| Current Situation |
Keys to Success | End Result |
|
Keusote’s project originally started as a limited IT pilot for approximately 50 people. However, the direction changed rapidly when the decision was made to move directly from the pilot to the first phase of deployment. |
Gapps brought a concrete architectural plan to the project, extensive experience in migrating to Google environments, and the capability to implement the entire solution while taking the strict requirements of the healthcare and social care sector into account. |
The cloud transition is progressing in phases. The ecosystem is built on Google Workspace solutions, ChromeOS devices, Chrome Enterprise Premium, and the KASM virtualization solution running on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). It simultaneously brings Gemini AI features to the staff's use. In addition, security is modernized with the Google SecOps cloud-native security operations platform. |
Keusote’s cloud transition began in the spring of 2025 with a limited pilot in which cloud-based solutions were tested within an IT department of about 50 people. Very quickly, it became clear that the need for change was far broader than a single experiment.
During the autumn, the direction became more defined, and the project moved directly from the pilot to the first phase of deployment. The decision was preceded by an extensive evaluation of how the change would impact costs, cybersecurity, user experience, and future development opportunities. At this point, Gapps took responsibility for executing the project.
We had to build a strong foundation for the decision and carefully evaluate the risks of the change. In the end, it was about whether we believed this would take the organization in the right direction in the long run as well."
- Antti Ylä-Jarkko, Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO), Keusote
The work began with architectural design, defining how the cloud transition would be implemented in a controlled manner while taking into account the requirements of the healthcare and social care environment. From Gapps' side, Senior Project & Change Manager Jyrki Rautio and Strategic Account Executive Erno Koivisto, together with Gapps' expert project team, have been driving the project forward. Keusote’s strong commitment to the project and active participation in its various stages have played a central role in building a successful outcome.
In Keusote’s cloud transition, the digital work environment, endpoint architecture, and everyday system use are being modernized simultaneously. Google Workspace serves as the platform for daily work, while the broader ecosystem encompasses cybersecurity, legacy systems, and transition-phase management.
The solution is built on several mutually supporting technologies, such as Chrome Enterprise Premium, ChromeOS Flex, and the KASM virtual desktop. The KASM solution had already been acquired by Keusote from another vendor, and its deployment and further development were carried out in collaboration with Gapps. The KASM solution was broken down into components, and Gapps' GCP experts quickly delivered a solution running on the GCP platform.
These measures directly address the practical realities of healthcare and social care environments, where workstations are often shared, users change rapidly, some applications are tied to legacy systems, and cybersecurity must remain flawless in all scenarios.
At Keusote, part of the endpoint fleet is being replaced with Chromebooks, but the entire device base does not need to be renewed all at once. ChromeOS Flex allows the utilization of existing hardware in the new environment, making the transition more controlled and cost-effective. However, the goal is not to tie users to a specific device.
If it makes the most sense to use a phone, a tablet, or a computer for the job, then that is what is used. We do not want to build an environment driven by the conditions of a single device,"
comments Saku Salonen, ICT Service Area Manager at Keusote.
Telia serves as the partner for device distribution and logistics. Gapps' technical experts are responsible for designing and deploying endpoint management to ensure the overall architecture and cybersecurity requirements are fully accounted for.
Google Workspace Enterprise licensing ensures that AI features are available to the entire staff without requiring separate licensing decisions, thereby integrating AI broadly into daily routines. AI is utilized, for example, to support documentation, communication, and information structuring. Its adoption is driven forward as part of the phased deployment and staff training sessions organized by Gapps.
In a healthcare and social care environment, security directly affects how client and patient data is handled and how daily work runs. Access rights, data classification, and system continuity are not isolated issues; they define the organization’s overall operational capability.
In Keusote’s project, security has been built into the core architecture from the very beginning. Gapps' experts have ensured that the solutions support, among other things, data classification, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) functionalities, and precise, user-specific access management. At the same time, Google's solutions ensure that threats are not only detected but also automatically blocked before they affect operations.
The importance of certifications in the public sector is constantly growing. In this project, the solutions are based on technologies and operating models that directly support these requirements, without separate workarounds or heavy additional structures.
The security solutions have been implemented according to best practices from the start, and the system has been continuously evaluated by an external auditor as well. So far, all security reviews have been passed successfully, which has strengthened confidence that the solutions meet the requirements of the healthcare and social care environment well,"
Salonen comments.
According to Ylä-Jarkko, the change is also visible in everyday security. When there is no longer a need to install and maintain applications on individual workstations, focus can shift to managing the environment as a whole. This simplifies maintenance while strengthening security.
In a cloud transition of this scale, everything cannot be changed at once. Keusote’s environment still includes systems whose availability must be secured during the transition. For this purpose, the KASM virtual desktop is used, allowing applications from the old environment to run in a controlled manner alongside the new cloud environment. The transition progresses in phases, and the old and new environments must operate concurrently. In a healthcare and social care setting, this is essential because client and patient care cannot be interrupted, even while tools and systems are being modernized in the background.
In a Chrome environment, user switching and updates happen in seconds, meaning work is not interrupted in the same way as in a traditional workstation environment. That is a massive, yet often underappreciated benefit in daily work,"
Erno Koivisto, Strategic Account Executive, Gapps.
In a healthcare and social care environment, even minor delays matter. When workstations are used in shifts and users change throughout the day, the speed of logging in, updates, and environment startup directly affects the smoothness of the work.
The goal is that when an employee receives a device and access to the environment, they must be able to do their job immediately. That is why we have looked for concrete use cases and verified through testing that the new environment actually works in everyday life,"
describes Rautio from Gapps.
In deployment, technical execution is only one part of the whole. It is equally important to ensure that the staff can use the new solutions smoothly from day one. Gapps is organizing an extensive training program. The training sessions are built around the daily needs of the work so that the new solutions support operations right from the start.
Keusote’s cloud transition is significant not only for the organization itself but also for the entire Finnish healthcare and social care sector. In the public sector, Google’s solutions have been widely utilized for a long time in areas like education, but changes have progressed more cautiously within wellbeing services counties and healthcare.
Keusote’s solution challenges the idea that modernizing the healthcare and social care environment must be done only through conventional technological paths. Security, data classification, access rights, and service continuity can also be accounted for in a cloud-based architecture when the system is carefully planned and implemented in phases.
Keusote’s goal has been to build an architecture that reduces dependency on individual technologies and vendors. The solutions have been designed to ensure that, in the future, the organization retains the greatest possible freedom to use various cloud services and to develop its environment in response to changing needs. This also supports Keusote’s goals for digital sovereignty.
We have aimed to reduce dependencies that tie the organization to a single technology path. The more identity, data, and services are under our own control, the more freedom we have to make choices in the future as well,"
Salonen shares.
The project is still ongoing, with the final phases scheduled for early 2027. At the same time, a foundation is being built for Keusote, on which they can further develop the use of AI, automated security, and new ways of working at a broader scale.
However, the change would not have been possible without a readiness to view conventional operating models from a new perspective. Keusote recognized that truly significant benefits also required the courage to make big decisions, identify the risks of change, and trust that they could be managed.
The Wellbeing Services County of Central Uusimaa, Keusote, is responsible for social and health care services, as well as rescue services and specialized medical care in the regions of Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Nurmijärven, Pornaisten, Tuusula, and Mäntsälä.
Keusote’s goal is to develop its services in an impactful, cost-effective, and customer-centric manner. The cloud transition supports this goal by freeing up resources for actual client and patient work and by building a more modern foundation for the future of healthcare and social care.