Hero imageMobile Hero image
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

The world is changing, and so is the postal business.
PostNL operates in a rapidly evolving market, facing challenges such as declining mail volumes due to macroeconomic pressures, rising inflation, and a tightening labor market in the Netherlands.

Geopolitical events and supply chain disruptions have further increased costs and impacted service quality. At the same time, competition has intensified, with large e-commerce players adopting multi-vendor models and niche providers entering the market.

To stay competitive, PostNL has focused on customer experience, digital transformation, and sustainable logistics. Strategic investments in network expansion and digital innovation have enabled the company to maintain its leadership position despite external pressures.

Digital transformation remains central to PostNL’s strategy, as they leverage technology to enhance the customer experience, automate operations, and improve efficiency through data- driven insights. With the postal market shrinking, PostNL knew they had to do more with less.

The need of the hour for PostNL was to optimize operations so that they stay ahead of the curve while keeping postage costs reasonable for customers. This meant rethinking their IT setup—making it leaner, faster, and ready for what’s next.

Reimagining IT Infrastructure

PostNL sought to make their production environment more efficient and effective. It required a fundamental rethink of their IT setup to transform it into a more streamlined and more scalable environment.

By mid-2018, Sogeti was already managing multiple applications on Azure for PostNL. Realizing the opportunity to build a future-proof, multi-cloud ecosystem, Sogeti initiated discussions on leveraging AWS alongside Azure. Given the dynamic nature of the logistics industry, adopting a multi-cloud strategy offered clear benefits: greater agility, improved scalability, and significant cost reduction.

PostNL began exploring the expansion of their cloud environment, with the goal of creating a unified, standardized, and cost-efficient IT framework that could support future innovation.

Building a Multi-Cloud Foundation

Sogeti proposed the development of a Cloud Reference Architecture for AWS, which would serve as a standardized framework guiding PostNL’s development teams in building scalable, cloud- native applications. Following a series of collaborative sessions, Sogeti presented a roadmap for

implementing the architecture, outlining a phased approach that would enable faster, more efficient application development across cloud platforms.

Key Achievements

Creating a Strategic Cloud Asset

The comprehensive Cloud Reference Architecture for AWS became a strategic asset that drove efficiency, reliability, security, and innovation. With standardized guidelines in place, and best practices to follow, development teams could work faster, improve reliability, and reduce costs while creating a future-ready cloud environment.

Driving Cost Efficiency

In 2019, PostNL sought additional cost savings in IT operations. Sogeti proposed a cost consolidation initiative, which assessed and migrated workloads to AWS as part of a broader strategy to reduce IT supplier dependency. PostNL was able to lower governance overhead by consolidating IT suppliers to significantly reduce costs.

Speeding Up Migrations

To accelerate cloud adoption, Sogeti led two Migration Acceleration Programs (MAP) in collaboration with AWS.
The first program, launched alongside the cost consolidation initiative, was completed in 2021. It involved rearchitecting applications using serverless technologies and container platforms like AWS ECS and EKS. The second phase, MAP 2.0, supported by Sogeti’s Managed AWS program, is ongoing and is set to conclude in 2026.
Together, these initiatives have laid a solid foundation for PostNL’s cloud-driven innovations. PostNL can now migrate workloads from anywhere to their AWS cloud.

Empowering Teams with Agile and DevOps

In addition to cloud transformation, Sogeti supported PostNL’s digital journey by accelerating agile adoption through dedicated DevOps teams.
Leveraging Sogeti’s Rightshore® model, the teams consisted of PostNL employees, Sogeti Netherlands staff, and nearshore members from Spain. Sogeti provided coaching and ongoing support, ensuring seamless collaboration, faster delivery, and improved quality. Joint planning sessions and regular refinements enabled PostNL to enhance their development pipeline, which reduced time to market for new applications.

Results That Matter

The partnership between Sogeti and PostNL delivered significant outcomes across several dimensions:

  • Reduction in Complexity: The introduction of a unified cloud reference architecture and DevOps practices reduced complexity across PostNL’s IT landscape. Standardization of processes and technologies improved efficiency and streamlined operations.
  • Increased Robustness: PostNL experienced a marked improvement in system stability, with a track record of near-zero incidents.
  • Cost Savings: The cost consolidation and migration acceleration initiatives led to a total cost of ownership (TCO) reduction of more than 25%, delivering substantial financial benefits to PostNL.
  • Innovation Potential: The modern cloud landscape provided PostNL with a platform for further innovation. With a scalable and flexible cloud environment, PostNL is now well- positioned to explore new business opportunities and quickly respond to market changes.

PostNL’s cloud transformation was driven by a clear objective: to deliver better services at lower costs while staying ahead of market demands. Their partnership with Sogeti helped achieve this by creating a standardized, scalable IT environment that reduces complexity and enhances agility.

This collaboration also demonstrates how cloud technologies can act as a catalyst for change in a traditional industry. PostNL’s adoption of a unified cloud framework and migration acceleration programs has positioned them well to weather market challenges, but more importantly, to lead innovation in logistics and postal services.

PostNL’s journey toward a scalable, agile, and cost-effective cloud environment reinforces the importance of strategic partnerships in navigating complex digital transformations. With MAP 2.0 on track, the company is set to further optimize its operations, explore new opportunities, and continue delivering high-quality services in a sustainable way.

Client Logo

Client: PostNL

Region: Netherlands

Industry: General services

Offer: Cloud

Our services

Cloud services

Are you looking to enhance your organization’s data-driven capabilities by adopting a cloud platform?