The Jukola relay race takes people into the forest. But a lot more needs to be transported to the terrain, for example, a considerable amount of IT equipment, probably at every major event these days.
Data Group SataIT, one of the key partners of the Jukola Relay, will supply Kotka-Jukola with the computers needed for the results service and the payment solutions required by the organizers, such as cash registers. The number of devices gives an idea of the scale of the event: 80 computers will be used.
In addition, the company is participating in the orienteering event in a very basic way: in the summer of 2026, two teams will be competing under its name, one in the Jukola Relay and the other in the Venla Relay.
Partnership offers visibility
Data Group has been a key partner of the Jukola Relay since the Kangasala competition in 2019. But in fact, the collaboration began even earlier.
– We were involved in payment solutions for the first time in 2011 at Salpa-Jukola, says Sami-Ville Jormanainen, the company’s sales director.
According to him, the initial experiences were so positive for both parties that it made sense to continue and expand the relationship.
Above all, the partnership brings visibility to the company. Money changes hands, but not in every transaction. The event organizer pays Data Group for the cash register systems, but there is no charge for the loan of computers.
Money also flows in the other direction, with the partner acting as the payer. Jormanainen laughs that Data Group pays for the tent sites for its competition teams.
Jormanainen adds to his answer to the question of what motivates cooperation:
– We are also involved in sports in other ways.
The partnership sports include at least soccer, ice hockey, and basketball.
It’s amazing to reach the finish line and get a result
This year, Sami-Ville Jormanainen is participating in Jukola for the seventh time as an orienteer. The first time, he had little background in the sport. His experience came from school and the army. But it was worth trying.
– It was amazing to reach the finish line and have my performance accepted.
Jormanainen has had different roles in different competitions. Sometimes he has been the anchor, sometimes the opener, and sometimes he has had to complete an intermediate section.
He was the opener in Rovaniemi. It was dark at night even at the Arctic Circle, as the 2021 races had been postponed to the end of August due to the coronavirus.
After their first Jukola, Jormanainen and the other members of the Data Group teams set out to gain more experience in navigating the forest with a map. They became enthusiastic about recreational orienteering. Since then, Data Group and Rannikkorastit – a local recreational orienteering series organized in Southern Kymenlaakso – have also signed an agreement on payment transactions.
Data Group’s Jukola teams are not composed solely of the company’s own staff. The teams have been supplemented by family members and the company’s partners, among others.
However, enthusiasm for orienteering has also spread within the company.
– This year, it is possible to form a Jukola team entirely from our own people. Five names have already been confirmed.
Jormanainen hopes that local residents will be inspired to participate in the event as spectators, i.e., to go and see what happens in the competition. In the coming years, it is unlikely that the event will be held again in Kotka – or indeed any other event of this size spread across forests and fields.
Also refers to the centenary and Independence Day
But what exactly is Data Group SataIT?
It is a family business founded in Kotka in 1963. Its actual name is Konekotka Oy, but it uses Data Group SataIT as its marketing name.
The company has offices in five locations: Kotka, Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Helsinki, and Turku. Its customers are primarily companies, public administration units, and associations.
The parts of the name tell a story. The first two words indicate that the company belongs to the Data Group chain. SataIT is a result of the company’s operations in many locations and its expansion. It also refers to Independence Day 2016, when the terms of the expansion deal were agreed upon.
– We had to find a marketing name that would work regardless of location. After brainstorming, we settled on the name Data Group SataIT. Thanks to a bit of luck, the registration date happened to be the first day of Finland’s 100th year, says entrepreneur Jarkko Pippola.
The original Konekotka sold office equipment. The equipment needed by companies has, of course, changed over the decades. The sales director summarizes the company’s current thinking:
– Our goal is for Finnish companies to have a smooth, secure, and efficient IT environment.