EBRC, 22 Years of Digital & Trust

EBRC, 22 Years of Digital & Trust Experience & lessons learned

Inuksuk An Inuksuk is a large cairn in the Arctic. In the Inuit language, Inuk means “human being” and “suk” means “substitute, acts in place of”. “Inuksuk” therefore means “one who has the ability to act like a human”.

An Inuksuk is a landmark, a cache of weapons and food.

Inuksuks are associated with orientation and resilience, survival in a hostile world. Their longevity and resilience are legendary. Some are said to be over 3,000 years old.

Since 2010, the EBRC logo is a digitalized Inuksuk. It reflects our EARTH / HEART values: (E)xcellence, (A)gility, (R)esponsibility, (T)rust, (H)uman.

It embodies our CSR (EARTH) commitment. It symbolizes our Advisory (orientation) and Data Center (cache) services. The digitized Inuksuk is a reminder of encryption. The blue heart of the Inuksuk (HEART) symbolizes our center of expertise, run by our committed teams.

People at the heart of tech.

In constant evolution.

In EBRC, “European Business Reliance Centre”, we are fully committed to building a human-centered, sovereign, secure and open European digital ecosystem. In the digital age, “Reliance” is key, in the sense of both “rely on” but also “connect to”. People and companies need to connect; with themselves, to others, to nature, to EARTH.

MASTHEAD

Text Alexandre Keilmann Design Julie Kotulski Coordination Michelle Balabanov Publisher www.maisonmoderne.com ©Maison ModerneTM Maison Moderne is used under licence by MM Publishing and Media S.A. (Luxembourg)

E D I TO R I A L

“Since 2000, the EBRC team has been building towards a digital future based on trust, sustainability and human-centered values.”

Yves Reding Chief Executive Officer

Only just emerging from the Covid-19 crisis, we now have to face a scarcely comprehensible, barbaric, fratricidal attack on a sovereign European country by its neighbour. This war is “a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe” (D. Beasley, UN WFP), representing a threat without precedent since World War II. EBRC has lived through five crises since we started in June 2000: the bursting of the dotcom bubble, 9/11, the financial crisis, the debt crisis, and the pandemic.

More than ever, we live in a “VUCA” world, driven by higher levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Facing risks that are both “unknown knowns” and “unknown unknowns”, this meta-ignorance leaves us without a clear vision of where we are going.

In our fast-moving world, nothing can any longer be taken for granted. We have no choice but to adapt constantly. Agility is a state of mind that seeks to be comfortable in a turbulent, uncertain environment. For businesses, reference points are essential. They need a clear long-term vision, a corporate culture and strong values. This enables the team to orient itself, give meaning to their work and help build a trusted digital world together.

P.06

P.14

Start, survive and grow in the storm

EBRC, the best kept secret in Europe

2000 — 2005

2005 — 2010

06/2000 � Launch of EBRC, from scratch: e-Business & Recovery Centre

2006 � 1st Tier IV Data Center: Resilience Centre West

2001 � EBRC-IBM Alliance � IBM moves to EBRC 2003 � 2nd Data Centre Tier III+ 2004 � Professional of the Financial Sector � POST: 40% to 75% share � Full Managed Services for our 1st Banking Clients � 1st Cyber-Security Services

2007 � EBRC stands now for: e-Business & Resilience Centre 2008 � Best Data Centre Operator Europe award (London) 2009 � Best Managed Service Provider award (London) 2010 � Launch 2nd Tier IV DC: Resilience Centre South

� Putting Luxembourg on the global digital map

P.22

P.30

P.42

In Europe we trust, in earth we believe

No time to waste: building together Europe’s cyber resilience and digital trust

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future

2010 — 2015

2015 — 2020

2020 — 2025

2010 � Inuksuk logo � EARTH values � CSR Label � ISO 27001 & PCI-DSS

2015 � EBRC stands now for: European Business Reliance Centre

� Trusted Security Europe

� SOC 24×7 � Ethical Hacking Team

� One-stop-shop “Trusted Services Europe”

� End-to-end certified

2020 � Digora 66% share, 140 employees, 20 in Morocco

� GAIA-X Day One Member

2011 � ISO 20000 & 9001 � EBRC Trusted Cloud Europe awarded in Paris � eHealth, FinTechs � Trusted Advisory 2012 � Launch 3rd Tier IV DC: European Reliance Centre East

� US & Asian clients � Outstanding Contribution to Luxembourg ICT

� European Cloud Services award, London

2016 � ISO 22301 � Cyber-Resilience Services � EBRC France (Paris) 2017 � New subsidiary � Digora France, 33% share

2021 � 113,8 M€ Turn-Over � 15% Growth � 350 employees � 66 awards since 2008 2022 � New Green Head Quarter

� Trusted Cloud Services aligned on highest GAIA-X standards

� GAIA-X Use Cases � Trusted Data & Business Services

Start, survive and grow in the storm 2000 —2005

6

7

In 2022, EBRC celebrates more than 20 years of digital acceleration and progress, which started in Luxembourg to later extend to Europe with a value proposition based on quality and security.

In the first part of this 20th anniversary series, Yves Reding, the CEO of EBRC, reminisces the first 5 years of the company: a startup created in Luxembourg, during the e-business bubble, with the goal to provide secure recovery services mainly to the financial services industry.

Start, survive and grow in the storm

8

A startup on a mission: securing the financial sector in Luxembourg “Back in June 2000, the idea behind the creation of EBRC was to build a recovery center in Luxembourg,” starts Yves Reding. Actually, at the time, the company was called BRC, which then stood for “Business Recovery Center,” with the mission to secure the local financial place.

“Several events had occurred months before in Europe: a trading room of a large bank burnt down in Paris, several terrorist attacks had happened in London, etc. Even if Luxembourg was supposed to be a quiet and calm country, we thought it was critical to anticipate such major operational risks,” explains the CEO of EBRC. The early 2000s were also the first years of “e-business” and the outburst of the internet bubble.

On top of the “Business Recovery Center” initial idea, Yves Reding and his team worked on several e-commerce digital projects during that time, and he decided to add an “e” right in front BRC, surfing on that early “e-business” wave. Yet, the business model was still mainly relying on a pretty heavy structure – creating a recovery center requires a building made of brick and mortar, along with significant needs in terms of IT material, etc. – and ambitious engagements had already been taken by the end of 1999, six months

2000 – 2005

before the start of the company, by the private shareholders.

“In these new economy euphoric times, business plans were often unrealistic, based on exponential revenues, and flat minimized costs. When I started the real life of the company, in the summer 2000, my first objective was to assess the initial business plan with reality and drastically readjust it. First, I had to take emergency measures to ensure level and stable flotation of the overloaded boat. That means concretely generate rapid revenues and push down the costs to ensure a minimum cash flow for EBRC to survive.

To launch such a startup, we had to start from scratch and had, at the same time to design, build the services and contracts, find the appropriate resources, and of course, convince clients and deliver on time the new designed and promised services. In a startup mode – all entrepreneurs have experienced it – time flies really fast. It is a unique and fantastic time of life. You have to juggle with multiple dimensions, in parallel: on one hand, strategy, marketing & sales and on the other, architecture, delivery, bits & bytes. We even created our first website internally in a few days,” explains the CEO. According to him, as a startup, the most difficult aspect is probably to position oneself quickly in the market, with fewer resources, attract clients while still designing

9

and developing solutions from scratch and on top compete with big players already established, with huge resources, proven solutions and deep expertise. “Highly challenging yet stimulating times! Not a second to waste!” adds Yves Reding.

A strategy based on quality, security and proximity This old version of EBRC actually faced a situation that is still well known today: clients get to choose between the young startup and the industry giants. “Therefore, how to survive in such a competitive environment? If you cannot beat them, join them. But join the best to beat together the other ones!

Our strategy was to collaborate with some of those giants who have many advantages but also some weak points. Their branding is out of this league, their catalogues are filled with services, their contracts are robust, they can deliver easily, etc. Yet, on the other hand, they lack flexibility, their products are not customizable, they do not necessarily have a strong relationship with their clients, etc.,” explains the CEO, who adds: “the startup or the local company needs to master and challenge these giants to avoid the risk to be crushed”.

In 2000, one of the European leaders, a French-British company pushed aggressively to enter the Luxembourgish market and tried to acquire the young company,

Start, survive and grow in the storm

and made attempts at high pressure.

The management of EBRC decided instead to partner with IBM and in a 4-month period a strategic alliance was signed. IBM’s “Business & Recovery Centre” moved with its clients to the EBRC Centre in the neighborhood that would later become the Cloche d’Or. IBM on the other hand had its own interest in having a local player within its umbrella. “This strategic alliance was based on mutual respect and on an excellent relationship. From the beginning, we built a real win-win alliance, based on trust,” comments the CEO of EBRC. Back in 2000, the IT business was already seeing the emergence of two opposite trends: some opted for differentiation by offering quality services, while others decided to go for cheaper services. “Right from the start, our goal was to advocate quality and security. According to us, launching a low-cost service from Luxembourg, a country with high living standards and high salaries, made no sense. As the Grand Duchy was also leveraging financial services, we anticipated that values such as ‘quality’, ‘security’, ‘confidentiality’ and ‘availability’ would keep on growing. Basel II and others were already in place, but there were not as many regulations as today”, comments the expert.

EBRC’s motto was clear: “together, with trust, in the era of information”.

On 9/11, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center

10

and the Pentagon literally shocked the world. But as with most crises, many opportunities arose for EBRC. “One of our biggest international competitors – but also local ones – was betting on low-cost solutions but also on questionable practices.

Soon after 9/11, financial irregularities were spotted and the mother company, listed on the London Stock Exchange, went bankrupt.

This highlights the necessity to set the right tone at the top and not to compromise on quality and security. At the end of 2001, we were convinced that we made the right choice in picking quality over price and that low-cost services equal inevitable risks”.

The next year, the 2-year-old company had become a key player, with almost no serious competitors anymore and a couple of tech giants to deal – and work – with, in a relationship of equals. “These partnerships lasted for 4 to 5 years.

But as EBRC had become stronger with an internationally recognized expertise, some strategic divergences with our international partners led to stop these alliances by mutual agreement”. EBRC also saw an increased stake of POST Group as its main shareholder.

A new status and a bright future After three years of hard work and challenges, the perseverance of EBRC was finally recognized and all

2000 – 2005

the efforts were now bearing fruit.

With a clear vision and services based on quality, proximity, availability and security, the IT company was able to sign key contracts with several German, French, American and Japanese banks.

In 2003, this success gave us the opportunity to extend our services and open our second Data Center (Tier III+ level). In 2004, EBRC was the third company in Luxembourg to become a PFS (Professional of the Financial Sector, PFS companies do not as such exercise a financial activity themselves, but act as subcontractors of operational functions on behalf of other financial professionals) and launched new offers, notably Managed Services.

“End 2004, a Scandinavian banking player wanted to settle in Luxembourg without having to manage its IT operations. They issued a call for tender, but we did not have a Managed Services offer...

The beauty of being a startup? In just a week, we were able to build the adequate offer, answering to all their needs and convinced the executives of the bank who told us we had the best value proposition. Two months later, the client was up and running,” underlines Yves Reding. In 2004, EBRC also prepared itself to ensure the security of the 2005 Luxembourg presidency of the European Union (under the POST Group umbrella), which naturally accelerated

11

the development of the startup as well as the promotion of its services.

Boosted by the success of its strategy, with new offerings and the trust of more and more prestigious clients, EBRC decided to commit to new and ambitious engagements at the end of 2004, while keeping this successful startup state of mind.

“To step ahead of the market and of potential international entrants, but also to anticipate new demands, we decided with our major shareholder to analyze a potential new huge project: design, build, market on the international stage and operate our third high-level Data Center in Luxembourg, based on the top international practices, in order to attract new international clients. Clearly, by the end of 2004, the existential difficulties, the numerous threats and the many nightmares common to most startups and business development from scratch in uncertain times belonged to the past. Positive challenges and new developments were now in front of us. Business was expected to flourish,” highlights Yves Reding.

The CEO concludes: “Seizing opportunities, being agile and fast,

Start, survive and grow in the storm

daring the first step and taking the quantum leap were the keys of our success at this stage. With a clear vision and strategy, you will be able to anticipate the major trends of the market and push new solutions, but you will always face uncertainty. The best way to seize expected but unknown opportunities is actually to build a kind of spider web, develop a rich ecosystem with partners, clients, solutions. It will allow you to listen, be visible, and identify such new opportunities very quickly and therefore to be agile enough to meet the demand before anyone else”.

2005 ended this first step on another positive note, with the signature of Dexia Group, and the move of its IT infrastructure to Luxembourg, which enabled EBRC to realize its ambitious project: one month after the signature of this major contract, a Tier IV Data Center was about to be built, with no investment risks, and was operational after 9 months. The eBRC startup was now in orbit: it was time to change eBRC’s name and become “e-Business & Resilience Centre”.

12

Lessons learned

1.

5.

Beware of irrational exuberance, especially if generated by Tech.

Build a strategic alliance based on mutual respect, excellent relationship and a win-win business model.

2.

In a startup mode – all entrepreneurs have experienced it – time flies really fast.

It is a unique and fantastic time of life.

You have to juggle with multiple dimensions, in parallel.

6.

Set the right tone at the top and do not compromise on quality and security.

3.

But: Keep your feet firmly on the ground.

4.

If you cannot beat them, join them.

But join the best, to beat together the other ones.

13

According to a London Award Jury member.

EBRC, the best kept secret in Europe 2005—2010

14

15

After a first period of 5 years where EBRC was able to successfully navigate through the storm to rapidly become a well-known and recognized ICT services provider, the company started 2006 on a positive note with the launch of one of the first worldwide Tier IV Data Centers, and a new “Managed Services” portfolio and clients.

In this second part of the 20th anniversary series, Yves Reding focuses on how, with his team, he strived to develop EBRC as a recognized innovative digital enabler in Luxembourg… and in Europe.

EBRC, the best kept secret in Europe

16

“The signing of Dexia Group at the end of 2005 allowed us to give life to one of our biggest projects to date: our first own Tier IV Data Center. With the group, we started the construction at the end of January 2006 and gave birth to it nine months after. Our early years as a startup with its numerous challenges were behind us, and we now had to prove that our success was justified, by continuing to develop and deliver our services to clients while anticipating their future needs,” explains the CEO of EBRC, which was now officially standing for “e-Business & Resilience Centre”. The company had entered a new dimension, and the first awards soon arrived directly from London in 2008: “Best Data Center Operator Europe”. EBRC was named one of the “Best Kept Secrets” in Europe. “Inevitably, and due to our growth and newly acquired visibility – thanks to our brand new and top-notch Data Center –, we invested in acquiring new competences and our team grew significantly,” highlights Yves Reding.

Putting Luxembourg on the global digital map Through its success on the European scene, EBRC participated actively in shedding light on Luxembourg, and competitors soon realized they had to move and innovate on their own,

2005 – 2010

allowing the creation of a stronger ecosystem benefiting all players.

“At the beginning of this 2005–2010 time lapse, the country of Luxembourg was still very much focusing on itself, but it rapidly decided to launch promotion programs to attract foreign investors and companies, notably from the United States,” comments Yves Reding.

He explains that at an early stage, in 2004 and 2005, “EBRC was already in contact with global US e-commerce players already based in Ireland. Our objective was also to offer a key differentiator to attract them to Luxembourg”. EBRC had anticipated such a globalization, and building a robust and reliable Tier IV Data Center with a full stack of Managed Services on top was a necessary part in starting and enabling this internationalization process. “Anticipation is key and companies should all try to build in advance to seize opportunities when they appear and are related to their core business. In the corporate world, it is more than necessary to take risks and have a wide and large vision. If you only focus on a single activity and rest on your laurels, business opportunities will pass by right in front of you,” recommends the CEO. Well aware of its central position in Europe, also leveraging on its historical values such as confidentiality and privacy, the country of Luxembourg started to look past its borders and the Greater Region.

17

EBRC, now more visible than ever thanks to its Tier IV Data Center, combined with its IT Managed Services, and as an important player taking an active part in the local ecosystem, actually contributed to this acceleration of awareness. “Our main shareholder, POST Group, notably deployed its Teralink network destined to international companies and aiming at attracting global players to the Grand Duchy, back in 2006. In a short period of time, many investments were made to connect Luxembourg to the main European cities, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and others,” highlights Yves Reding.

The entire ecosystem was now looking ahead and Luxembourg was considered a credible spot for companies in the financial services industry due to the long history of the country and its financial center, but also for e-commerce and digital companies to set up their European headquarters. As explained by the CEO, “the country’s high SLA – Service Level Agreement – was the key to attract them. And remember, security, availability, confidentiality and obviously quality had already been the main drivers of EBRC at that time and had been advocated since the very beginning of our activity”. Luxembourg officially entered into this era of promoting itself – something that was relatively new for the country at that time – and focused on its know-how and expertise.

EBRC, the best kept secret in Europe

During the same period, the State of Luxembourg invested in LuxConnect, as sole shareholder.

The initial objectives of LuxConnect were to build and operate “a primary internet access center” and develop “fiber optic networks linking Luxembourg to primary Internet access centers outside Luxembourg borders”. LuxConnect deployed its dark fiber network connected to major internet access outside Luxembourg in 2009. But at the same time, it also launched its own Data Center and became a wholesale operator enabling each ICT company, which was often an EBRC competitor, to enter this new datacenter and hosting services market, without taking any investment risk!

Navigating through the financial crisis of 2008: a 4th Data Center and new innovative services During the 2005–2008 period, EBRC enjoyed a 400% growth in three years, and rose from a 7 million euros turnover in 2005 to nearly a 30 million euros turnover in 2008. But a new storm was about to sweep on the world: on Sept. 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers, the 164-year-old firm and the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank crashed into bankruptcy.

This biggest corporate failure in history sent the world’s financial system close to collapse.

18

The 2008 subprime mortgage crisis hit hard as some companies were only starting to recover from 9/11 and its numerous implications.

“EBRC built its offer to answer to the needs of the financial services industry, which suffered the most from this new crisis. Fortunately, a diversification strategy had also been led and our portfolio was composed of actors across all industries and even European institutions. We therefore slid through the 2008 crisis and none of our clients reported failures,” comments the CEO of EBRC. He also explains that the crisis naturally increased the need to diversify even more which led to a deeper strategy and new investments.

“A stressful period, obviously, but in such an uncertain world, we still believed in our sustainable strategy and long-term vision. The concept of resilience became all the more important: quick decisions needed to be made and companies therefore had to be resilient. It was clear to me that more threats and waves would hit and that the only way for companies to resist was to anticipate and absorb such uncertainties, but also to survive and bounce back,” adds Yves Reding.

In these uncertain times, EBRC had begun the project of its fourth Data Center and second Tier IV Data Center: “international prospects in the financial sector and major e-business players had been identified before the crisis,

2005 – 2010

requesting new risk-taking and new investments on a second high availability site. Even though, during the crisis, most of these projects had to be put on hold, the group went on with the construction in 2008 of a new Data Center, also Tier IV certified, called the Resilience Centre Luxembourg South. It was inaugurated in June 2010, for our 10th anniversary.

Launching such projects during one of the worst global financial crises in history was a difficult choice. But investing in a time of crisis is often a real opportunity if you have a long-term strategy, a crisis-resistant business model and client portfolio,” explains Yves Reding. He explains: “in 2008, EBRC was exposed at 70% to the banking and financial sector. But we went through the crisis like a submarine in a raging sea. Our client base was strong with renowned players from various nationalities and we diversified our portfolio very quickly in unsinkable sectors”.

On the other side, during this crisis, EBRC invested in the development of new managed services and expertise, and challenged its IT maturity against international benchmarks. Amongst others, EBRC won a large Managed Services project for the European Institutions. In the same period, the company won two new international awards, once again in London: EBRC was named

19

“Best Managed Services Provider” and “Best Risk Mitigation Service Provider”. “Finally, this crisis was a real opportunity for us to emerge stronger. It enabled us to prepare ourselves for the next decade and be able to handle complex international Managed Services projects,” concludes Yves Reding.

In this second period, from 2005 to 2010, naturally, and despite the financial crisis, business accelerated significantly thanks to a newly acquired cross-border recognition, which led to signing

EBRC, the best kept secret in Europe

key contracts with international clients. Internally, and to support the growth of the company, the team of experts grew and more than 80 ICT professionals were now working on developing and delivering quality services, from Data Centers and managed services to consultancy. At the end of the first decade, a new era was about to start, with a new EARTH and a vibrant HEART to be announced at the center of the strategy of EBRC, en route to becoming a Trusted Center…

20

Lessons learned

1.

5.

Do not rest on your laurels and keep on constantly developing and delivering quality services to clients while anticipating their future needs.

Think resilience and worst case and prepare yourself to face the next crises: build a strong and diversified portfolio of services focused on quality, and a portfolio of robust, renowned and unsinkable clients.

2.

Target international recognitions but you will need a real key differentiator, a unique unique selling point.

3.

Participate actively in the local ecosystem development and invest in international business development in order to put your country (Luxembourg in this case) and your company on the map.

6.

A crisis is a real opportunity to emerge stronger and to prepare yourself for future challenges.

7.

Benchmark continuously your maturity against the best international standards.

4.

Investing in a time of crisis is often a real opportunity if you have a long-term strategy, a crisis-resistant business model and client portfolio.

21

In Europe we trust, in earth we believe 2010 —2015

22

23

Ten years after its creation, and after being named one of the Best Kept Secrets in Europe, EBRC entered its third phase with a brand new corporate identity and a strategy built on its core values: EARTH (Excellence, Agility, Responsibility, Trust and Human).

In the third part of this 20th anniversary series, Yves Reding, CEO of EBRC, tells us more about his company’s new corporate identity, its diversification in terms of clients, and discusses the early stage of the creation of a digital Europe.

In Europe we trust, in earth we believe

24

From 2010, Luxembourg started promoting the country as Europe’s digital fortress and as the preferred spot for security and confidentiality.

“Ten years ago, most companies had already started to realize that data was a key information that needed to be protected. The Grand Duchy, thanks to its agility and cybersecurity approach, had also become a great spot when it comes to digital. EBRC, along with government officials, participated in several trade missions abroad, notably to the United States in the Silicon Valley and to the Middle and Far East, to try to attract companies to Luxembourg, by displaying the country’s main advantages. A new wave of euphoria, yet slightly different,” underlines Yves Reding.

An inuksuk to reflect values of EBRC and its commitment to the planet Moreover, to further develop its brand outside of Luxembourg, Yves Reding and his marketing team decided to revamp and modernize EBRC’s corporate identity by focusing on its main values, on its sustainable positioning and by advocating the concept of resilience.

“With the support of local branding and marketing experts, we picked a symbol which embodied our main values: the inuksuk. These gigantic structures made of stones are found in northern Canada and Greenland.

Inuksuks serve as a reference point

2010 – 2015

(orientation = consulting), but also a hiding place (store = Data Center).

They are closely associated with orientation and resilience, two key concepts that are crucial to survive in a world that can be hostile. Their longevity is legendary – with some said to be over 3,000 years old – and they are highly resistant to the elements. This symbol ties in perfectly with the polar iconography as it embodies resilience, solidarity and orientation. It is a concept which stands out and is coherent with our company and its history,” describes Yves Reding. Traditionally constructed by the Inuit, inuksuks are often intertwined with representations of the North. He adds: “On the one hand, this symbol highlights our commitment to protecting the planet and its resources and materializes the core values of the company EARTH: Excellence, Agility, Responsibility, Trust, Human. On the other hand, in Inuit language, Inuksuk means ‘something which can act like a Human being’ (inuk = Human being and suk = substitute, acting on behalf of)”.

Moreover, EARTH is an anagram of HEART. The blue dot forms the heart of the pictogram, symbolizes a skills center where humans are promoted, with teams which are committed, focused on ensuring clients are satisfied and providing them with real added value. “After introducing our EARTH/ HEART values to our staff,

25

we decided to organize multiple team building sessions and workshops so that our employees could really understand what they stood for and how all these values needed to be translated through our services and behaviors. At the same time, we invested a lot in corporate social responsibility and, in 2010, we were one of the first companies in Luxembourg to obtain the newborn CSR label. We accelerated our green shift with a 100% Data Center green energy commitment already started in 2008 and with a further continuous reduction of our impact on the environment. On the people aspect, we were awarded four times “Best workplace” through the Great Place to Work program. Investing in our EARTH values and Corporate Social Responsibility was a real booster for our business and our people,” explains Yves Reding.

Digital Needs Trusted Services As you already know by now, EBRC built its offer and value proposition by focusing on quality, security and availability, as the most appropriate ways to deal with and manage sensitive data. A couple of years after the start of the 2008 financial crisis, the banking industry was still key for the ICT company located at the Cloche d’Or. As explained by the CEO, “the financial services industry still accounted for 50% of the turnover,

In Europe we trust, in earth we believe

but we entered an important phase of differentiation with several other industries trusting us and our services. In fact, some domains are even more sensitive than finance, notably the health sector.

At the same time, we had to constantly innovate and launched our new Trusted Services Europe in 2011. It was an immediate success. In 2011 in Paris, we won an international award with our client IBBL, a renowned biobank. The jury concluded that the case study awarded, based on our Trusted Cloud Europe, proved that the cloud is secure even for the most sensitive information in the health sector. In 2014, we were able to answer to the e-health project led in Luxembourg: we provided the Agence e-Santé (e-health agency in Luxembourg) with the patient file in less than nine months”.

The first years of this new decade also saw the birth and explosion of the first Fintech companies, such as Limonetik, Flashiz, etc. EBRC notably worked on the Yapital project, which aimed at becoming the European Paypal.

“It reminded me of the first years of EBRC: we were still very ambitious and were working on numerous projects… Some met with great success and others disappeared because the market was not ready for such a disruption. During that time, EBRC accelerated once again and clearly entered a new dimension,” comments Yves Reding.

26

During the 2010-2015 period, EBRC consistently developed and extended its Trusted Services catalogue, with a focus on Europe thanks to an ever-increasing visibility. “The advent of the cloud also saw new pieces of regulation popping up. On our side, we focused on consolidating our knowledge and expertise by hiring experienced and seasoned professionals, notably coming from the banking world.

Finally, to reinforce our image and further develop our brand as a trusted, secure and available IT service provider, we decided to enter a deep phase of certification,” highlights the CEO. This demanding certification process had actually started in January 2010, with an American prospect and market leader requesting EBRC to be ISO 27001 certified – dealing with information security. Yves Reding explains: “it was the client’s main condition for us to have a shot at this project.

We moved quickly and got certified in just five months on the full scope of EBRC’s activities. We then decided to go on with this certification process – with PCI-DSS (payment security), ISO 20000 (IT service management), and many more – which clearly represents a business enabler and opens new doors. We were therefore equipped to answer to the critical needs of clients in very specific industries, always favoring security and availability.

Today, this virtuous circle still allows us to deliver quality services”.

2010 – 2015

Still continuing its organic growth, EBRC opened its fifth Data Center in 2012, called “European Reliance Centre Luxembourg East” and located in Betzdorf. Reaffirming its European ambitions, and after the inauguration of EBRC’s third Tier IV Data Center, Yves Reding decided to change the meaning of the company’s acronym: EBRC was now standing for “European Business Reliance Centre”.

In European values EBRC commits “Europe was still in the process of figuring out how to best digitize itself, yet the whole movement was accelerating its pace. Remember, at the time there was no notion of free flow of data,” explains the CEO. He continues: “back in early 2012, the European Commission started to work on a new regulation to protect personal data: the GDPR. The goal of this reform was to give the control back to the citizens while smoothing the regulatory environment for companies: it was adopted in April 2016 by the European Parliament to finally be applicable in May 2018”.

This new regulation is considered as one of the pillars of the digital Europe, governments, institutions, as well as public and private companies are trying to build. “This regulation was a real innovation in the sense that it was the first European extraterritorial legislation.

27

Protection offered by the GDPR travels with the data, outside the EU,” highlights the CEO. The vision was significantly different from what was being done in the United States at that time, notably through the Safe Harbor, which was invalidated in October 2015 by the European Court of Justice and therefore ceased to provide a valid legal basis for EU-US transfers of personal data.

“Moreover, the Snowden revelations shook the world in June 2013 and had a big impact on how people perceived data.

It was actually the direct consequence of the surveillance programs launched by the US after 9/11. Those two events – GDPR and Snowden – initiated a change of paradigm in Europe, but it rapidly spread to the entire world: people are now aware of the value of their personal data and the danger they face if shared without their authorization,” comments Yves Reding. According to him, these events acted as wake-up calls, with governments, companies and individuals realizing how important data is, whether it is personal or not. The world, and notably Europe, was now aware that security and confidentiality were essential components in building a robust and strong digital future. “EBRC had already been promoting trusted transparency and auditability at the time, and the certifications obtained recently

In Europe we trust, in earth we believe

were once more showing companies and institutions that they could rely on us and trust us with their most sensitive pieces of information. We were ready to prepare for the next phase,” highlights the CEO. EBRC had its eyes on Europe and its plan – besides attracting major foreign clients to Luxembourg – was to become a credible and relevant Trusted Services provider that could also differentiate itself from competitors through a unique value proposition. During this third phase, from 2010 to 2015, EBRC entered an intensive international certification process and also built its third Tier IV Data Center. “Some world-renowned experts told us back in the days that Tier IV Data Centers were not going to be successful… but we kept the same direction we followed right from the start, betting on an ever-increasing security and quality services. Others followed this trend, and the entire ecosystem in Luxembourg benefited from this uplifting. The country sold itself as an international hub for ICT services and as a digital fortress, leveraging on the former banking secrecy and on the AAAs delivered by rating agencies. Yet, we realized that we needed to be present physically to grow more in Europe and therefore opted for an external growth strategy: we soon initiated our first acquisition…,” concluded Yves Reding.

28

Lessons learned

1.

6.

Invest in international development, join official trade missions abroad and strive to attract companies to Luxembourg, by displaying the country’s strong points and differentiators.

Draw lessons from crises, avoid overdependence on one single business sector, even if it is highly successful and seems unsinkable and opt for a differentiation strategy. Adapt your services to other industries, including startups to anticipate the future winners.

2.

Invest in Corporate Social Responsibility and integrate it in your sustainable long-term development strategy: focus on people, competences, on long-term, sustainable results and stakeholder value creation.

3.

Revamp and modernize your corporate identity in line with your values, your culture and your business.

4.

Organize multiple team building sessions and workshops so that employees can really understand what your main values stand for, and how they can be translated through your services and behaviors.

5.

Participate actively on the construction – or consolidation – of your local ecosystem.

7.

Surf on the regulation wave, anticipate new frameworks and consider them as an opportunity and as a long-term trend rather than a threat.

8.

Enter a process of certification end-to-end, to achieve a continuous quality improvement of processes and services and to become credible, recognized and trusted on the international stage.

9.

Listen to renowned experts but strongly challenge their advice and make up your mind based on your own convictions, experience and vision.

29

No time to waste: building together Europe’s cyber resilience and digital trust 2015 —2020

30

31

Entering the 2015-2020 period, EBRC was considered a renowned European Trusted Center, operating from Luxembourg for its clients located in Europe and overseas.

At the time, Yves Reding, the CEO of the company, was eyeing a new acquisition to increase its physical presence in Europe.

In the fourth episode of this 20th anniversary series, he focuses on the strategic partnership concluded with a French company specializing in database management. He also discusses the need to build bridges across Europe and the recent Gaia-X initiative, which aims at creating an efficient, secure, and trustworthy data and infrastructure ecosystem in Europe.

No time to waste: building together Europe’s cyber resilience and digital trust

32

At the beginning of 2015, EBRC Management launched a 5-yearlong strategy entitled “X2”: the objective was, as the name indicates, to double in terms of turnover and clients, but also be twice more efficient in delivering its services.

“We were already recognized as an expert in the management of critical information and sensitive data, with numerous clients in neighboring countries and in some strategic off-shore areas. To further develop our positioning as a close partner and renowned European player – as a part of our 2020 objectives –, we decided to go for external growth through a strategic partnership with a company located in a strong market,” explains Yves Reding.

By doing so, EBRC wanted to provide its clients with even more proximity and tailored solutions, even if the services are delivered from Luxembourg, which actually offers additional guarantees to the customers thanks to the country’s strong and recognized regulation.

“This strategy paid off: end of 2020, on the growth perspective, we were just 1% short of reaching our ambitious objective, and without the Covid-19 crisis, we definitely would have exceeded the targets,” adds the CEO. France first After screening the European market, EBRC turned to France, described by the CEO as a key

2015 – 2020

market in the digital Europe that is being built, and more specifically to Strasbourg where Digora is headquartered, and to Paris where a large office is located. “We were looking for a partner with whom we shared the same values: trust, quality and obviously agility, proximity, as well as corporate social responsibility. Digora is an expert in database management and performance, which employs one hundred and forty experts, dispatched in several key cities in France, such as Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Rennes, allowing us to serve the entire country and be as close as possible to clients. Moreover, Digora also had an office with twenty people in Rabat, Morocco, a country of interest for EBRC, where we had already started business relationships,” highlights Yves Reding.

Concluding such a strategic partnership allowed EBRC to strengthen its overall offer – notably when it comes to database management, a key domain in today’s digital world – and to provide its services and expertise “Made in Luxembourg” at a wider level by extending its commercial network to key geographical locations. For instance, a local presence in Toulouse, known for its expertise in the spatial field may offer to EBRC a potential and complementary development of its current client and partnership base in the space sector.

33

By acquiring this specialized center of competencies, EBRC clearly reinforced its trusted services and completed its value chain, now ranging from Data Centers, managed services and advisory to database management, by adding new expertise to satisfy all the needs of its customers. “Database management being Digora’s core business, we were now ready to answer to – and win – more international complex calls for tender, which put emphasis on such expertise in a world that is more digital than ever, with an ever-growing number of data being shared. Along with Digora, the objective is really to focus on creating commercial and portfolio synergies, propose our advisory services and know-how in cloud & managed services to clients based in France and complementing ourselves, rather than just cutting costs,” he added. EBRC acquired a minority stake of 33% of the shares, and more recently, during the Covid-19 crisis, raised its interests to 66% of the French firm.

At the same time, EBRC expanded its network and ecosystem of partners in France.

Active member of the FranceLuxembourg Business Club, EBRC joined, for example, the “HEXATRUST” association, a group of French SMEs that are complementary players with expertise in information security systems, cybersecurity, cloud confidence and digital trust. “Our role within

the grouping is also to liaise with other similar companies and associations in other European countries. At EBRC, we believe that it is by building bridges between the different actors, both local and European, that a digital Europe can be built,” added Yves Reding.

A virtuous circle: at each new challenge, grow in maturity and international recognition During that period, EBRC continued its diversification process as it focused on additional fields, such as defense, critical industries, pharma and health but also space, a strategic priority for Luxembourg.

“Back in 2011 we started working on new innovative projects, like an ambitious e-book project to be launched in very tight deadlines from Luxembourg by a Japanese global company with software developers’ teams struggling 24/24 in Silicon Valley and India. During this period, until 2018, we made the setup of numerous small and some very large Fintech and payment services: help building new FinTechs business models, a new European “PayPal” and a new “Bank” from scratch, based on a disruptive business model. At each step, each new challenge, our team has grown in maturity and therefore we have, step-by-step, been recognized as a strong player in the operations of critical transactions.

No time to waste: building together Europe’s cyber resilience and digital trust

34

It actually started with the financial industry, but other domains also deal, on a daily basis, with critical information, namely healthcare data – with DNA and biobanks –, IP in the industry, energy trading, and more.

At EBRC, we duplicated our services, leveraging our knowledge and experience, and adapted them to different sectors, all following the same major trend that is digitalization. Working on all these projects – whether they succeeded or were abandoned for various external reasons – allowed EBRC to develop new competencies and increase our skills, and sign additional contracts.

All these projects have generated a virtuous circle for our team and clients,” underlines Yves Reding.

According to him, the key is actually to identify the major – and sustainable – trends, which will shape the future. Moreover, with the ongoing digital transformation and the never-ending explosion of data, transactions are becoming all the more critical. “Portfolio diversification is necessary: think ‘long term’ and focus on sectors that are stable and sustainable – some fields are more volatile than others – and invest in future major trends.

Also, when focusing on new countries, keep in mind that it takes time to bear the fruits of opportunities sowed in fertile land,” advises the CEO. For instance, EBRC signed its first clients in the Middle East – in Kuwait to be exact – back in 2011

2015 – 2020

and decided to stay in the region despite events that cannot be controlled, to finally conclude two major deals in the United Arab Emirates, in 2018.

Practice what you preach, preach what you practice In this 2015–2020 period, the company also significantly developed in advisory practice, supporting its clients on strategic topics such as risk management, cyber resilience, certifications, IT transformation and cloud assessments.

“From risk management and digital transformation to assisting, for example, the University of Strasbourg building a new Data Center for its Heath and Research High Performance Computing, our 20+ dedicated advisors are supporting our clients’ key projects, still following our core values that are quality, confidentiality, availability and proximity. After realizing such projects for its own business, EBRC is now sharing its know-how through these advisory services, and therefore helps its clients achieve their own goals and objectives. For instance, we have and are still currently assisting twenty local, Belgian and French companies to get their ISO 22301 (business continuity management), ISO 27001 (information security) or Tier III and IV Data Center certification,” comments the CEO.

35

Cyber-Resilience center to face new Threats The GDPR, initiated by the European Commission since 2012, was the first extra-territorial piece of legislation validated in the Old Continent. As explained by Yves Reding, “data knows no physical border and therefore European personal data needs to be protected, wherever it may be located or processed in the world. The Global Data Protection Regulation can be seen as the first brick in the construction of a Digital Europe”.

A few years later, in July 2016, the Directive on security of network and information systems – NIS Directive – was adopted by the European Parliament: it is the first piece of EU-wide legislation on cybersecurity and provides legal measures to boost the overall level of Cyber-Resilience in the EU. “The application of the NIS Directive is linked to the increasing number of risks in the cyber space. Digital is everywhere. Therefore, what happens if a major cyber-attack hits? Who are the critical operators that need to be resilient and continue to provide their services?” asks the CEO, whose company had been preparing for such a regulation for years.

Since the very first years of EBRC, the concept of resilience – as well as cyber resilience – was advocated by Yves Reding and his team. As he likes to describe it,

“resilience is mostly used in psychology – when an individual goes through a traumatic event and later recovers – and in the metal industry when for instance rails and bridges need to absorb important thermal shocks. It is also commonly used when describing a forest that needs to regenerate”. In other words, adopting the concept of resilience and integrating it in a company’s global strategy means anticipating potential crises and failures, and also leaning and bouncing back from such events. In 2016, EBRC notably participated in ENISA’s Cyber Europe exercises, which feature exciting scenarios, inspired by real-life events. These exercises consist in sophisticated simulations of large-scale cybersecurity incidents that escalate to become cyber crises, and eventually provide a flexible learning experience to the participants. EBRC challenged its teams, succeeded and later launched its “Trusted Security Europe” offer, with a dedicated SOC (Security Operations Center), which has since been transferred to POST Group’s to build up a “Cyber Force” team closely linked with the NOC (Network Operating Centre).

Covid-19 – A wakeup call to build a resilient business model The CEO adds: “a resilient business model will allow companies to analyze future trends – demographic

No time to waste: building together Europe’s cyber resilience and digital trust

36

changes and hygiene issues, global warming, digitalization, etc. – and therefore anticipate, predict, protect, absorb, manage, recover and even accelerate”. He explains that the Covid-19 crisis acted as a wakeup call: companies that had never envisioned resilience faced difficulties while others that had adopted the concept were able to navigate in this uncertain environment.

In times of crisis, customers need support from their service providers and suppliers. “Based on values such as quality, security as well as proximity, EBRC developed its ecosystem by working closely with innovative actors with additional and complementary competencies, in order to answer to the needs of its clients and cover an as large as possible value chain.

In general, customers are risk averse and it is therefore our job to secure and reassure them.

Our motto since 2000 says it best: navigating together in the era of information. Time flies, but challenges remain the same,” he comments. Yves Reding also notes that when Covid-19 hit, and especially during the first wave and lockdown, Europe realized that our continent lost its access, autonomy and sovereignty on vital heath resources: it was unable to provide masks to its citizens, was not ready for massive testing, etc. “It was a real eye-opener for our governments. It showed the importance of restoring quickly

2015 – 2020

European sovereignty on essential resources and expertise.

This represents a deep paradigm change. Globalization is not always the obvious solution and giving back its sovereignty on essential services would allow us to not to rely on random chains that are not necessarily resilient,” underlines Yves Reding.

Build European digital sovereignty: supporting the Gaia-X initiative “This need to restore a European sovereignty obviously also concerns data, which is known as the oil of the 21st century,” highlights the CEO, who explains that Europe has strong values which emerged from past crises. He notably cites the Human Rights charter as well as the respect for privacy and use of personal data. According to the expert, the latter is going – or already is – Europe’s key resource, and he therefore welcomed in June 2022 the Gaia-X initiative powered by the ministries of the Economy of both Germany and France, backed by talented researchers and key players of the digital industry. The expert comments: “Gaia-X aims at creating the next generation of a data infrastructure for Europe and therefore at providing European companies with an environment of digital trust. As it deals with the cloud infrastructure,

37

it touches upon numerous domains, from the automotive industry, to healthcare and to finance. In other words, data is everywhere and it needs to be mastered. We could then be able to create what we like to call the ‘Airbus of AI’, meaning that many players will regroup and form a unique and robust ecosystem, just like what was done in Toulouse in the 1970s with the creation of Airbus”.

As you already know by now, EBRC has been rooting for the digital sovereignty of Europe for years, guided by its DNA composed of security, availability and quality.

“Our values totally merge with this innovative initiative. As a true European player, we are excited to see that things are now moving at the political level. The European commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has engaged in an ambitious digital regulation program: Data Services Act, Data Market Act, Data Act, Data Governance Act, Cyber-Resilience Act, NIS 2 and, last but not least, the Artificial Intelligence Act. We are in the middle of an important change of paradigm,” highlights the CEO of EBRC. “Since 2000, we know that excellence is an attitude we have to work at, every day” Reflecting on the 20-year history of his company, Yves Reding comments: “we are heading in

the right direction. Looking back at the very beginning of EBRC, we have always been promoting resilience and now cyber resilience.

Since 2010, we opted for a strategic and European positioning”.

Through its participation in Gaia-X, as day one member, and by building a strong ecosystem in the Grand Duchy – thanks notably to synergies with POST Group, our clients and partners – as well as in Europe, EBRC still aims at making Luxembourg a European trusted digital capital, with international ambitions.

“Things are finally moving faster: the European commission and notably digital expert Thierry Breton – who’s in charge of enhancing Europe’s technological sovereignty by putting the right policies and investment in place – are accelerating on the creation of one single European digital ecosystem, promoting values such as excellence, trust, sustainability, openness, transparency, portability and interoperability,” explains Yves Reding. According to the expert, Europe is following the right and most sustainable path, favoring data privacy as well as quality and security. He also explains that other continents will ultimately align to these universal human values: “by increasing the quality of the services delivered by European key players, our Continent will indirectly force others to keep up the pace.

No time to waste: building together Europe’s cyber resilience and digital trust

38

For instance, the state of California, in the United States, enforced the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) back in 2018, which was definitely inspired by Europe’s GDPR.” “When we look back in 2000, and now 22 years later, the same two opposite ways still exist and are offered to clients or consumers: quality and secure services vs. low cost ones. It’s a never-ending cycle.

As service provider, you have, simplistically, to choose your way: differentiate yourself on the market with a competitive cost or differentiate yourself with high quality.

If you choose the low-cost ones, you have to strive hard to be always more competitive on the price, and probably take more and more risks on quality and security. On the other hand, if you choose the quality differentiation way, you will engage yourself in a long quest for excellence and offer permanently

2015 – 2020

the best quality. You can compare digital with food and agriculture.

The industrial food system and bio-agricultural farming practices are fundamentally different.

Industrial food seems to be cheaper, at least on a short term but it has an opposite impact on human health and nature.

Since 2000, EBRC has without any doubt chosen the digital “organic” green sustainable path based on the values in which we believe: Excellence, Agility, Responsibility, Trust & Human.

And that’s the way we differentiate ourselves on the market: striving to build quality and security of service, proximity services based on transparency, listening to our clients, flexibility and innovation, committing to resilient and sustainable solutions. And we know that excellence is an attitude we have to work at, every day,” concludes Yves Reding.

39

Lessons learned

1.

4.

When opting for an external growth strategy, look for a partner with whom you share the same values.

For EBRC, those values are trust, quality, proximity of service and obviously security, as well as corporate social responsibility.

After realizing projects for your own business, sharing your know-how through advisory services, and help your clients achieve their goals and objectives.

2.

Diversify your portfolio: think ‘long term’ and focus on sectors that are stable and sustainable, and invest in future major trends.

3.

When focusing on new countries, keep in mind that it takes time to bear the fruits of opportunities sowed in fertile land. Business can be compared to agriculture: respect the natural resources, respect the ecosystem, go step by step and focus on the long-term objective.

5.

Practice what you preach and preach what you practice.

6.

In the current environment, adopt the concept of resilience / cyber-resilience and integrate it in the company’s global strategy: it means anticipating potential crises and failures, and also leaning / bouncing back from such events.

40

7.

Develop your ecosystem by building bridges and work closely with innovative actors, both local and European, with additional and complementary competencies, in order to answer to the needs of clients and cover an as large as possible value chain.

8.

Think Europe: European digital single market and European values.

9.

Choose a differentiation strategy to provide your clients something unique, but choose the sustainable path for your client, your stakeholders, your company, your employees.

10.

Excellence is an attitude to work at, every day.

2015 – 2020

41

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future 2020 —2025

42

43

Over the past 20 years, EBRC was able to anticipate and surf the wave and convince prestigious international clients with its trusted and resilient services. After completing its first external acquisition to extend its services in Europe and a proactive participation participation in the Gaia-X initiative, EBRC still follows its initial vision of providing secure & agile services that clients can trust in an ever-changing digital environment.

What does the future hold for EBRC? Yves Reding, CEO of the company, tells us more about his vision and ambitions.

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future

44

According to Yves Reding, “it is extremely difficult to predict the future as uncertainty grows at a great pace. Yet, we can anticipate what is coming by focusing on key principles: several major trends are redefining the way companies work and how they will evolve in the (near) future”. As explained by the expert, the pace of uncertainty has grown dramatically over the past years: before the subprime crisis of 2008, companies could easily foresee the future with a 2 or 3-year horizon. After the crisis, it was reduced to around 6 months.

And nowadays, as we were still facing the Covid-19 crisis and as we are now facing a war on the European continent, predicting the future is more complicated than ever. “The world will remember 2020 as the year which tested the business models of companies that had to go through unexpected events, even though we all knew that the pandemic risk was a reality.

Often, it is just a matter of assessing the strength and intensity of the crisis. Companies therefore need to be able to navigate through them by being agile enough and by seizing sustainable opportunities, based on megatrends,” adds Yves Reding.

Learn from 2020: think resilience & sustainability Each crisis is two-faced: it tests the resilience of companies

2020 – 2025

by creating damages but also offers several unprecedented opportunities. All companies are now aware of what “resilience” means, as the concept advocated by EBRC for the last 20 years, has been intensively popularized in the past 24 months…

“Finally, the Covid-19 pandemic also highlighted the need for more Humanity, social responsibility and the absolute necessity to protect the Planet as disturbing the balance of nature might result in more crises,” then underlines Yves Reding.

The expert also quotes António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, in his address at Columbia University dating back from the end of 2020: “We are facing a devastating pandemic, new heights of global heating, new lows of ecological degradation and new setbacks in our work towards global goals for more equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. To put it simply, the state of the planet is broken. […]

In this context, the recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity.

We can see rays of hope in the form of a vaccine. But there is no vaccine for the planet. […] Now is the time to transform humankind’s relationship with the natural world – and with each other. And we must do so together. Solidarity is humanity. Solidarity is survival. That is the lesson of 2020. With the world in disunity and disarray trying to contain the pandemic, let’s learn the lesson and change course for the pivotal period ahead”.

45

Prior to 2020, most companies focused mainly on themselves, while still being conscious that the Planet was suffocating… In 2021, with more than a year of Covid-19 impacting our lives, all actors were well aware of the need to reflect on the state of Earth and on how to preserve the environment as well as Humanity.

“At EBRC, more than ten years ago, we decided to commit to CSR. The green pillar of the CSR objective is to fight against climate change: as a Data Center provider, we are inevitably participating in the upheaval of nature, and therefore decided to use green energy exclusively, undertake energy efficiency programs, engage in certifications and to aim for carbon neutrality,” explains the CEO. Moreover, the company changed its logo which consists in an inuksuk – an Inuit cultural symbol –, representing the company’s main values (Excellence, Agility, Responsibility, Trust, Human) combining for the EARTH anagram. “The Covid-19 crisis has demonstrated that incorporating CSR into the company’s strategy and culture is increasingly important and has become a must-have, a question of survival and success in the long run and not just a nice-tohave anymore,” adds Yves Reding.

Leveraging megatrends to seize new opportunities To anticipate the future, the CEO of EBRC focuses on what he considers

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future

the biggest and most important trends, which he describes as “mechanical”, to build a sustainable company that would be fit for the future.

First, Yves Reding discusses global warming: “every single company must be aware of it and behave accordingly. No one can actually deny the fact that global warming is real and poses an immense threat not only to businesses but also the entire Planet.

CEOs have therefore all been working on best/worst case scenarios and aim at achieving the objective of being carbon neutral by 2050. Otherwise, we are facing a catastrophe: flood, forest fire, drought, ocean acidification, etc.

We are actually going to enter a new era of mass extinction.

Fighting against global warming clearly has to be the priority for each and every single company that exists”.

He then focuses on digitalization and automation, with the shift from a physical world to a virtual one. “This trend might be a little more complicated to decipher for the common people, compared to global warming. Yet, we are all concerned with it. Digital is composed of two opposite sides made of amazing opportunities and growing threats,” explains Yves Reding.

Digital offers a never-seen-before agility as well as new perspectives.

For instance, it allowed countries and companies to survive during

46

the Covid-19 pandemic. The story is much more different on the other side of the coin. As highlighted by the CEO, “social media can cause massive damage, can endanger personal relations but also change the face of political elections through manipulation and surveillance. Over the past years, the power of giant tech companies has grown significantly but people are now demanding more regulation and want their control back”.

Digital has clearly become essential in our daily and professional lives, yet, it needs to be mastered – which resulted in the launch of different European digital initiatives – in a world where the number of sophisticated cyberattacks is constantly growing – SolarWinds consisted in more than 800 hackers targeting governments agencies, public institutions and companies. “Algorithms are becoming more and more powerful and so is the risk of manipulation. Without a doubt, the next virus will actually be a cyber one. Therefore, we always need to have an updated and robust recovery plan if digital were to be down. Moreover, one must never forget that digital and technology have to stay tools at the service of Mankind and not the opposite,” underlines the expert.

The third and final trend Yves Reding highlights is the polarization of global economic blocs, fueled by the growing competition between the United States and China,

2020 – 2025

in order to become the world’s next leader, economically and also technologically speaking. “Two very distinct regimes are opposed. Where does Europe stand? Our continent clearly missed out on the first digital wave and must now surf the Big Data and AI wave. Moreover, the third industrial revolution is already on its way, based on digital and information technology, with the fourth one approaching and promising to be a tsunami for companies.

It will consist in the combination of tech, mixing physical, digital and biological ones, to allow the development of nanotechnologies, biotech, cognitive science, robotics, quantum computing, etc., all at an exceptional and exponential pace,” comments Yves Reding. In the fight for this tech leadership, Europe stands in the middle and does not necessarily fit in either of those two models. The Old Continent is well aware of the need to share and diffuse its key values that are openness, transparency, interoperability, portability, sovereignty, data protection and privacy, and will be investing heavily in digital in the years to come, notably through the Next Generation EU program, and with projects such as Gaia-X. Embrace the megatrends and navigate in a period of permanent change “First of all, companies need to be aware of these main megatrends,

47

and embrace them. By doing so, they should be able to survive these revolutions and even thrive in the next environment that is currently being built,” says the CEO of EBRC, who compares it to sailing across the Atlantic, by following the trade winds to safely reach your destination. He adds: “nowadays, companies are facing the upheaval of entire value chains. What is accurate today will be totally challenged tomorrow. Strong disruptions are transforming industry, just like Airbnb did to tourism, with an innovative service and a brand new business model. More disruptions will come. Soon. And they are more and more difficult to anticipate. For instance, I wouldn’t be surprised if a potential Apple Car was to be released and meet with incredible success, actually transforming a physical car into a software car”.

These key transformations are guided by new consumption needs and wishes: newer generations demand more transparency – with the use of data and the advent of social media – as well as more immediacy. Therefore, companies need to adapt the way to conceive their products and services, how they sell them and also how they deliver the goods to clients.

“It is all the more true today as we have navigated through the pandemic and need to build resilient and sustainable business models.

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future

Change becomes normal: it is a never-ending story,” comments Yves Reding.

Focus on attitude, culture, and values instead of building rigid business plans The expert advocates the sharing of a vision, thrust and guiding principles, rather than business plans. “The approach, the methodology, the values, the culture, as well as other intangible aspects, are what will allow you to succeed.

Companies, their CEOs and management teams have to be aware of who they are, what makes their team unique and what they actually want to achieve over the long term.

But they should not focus solely on a reality that is changing almost every day. Due to exponential changes, globalization, permanent disruptions and the increase of complexity, we cannot rely on business modelling and planning anymore, like we used to do in the past,” highlights the CEO. He then reminisces the first years of EBRC, with the main idea and focus to provide a robust business continuity solution to its clients: Luxembourg was lacking such a service and thanks to its wider vision, Yves Reding and EBRC were able to embark on this journey and succeed rapidly. “20 years after, our first core business only represents 3% of our total turn-over.

48

We wouldn’t be where we are today if we had just focused on this first service. We drove our business over the long term based on a very simple leitmotif, defined at the very beginning in 2000, the base of our client value proposition: Together in complete confidence in the digital age,” adds the expert.

At that time, more than having just a business plan, EBRC was sending a message to its clients and prospects: “we can support you, provide you with pieces of advice, protect you and we will be doing all that by being close to you. In other words, we are together in this.

Know the risks, but also know that we are here for you. In 2011, logically, we decided to launch an endto-end value proposition: Trusted Services Europe. Today our vision is more valid than ever, and the notion of trust which we advocated turned out to be key with the advent of data. The new digital world, post pandemic, is based on trust like never before,” underlines the expert.

Learn Far Eastern thinking: seek out the potential of the situation To achieve success in the long-term, Yves Reding advocates agility and flexibility which will allow companies to seize new opportunities, by keeping the very same vision and central concept. The services we use today will have disappeared/

2020 – 2025

transformed/reinvented, therefore, and in order to survive, companies need to take measurable risks in an uncertain world. “If you consider the business world as a battlefield, I like to refer sometimes to Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu’s war art principles like, for example: ‘winning without battle is the wisest strategy you can achieve’. It means, for instance, that confrontation with your opponents – in business – must be always avoided until one is certain that a favorable balance of power exists and that all alternatives have been avoided. Seeking out the potential of a situation is a different way of acting than the typical Western heroic and theatrical attitude in order to force things. Fast Asian approach is a completely different way of thinking than the one we usually promote in Europe, based on Greek philosophy, and it allowed them to be much more flexible. And this mindset is still present nowadays in Asia,” says the CEO. Through the years, facing global competitiveness challenges, EBRC reinvented and repositioned itself inspired by such agile methods and keeping the same name, EBRC – with an acronym that has evolved over time, “E” now standing for “European” and “R” for “Reliance” when it used to mean “Recovery” and later “Resilience” –, as well as the same strategic vision. The same flexible approach will be required in the future,

49

to face permanent disruption and increased globalization.

Create your blue ocean strategy Yet, choices needed to be made right for the start and especially the dichotomy between quality and costs. “To stand in the market, we focused on quality and decided to promote trust. It’s a matter of culture. And very logically, companies that pick costs over quality are making sacrifices on resilience, security, availability, etc. Our goal has always been to support our clients, and as we aim for excellence, we are obsessed with quality.

Yet, a greater aim of ours is to reach what is called the blue ocean, or the nirvana, which would consist in providing the best service in terms of quality and differentiation and to be, at the same time, as cost-competitive as possible. Apple, for instance, was able to achieve it by creating an uncontested market place and making competition virtually irrelevant. Apple sells high-level products at a high price.

Despite strong and brutal competition for almost a decade, the iPhone’s pricing power, through its unique selling point (as well as the promise to be simple, beautiful and magical to use) is still strong,” explains Yves Reding.

He adds: “When we look to the future, seeking the blue ocean,

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future

developing a new uncontested market space, should be the priority. But finding the right blue ocean is a true challenge and needs a lot of patience”.

Use the resourcebased view Adopting an empirical approach means also identifying the resources which will allow to exploit favorable conditions. Therefore, another crucial element to get a long-term and sustainable competitive advantage is obviously to capitalize on core competences, a combination of knowledge, skills and technologies, which need to be identified to be able to create a strong cross-functional center of competencies, fundamental to the future. Yves Reding shares the example of Canon that apply their knowledge gained in photography as they mastered optical lenses: by leveraging their key competence and technological capabilities, they were able, from scratch, in the 70s, to break down the Xerox monopoly in the copier business and become a highly diversified multinational company.

As an IT service provider, EBRC thrives in developing longlasting and trusted relationships with its clients and partners. He adds: “we are now seen as a OneStop-Shop and trusted partner. We have developed a combination of skills (340 experts based in France,

50

Luxembourg and Morocco), knowhow and technology. Today, as a small company, we need to quickly strengthen our core competences, which is key to prepare the future of the company, identify new services and strategic sustainable market growth”.

Small is beautiful Finally, according to him, “small is beautiful”. He explains: “staying small enables us to move with speed and create more possibilities to catch new opportunities. In these uncertain, disruptive and highly competitive coming years, agility and timing are everything. It is our belief that we need to remain a relatively small company as the future does not belong to giants. There has been too much abuse over the past years and the regulation trend will continue for sure. The ‘small is Beautiful’ direction is the right response to gigantism, globalization, mass robotization and dehumanization. We have to put the Human being at the very heart of digital with values such as client proximity, agility and quality, and with the ability to deeply understand the local needs of clients, from all over Europe”.

Conclusion: tomorrow is now As a conclusion, Yves Reding reaf­-firms first the necessity

2020 – 2025

to understand the three megatrends that are global warming – with the impact of companies and their carbon neutrality –, a growing digitalization/automation – consisting in many opportunities and as many cyberthreats – and the polarization of the world, with Europe standing in the middle of the US/China fight for tech leadership.

To leverage these trends, he insists on the need to have a powerful vision rather than a wellstructured and yet theoretical business plan.

“Keep your eyes – and mind – open, apply the methods you master, opt for an additional and different way of thinking: seek out the potential of a situation and seize opportunities to surf the coming waves. Also make the right choice from the start, be obsessed by your clients, focus on quality and security, strive for and practice excellence and seek for your blue ocean. Spot the actual ‘value’ of your ‘value chain’, and do not get stuck in the middle of it. Also, remember that CSR will lead you to success. Last but not least, strengthen your core competences in a ‘small is beautiful’ environment, enabling speed, agility, responsiveness, cross-functional and entrepreneurial spirit,” adds the CEO. He admits that it is complicated to structure future long-term scenarios, yet, having a strong company DNA, knowing oneself,

51

one’s strong points, capabilities and core competences, as well as using business intelligence to identify competition, market changes and new potential opportunities, will allow companies to survive and even to thrive.

“In business, speed is key. If you cannot move rapidly to respond to market change, you will not survive. In China, crisis, wei-ji, means danger but also opportunity.

The Covid-19 crisis gave birth to a new wave: the digital single market strategy with the objective to enhance Europe’s position as a world digital leader,” highlights the CEO of EBRC.

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future

EBRC bets on these major opportunities, including the GAIA-X project, a federated data infrastructure for Europe, the potential of its European expansion strategy, and highlights that digital needs trust. “Follow your vision, capitalize on your assets and core competences and deliver quality and proximity services, to become your partner’s favorite advisor and one-stop-shop. You will be able to develop a harmonious ecosystem of Trust, where all players share common European values such as transparency, sovereignty, interoperability, availability, and security,” concludes Yves Reding.

52

“When we look to the future, seeking the blue ocean, developing a new uncontested market space, should be the priority.

But finding the right blue ocean is a true challenge and needs a lot of patience.”

Yves Reding Chief Executive Officer

2020 – 2025

53

For our future

1.

4.

Anticipate the future by focusing on key principles: several major trends are redefining the way companies work and how they will evolve in the (near) future.

Algorithms are becoming more and more powerful and so is the risk of manipulation.

Moreover, one must never forget that digital and technology have to stay tools at the service of Mankind and not the opposite.

2.

The Covid-19 crisis has demonstrated that incorporating CSR into the company’s strategy and culture is increasingly important and has become a musthave, a question of survival and success in the long run and not a nice-to-have anymore.

Fighting against global warming clearly has to be the priority for each and every single company that exists.

5.

Europe is well aware of the need to share and diffuse its key values that are transparency, interoperability, portability, sovereignty, data protection and privacy.

6.

What is accurate today will be totally challenged tomorrow.

3.

Without a doubt, the next virus will actually be a cyber one.

Therefore, companies always need to have an updated and robust recovery plan if digital were to be down.

54

7.

10.

12.

In business, confrontation with your opponents must be always avoided until one is certain that a favorable balance of power exists and that all alternatives have been avoided.

Opt for an additional and different way of thinking: seek out the potential of a situation and seize opportunities to surf the coming waves. Seeking out the potential of situations is a different way of acting than the typical western heroic and theatrical attitude capable of forcing things.

Small is beautiful is the right response to gigantism, globalization, mass robotization and dehumanization. We have to put the Human being at the very heart of digital, with values such as client proximity, agility and quality, and with the ability to deeply understand the local needs of clients, from all over Europe.

8.

Creating your blue ocean strategy, developing a new uncontested market space and making competition virtually irrelevant, should be the priority.

But finding the right blue ocean is a true challenge and needs a lot of patience.

9.

Due to exponential changes, globalization, permanent disruptions and increase of complexity, we can no more rely on business modelling and planning, as we did in the past.

2020 – 2025

11.

A crucial element to get a long-term and sustainable competitive advantage is obviously to capitalize on core competences, a combination of knowledge, skills and technologies, which need to be identified to be able to create a strong cross-functional center of competencies, fundamental to the future.

13.

In business, speed is key.

If you cannot move rapidly to respond to market change, you will not survive.

14.

Develop a harmonious ecosystem of Trust, where all players share common European values such as transparency, sovereignty, interoperability, availability, and security.

55

120

EBRC’s growth 100

80

2000

2001

2008—2009

Dotcom bubble bursts

09/11 attacks

Financial crisis

60

2008 – 2009 Three awards in London including: Best Data Centre Operator Europe, Best Managed Services Provider

2003 � Launch Data Centre Tier 3+ � Resilience Centre City 2 � Leadership Business Continuity

40

09.2004 � Professionals of the Financial Sector status � POST has a 75% share � First international clients: Full Managed Services

01.2001 � EBRC-IBM Alliance � Business Continuity: IBM moves to EBRC

Turnover (in € million)

20

06.2000 � Start � e-Business & Recovery Centre � POST has a 40% share � First banking clients

2009 � Resilience Centre South (RCS): second Tier IV Data Centre � POST takes 100%

2005 – 2006 � e-Business & Resilience Centre � Resilience Centre West: first Tier IV Data Centre

06.2010 � Logo: Inuksuk � EARTH values � CSR Label � ISO 27001 & PCI DSS

0 2000

2001

2002

2003

Tomorrow is now: how to anticipate the future

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

56

2009

2010

2010—2011

2020—2021

Monetary crisis

Covid-19 pandemic

2015 – 2016 � Trusted Security Europe � ISO 22301 � Paris office � EBRC France

2012 � European Business Reliance Centre � Third Tier IV Data Centre � International clients � Advisory services

2017 – 2018 � Cyber-Resilience � Digora 33% ownership � Health data hosting

2011 � TrustedCloud Europe.com � ISO 20000 / IT Service Management � ISO 14001 / 50001

2011

2012

2013

2020 – 2025

2021 � EBRC turnover: €113,8m � 15% growth � Advisory Services: €3,4m � 340 employees � New Green HQ � Gaia-X: Use cases

2020 � Digora (66%) consolidated to 100% � Day one member Gaia-X

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

57

AC K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

In September 2021, in Schengen, a village that is a symbol of the trust that exists across Europe, EBRC’s teams celebrated its 20th anniversary. 20 years of entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship means fighting for your ideas, your beliefs and plans. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again,” said Nelson Mandela.

Entrepreneurship is often about navigating turbulent waters in poor visibility. It is important not to be discouraged, but to remain agile, to adapt, to reinvent oneself quickly in this uncertain and ambiguous world.

Entrepreneurship is not easy in the face of tough challenges.

This booklet reminisces the five major stages of the development of EBRC, from our launch from scratch in June 2000, in a start-up mode until now.

We would like to share with you, and all entrepreneurs, some experience and lessons learned.

This booklet marks a milestone and serves to thank all those who have contributed to the development and success of EBRC: our employees, our clients, our partners, our stakeholders.

A particulary big THANK YOU goes to our earliest clients who trusted us when we still had everything to prove. A big THANK YOU too goes to our current and future customers. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “we are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so”.

Thank you to our employees – both current and former EBRCers – the teams that have built EBRC since mid-2000. Each employee has contributed to creating what we are today and what we will be tomorrow.

This book is a complementary booklet to our 20th anniversary book, focused on our values.