Avarn Security: – A quantum leap with AI automation

The finance department at Avarn Security sought to implement artificial intelligence (AI) to eliminate repetitive tasks and increase efficiency. This initiative has spurred digital transformation across the entire organization.

When your company operates in a traditional industry but still aims to offer that extra value to customers, what do you do? One approach is to follow Avarn Security's example: combine manual services with modern technology to create a more digitized service portfolio. A key component of this strategy was utilizing AI to enhance organizational efficiency and competitiveness.

Avarn Security, formerly known as Nokas, is a leading Nordic provider of comprehensive security solutions, with around 16,000 employees and an annual revenue of approximately NOK 8.5 billion. Of this, NOK 2.5 billion and 5,000 employees are based in Norway, where the finance department is also located.

Natural Start in Finance

Marianne Wold Aarseth, CFO at Avarn Security, explains that her department aimed to lead the company’s AI initiative and thus adopted the SEMINE platform. With a significant volume of incoming invoices, there was a lot of work involved in handling repetitive tasks and routine commands. This scenario was ideal for accounts payable (AP) automation using AI, as the system could learn the required processes—either by observing during an initial period or by reviewing historical data—and then execute these tasks autonomously, without human intervention.

– We previously had a somewhat "homemade" solution that had been developed and adapted over a long period but was becoming outdated. We explored the market and found that SEMINE had excellent references and appeared to be a solid provider, says Aarseth.

– Therefore, the finance department, and our management of incoming invoices, became a natural and relatively "safe" starting point for Avarn Security to implement AI automation.

READ MORE: Should the finance department know anything about artificial intelligence?

Positive Results

The savings have been realized in several ways, such as not replacing a retired employee because the SEMINE platform has automated large portions of the tasks. The finance department has also freed up significant time for the remaining staff, who can now focus on generating insights that enable the organization to implement corrective or value-adding measures.

The implementation has also shown the entire organization the impact of simplifying and optimizing established workflows with new tools.

– Through the SEMINE implementation, we have, for example, introduced a completely new mobile app for invoice approval, which has proven to be a quantum leap for the business.

- The user interface of the SEMINE platform has received a lot of positive feedback, especially for its user-friendliness, whether accessed via the app or through the web interface, notes Aarseth’s colleague, Stina Ranfelt, Chief Digital Officer responsible for the company’s digital development agenda.

READ MORE: Approve invoices on the go with the SEMINE mobile app for iOS or Android.

Since Avarn Security works with manual services in the service industry, the company has long focused on combining and enhancing these with technology. Now they see that this is equally important in the company’s internal processes.

– Much of our work involves creating systems and building expertise so that the organization can develop new services, operate efficiently, and create value. Therefore, digitalization in general, and elements such as AI and machine learning in particular, are natural components moving forward. We must always find new ways to offer that extra value to our customers to maintain competitiveness within our service spectrum, concludes Ranfelt.