The aim of the reforms is to build a unified, modern and secure digital working environment for staff, supporting smooth collaboration, findability of information and service development. At the same time, Varha will strengthen shared working and information management practices and reduce the challenges caused by fragmented information. In connection with the cloud migration, operating models will be developed for areas including communications, document management, shared workspaces, access rights and information classification.
An AI leap that supports people’s work
For users, the reform represents an AI leap forward: better AI tools will be made available to all staff for planning and organising work, producing information and finding information. In a large organisation, smoother information flows can significantly improve day-to-day work, saving time for what matters most: caring for people.
“The Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland is setting an important example, both nationally and internationally, in transforming work through the use of AI in wellbeing services. At best, secure AI-enabled tools can free up more time for care work, help people find essential information more quickly and reduce costs,” says Risto Kaikkonen, Director of Solita Health. “The changes also make major reforms in ways of working possible. The aim is to deliver the reform with people, not technology, at the forefront, to support care work.”
At Varha, the change is being prepared together with staff. The network of change agents includes more than 400 employees, helping to gather staff views and identify the support needed in everyday work.
The solution takes key information security and data protection requirements into account, including GDPR, NIS2 and the requirements of the Act on the Processing of Client Data in Healthcare and Social Welfare. The use of AI at Varha is being developed responsibly, with emphasis not only on data protection but also on professional judgement and environmental impacts.
Rollout will proceed in phases during 2026–2027
The services will be introduced in stages. First, the technical operating environment will be built and tested, after which pilot users will be brought in, followed by the rest of the organisation. The new services will be introduced during spring 2027.
Following a public procurement process, Solita and Zoi TechCon GmbH were selected as implementation partners for the rollout. In the project, Solita will support the rollout both technically and from a change management perspective. 2M-IT Oy, Varha’s ICT in-house service provider responsible for the procurement, will deliver the tendered Google Workspace productivity tools and Google Cloud environment to Varha as a managed end-to-end service.
The reform is also expected to deliver financial benefits. A fully cloud-based working environment, reduced device dependency and better control of licence costs could generate annual savings of several million euros. In addition, identifying and dismantling dependencies as part of the migration will increase Varha’s freedom of choice in the future.
Further information
- Varha, Laura Saurama, Director of Group Services, +358 40 632 9901, [email protected]
- Varha, Arto Lehtokari, CIO, +358 50 412 9311, [email protected]
- Solita, Risto Kaikkonen, Director, Solita Health, +358 41 5 368 745, [email protected]
- Solita, Petja Venäläinen, Director, Solita Cloud Platforms, +358 40 581 5666, [email protected]
- 2M-IT, Jari Nevalainen, Managing Director, +358 50 383 9455, [email protected]
- 2M-IT, Juha Seppänen, Programme Director, +358 50 471 4869, [email protected]