Optinova and SoftwareOne build a path to cybersecurity maturity

Safeguarding vital global manufacturing infrastructure

Based in Åland, an island group between Finland and Sweden, Optinova is a global leader producing advanced tubing for industrial and medical sectors. The company manufactures a wide range of components across multiple treatment areas, making its operations vital to healthcare systems worldwide.

Group IT Manager Maria Sommarström views her role as much more than simply managing technical infrastructure; she regards it as a vital societal safeguard. "For me, security is very fulfilling,” she says. “I feel I am safeguarding Optinova itself and therefore also protecting our medical tubing that is so important for our society and the health of people all around the world.”

Optinova operates a compact but versatile IT organization. “I have a small team working with infrastructure, support and security,” Sommarström explains, “but we are very, very flexible and we work very broadly.”

By late 2024, Optinova recognized that its cybersecurity posture needed to evolve and evaluated several vendors to support it in its goals. Most proposals centered on fully managed Security Operations Center (SOC) services. “We understood we needed help, but wanted to go with a phased approach, where internal learnings accelerated as well as security.”

Sommarström describes why SoftwareOne’s Managed Security Posture stood out among the options. “When SoftwareOne explained its step-by-step, proactive approach, that resonated with us because we are a small team and we can only handle gradual change.”

Optinova had already worked with SoftwareOne as a Microsoft licensing partner and used consultants for projects such as setting up Intune, so it was a natural step to extend the relationship into a more structured security partnership.

A security partnership built around continuous improvement 

SoftwareOne’s Managed Security Posture service is designed as an ongoing cybersecurity partnership. Built around the Microsoft security ecosystem, the service focuses on strengthening identity security, endpoint protection, email security, and device management.

Rather than imposing rigid policies, the Managed Security Posture team works collaboratively with customers as an advisory-led extension of its IT team.

“I feel that with SoftwareOne we get the support we need in an area that is very complex to manage,” says Sommarström.

SoftwareOne began by reviewing Optinova’s Microsoft environment across identities, endpoints, and applications. The team established a recurring governance structure that included monthly technical sessions and quarterly strategic reviews tied to measurable maturity scores.

“Every quarter we get a score and insight into how the changes that we made affected our maturity,” Sommarström explains. “The score to us is a tool to assess where we are and to measure our progress. It’s also good for reporting.”

The maturity model helps Optinova prioritize improvements without overwhelming its internal resources. Rather than delivering a large audit report with dozens of unresolved recommendations, SoftwareOne guides the company through manageable changes step by step.

Sommarström particularly values SoftwareOne’s way of framing recommendations. “I love the fact that it’s not about saying ‘You haven’t done this or this or this’. It’s, ‘Okay, how can we do this? Can we help you to perform this next step?’

“SoftwareOne walks us through anything we feel that we are unsure. I feel that they’re holding our hands all the time.”

One of the biggest advantages for Optinova has been SoftwareOne’s ability to apply lessons learned from other customer environments. Instead of relying solely on internal testing and trial-and-error, Optinova benefits from practical implementation guidance based on real-world experience. Sommarström cites an example.

“If we deploy new security settings to devices, they warn us in advance that some computers may fail because of a BIOS setting that needs to be adjusted first. That kind of practical guidance helps us prepare properly, solve dependencies in the right order, and avoid unnecessary disruption.”

SoftwareOne also helped Optinova implement phased rollouts using pilot groups before broader deployment, minimizing disruption to users and operations. “Those kinds of things have been helpful,” adds Sommarström.