a service goes down,” Hoving adds. “But since moving to AWS and SoftwareOne, we’ve had almost zero downtime.”