Mr. Stratmann, you’ve played an active part in shaping OEDIV for nigh on 20 years. How has OEDIV evolved over that long period of time?

Martin Stratmann: “Our recipe for success has remained the same in the past 25 years: Quality, reliability and continuity are the values that inspire our customers. Backed by that ethos, OEDIV has grown very strongly, both in terms of the topics it handles and our customer numbers. The same goes for our employees: Our headcount has increased 10-fold from just under 30 to more than 300. Technologically speaking, we’ve evolved from being a pure SAP provider into a multi-service provider. Over the past decades we’ve remained true to our focus of being a strong and flexible partner to German SMBs who is on the same wavelength as them.”

Ms. Wulle, you’ve also held an executive post at the company since 2018. How did you get to know OEDIV? What makes OEDIV what it is and what values are its hallmark?

Delia Wulle: “I came to OEDIV from a company that had very rigid structures – and that’s one of the key differences. We at OEDIV are extremely agile, practise personal responsibility and have short decision lines, which means we can capitalise on many different opportunities. We can adapt dynamically to changes in the market. With our Oetker Group background, we also stand for constancy and embody the values of a German family business: A relationship of trust with our partners, customers and colleagues, communication as equals, and our ‘carer’ mindset are what set us apart. I regard OEDIV as a company with huge potential, a hidden champion in the IT industry.”

The IT industry is changing at a rapid pace. New technologies and trends are transforming markets, necessitating new ways in how we work and live together – and that process is not always evolutionary, but is also often disruptive. How is OEDIV positioning itself to keep pace with new developments moving ahead?

Martin Stratmann: “It’s no secret that the IT market is changing very rapidly and OEDIV also has to permanently realign itself by tapping new value chains without sacrificing its values. Our strategic acquisitions and equity investments have therefore focused mainly on companies operating in the fields of security, HR services and EDI. A key factor in that regard is that we need to take our customers and colleagues with us on this path of disruptive market change.”

Delia Wulle: “It’s also crucial to keep in step with the times. We use state-of-the-art technologies to offer our customers the best-possible service, but also to give our employees the chance to engage with new technologies from an early stage. We thus take new and innovative approaches together with our customers and accompany them on their path to digitalisation. This close dialogue between our technical experts, customers and partners means we can keep an eye on developments in the market and respond to them dynamically.”

Which partnership has especially helped shape OEDIV and sticks out most?

Martin Stratmann: “Without a doubt, our long-standing partnerships with SAP and Microsoft have been particularly formative. As an SAP partner who holds various certifications and is a Microsoft Gold Partner, we will continue to build on these two core fields. However, the market now also expects holistic approaches – and we can only deliver them by forging further innovative partnerships. That’s why we’re committed in particular to working with specialised partners who cater for topics that will be relevant moving ahead. Examples include our partnerships with 8com GmbH & Co. KG in the field of cybersecurity or with Westphalia DataLab GmbH in data analytics and artificial intelligence.”

The global coronavirus pandemic is a big challenge for most companies. How is OEDIV tackling the current situation?

Delia Wulle: “In a very short space of time, we managed to enable our customers to let their employees work from home.  We’re thus keeping our word to be there to assist our customers day and night – especially in tough and turbulent times. Thanks to our very good technical equipment and facilities, our employees were also able to work remotely from home right away. We also introduced new hygiene concepts and extensive measures to protect against infection to enable staff to work at the company’s premises, with the result that we’ve coped very well with these exceptional circumstances to date.”

Martin Stratmann: “A pandemic on this scale is an exceptional situation, but we’ve responded flexibly and dynamically to it with the measures we’ve taken. If there are any positives we can take away from the current state of affairs, then it’s that coronavirus is bound to drive the market towards digitalisation and managed services in the long term. Even if we naturally want to see a return to normalcy, we still look to the future with great optimism in this regard.”

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