Services Managed with BEST

BEST and BBS: A Strategic Partnership Carrying the IT Infrastructure of an Industrial Giant into the Future

The Technological Transformation Need of a Global Leader

Founded in 1966 as Türkiye's first high-voltage transformer manufacturer with 100% domestic capital, Balıkesir Elektromekanik Sanayi Tesisleri A.Ş. (BEST) has grown into an industrial giant. Serving critical sectors ranging from national electricity authorities to steel producers, renewable energy projects, and oil & gas companies, BEST is a power hub feeding operations in more than 110 countries. With over 1,500 employees, a massive 170,000 m² production site, and an annual production capacity of 50,000 MVA, even the slightest IT disruption at BEST has the potential to trigger global chain reactions. This reality elevated the modernization of the company's IT infrastructure from a technical update to a mission-critical strategic necessity. BEST's collaboration with Bilgi Birikim Sistemleri (BBS) formed the foundation of this transformation success story.

Operational and Strategic Challenges of Growth

For a globalized industrial giant, the sustainability of IT infrastructure is synonymous with business continuity and growth objectives. The challenges BEST faced were not limited to outdated hardware but posed risks that directly threatened operational efficiency and strategic goals.
Key pre-transformation issues included:

Skilled Workforce and Dependency Risk: Due to geographic location and high turnover in the sector, attracting and retaining qualified IT staff was difficult. As a result, the management of existing infrastructure depended on the know-how of specific individuals, creating a serious operational risk.
Modernization Needs and Downtime Concerns: BEST's critical infrastructure components—servers, storage, and backup systems—were in urgent need of renewal. However, a lack of skilled staff created uncertainty about how to start this complex modernization process and how to avoid downtime that could affect production.
Delayed Strategic Projects: A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), vital for business continuity, had long been planned but never implemented due to resource and expertise shortages. This gap represented not only a technical vulnerability but also an unacceptable strategic risk, contradicting the company's core commitment to operational security and continuity.

These challenges limited not only BEST's day-to-day operational efficiency but also its long-term growth potential and competitiveness in the global market.

The Search for a Reliable and Competent Partner

Success in a critical IT transformation project depends not only on selecting the right technologies but also on choosing the right partner to implement them. With this awareness, BEST conducted a rigorous evaluation process in selecting its technology partner:

Market Research: The process began with research into Türkiye's leading system integrators and gathering industry references.
Evaluation and Shortlisting: Technical meetings were held with potential partners, and a shortlist was created.

At the end of this process, BBS was chosen as BEST's technology partner. The key factors behind this decision included:

Deep Industry Experience: BBS's 30+ years of proven track record and stability in the sector.
Technical Excellence: A highly competent team of professionals with advanced expertise in their respective fields.
Corporate Trust and Stability: The continuity of BBS's founding partners since day one resonated with BEST's core corporate value, “We Build Trust”, making BBS not only a technically competent provider but also a culturally aligned partner.
Customer-Centricity: A commitment to customer satisfaction and service quality in all processes, supported by strong communication.

Although the geographical distance—BEST's headquarters in Balıkesir and BBS in Istanbul—initially raised concerns, the progress of the project demonstrated the accuracy of this choice.

Implementation: A Comprehensive Managed Services Solution

BBS rapidly transitioned from planning to execution, delivering a holistic Managed Services Project that not only solved BEST's existing challenges but also established a scalable platform for future growth.

Key Improvements Implemented:

Renewal of server and storage virtualization platforms with cutting-edge hardware and seamless migration of existing systems.
Successful deployment of the long-delayed Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), a project of strategic importance for business continuity.
Migration of on-premise Exchange email infrastructure to the modern and flexible Microsoft 365 cloud platform.
Establishment of a 24/7 monitoring system to proactively oversee IT infrastructure.
Comprehensive penetration and validation testing to maximize security posture.

Ongoing Managed Services Support:

Twice-yearly health checks of the entire IT infrastructure.
Continuous support and management for network, server, storage, backup, and DRC systems.
Expert-level support for Microsoft Server and Microsoft 365 platforms.
24/7 NOC (Network Operations Center) service ensuring proactive monitoring and immediate response to potential issues.

This holistic solution not only resolved BEST's immediate challenges but also laid a strong foundation for flexible adaptation to future technological needs.

Transformation: Tangible Results and Strategic Gains

The true success of a project is measured not by the list of technical tasks completed but by the concrete, measurable value it creates. The BEST–BBS partnership delivered both operational and strategic transformation:

Operational Excellence and Continuity

The 24/7 centralized monitoring system reduced workflow-impacting disruptions to “almost zero,” as BEST itself put it, significantly increasing operational stability.
Prompt responses to support requests maximized operational efficiency.
Upgraded server, storage, and backup systems were deployed seamlessly without production downtime.

Strategic and Organizational Benefits

Infrastructure management was freed from dependence on specific individuals and aligned with standardized, institutional service models—minimizing operational risks.
The reduced number of external vendors streamlined supplier management, allowing the BEST IT team to focus more on its core business and exploring new technologies.

BEST Infrastructure & Systems Support Manager Emre Uçar summarized the biggest gain in these words: “The greatest realization was feeling that with Bilgi Birikim Sistemleri, there's always an experienced team standing right behind you for support.”

This transformation shifted BEST's view of technology from being a mere cost center to a strategic force multiplier, enabling the company to move forward with greater confidence.

Conclusion: A Strong Foundation for the Future

The collaboration between BEST and BBS went far beyond a traditional client–vendor relationship, proving itself as a strategic partnership based on mutual trust and shared goals. This partnership not only solved yesterday's problems but also equipped BEST with the technological agility and operational resilience needed to pursue ambitious global growth goals, such as building new international production facilities. BBS did more than deliver a service—it helped write the next chapter of BEST's technological leadership, laying a robust foundation to support the company's vision for future growth.

Click here for the published Turkish PDF Brochure where you will find information on why the project was needed, how we decided to work with Information Systems, project processes, benefits and more.