LINKIT Together #6 EN by linkitgroup

BUI LDI NG IT

04 Innovative with low-code COVER STORY

in arable farming

“We spent two months setting up a design structure, and we are now noticing the benefits”

20 From Internet to AI: LINKIT 25 YE ARS OF I N NOVATION

looks back and ahead

23 How development increases C ASE

customer satisfaction

ISSUE 6 | 2023

Antonie de Waele

I NTROD UCTION

25 years of collaboration

Innovative with low-code in arable farming

A GLIMPSE INTO THE JOURNEY

How van Iperen supports the company, growers and the environment with intelligent and sustainable solutions.

Once LINKIT started from a living room with partners like KLM and Robeco. In 25 years, we have grown into an international club with more than 250 explorers and a wonderful portfolio of customers, IT projects and services. And the IT world has not stood still. Low-code software development, cloud technology, and IoT resulted in accelerated innovation. The business has also changed a lot. Once, we sold screens with maintenance contracts. LINKIT built innovative software solutions and strengthened its IT impact with more than 1700 professionals in the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa. Twenty-five years, LINKIT cannot exist without our close collaborations with customers, partners, freelancers, and our people. You can read about some of these great collaborations in this special edition of Together.

CORNELIS LEMSTRA CEO LINKIT

From Internet to AI: LINKIT looks back and ahead What have been the biggest game changers? And what can we expect in terms of innovations in the next 25 years?

How development increases customer satisfaction

FACTS & FIGUR ES

How 4SURE makes the insurance world a lot easier and faster.

LOYALTY

50 employees with more than 15 years of service

CUSTOMERS KLM and Robeco customers from day one

EXPLORERS From 1 explorer on day one to 250 now

I N TH I S I SSUE

Table of contents 08

04 Innovative with low-code

15 Ready to modernize

23 Be sure about it

08 Diversity drives

16 When explorers

26 How mistakes lead

10 IT people’s favorite

18 Bring the spark

27 Exploratory, innovative

12 25 years of LINKIT

20 25 years of technological

COVER STORY

in arable farming LI N KIT EX P LOR ERS

innovation ITN EX T

reading

LI N KIT M EMOR I ES

N EWS BY TES

your tech stack? I N TH E P ICTUR E

meet

I M PACT

back to IT

I N NOVATION

transformation

C ASE

KNOW LED GE

to successes

25 YE ARS OF IT EXP EDITION

and impactful

COVER STORY

INNOVATIVE WITH LOW-CODE IN ARABLE FARMING How van Iperen supports the company, growers and the environment with smart and sustainable solutions A good harvest is determined by a complex combination of factors, from the amount of rain to the fungal susceptibility of a crop and from minerals in the soil to the foliar fertilizer that is applied.

uch a complex puzzle requires expertise from the grower, advice from the cultivation advisor and reliable data. For fertilizer supplier Van Iperen, LINKIT is helping develop an entirely new series of applications to support arable farmers. In addition, the applications help Van Iperen with sound cultivation advice and the sale of fertilizers. The applications are also deliberately built in low-code to keep development fast, efficient and affordable. The combination of different apps aimed at various processes within the arable farm creates an extensive data model that growers can use to respond to weather conditions, legislation and business operations. In this way, Van Iperen, LINKIT, and the low-code platform OutSystems provide innovative support for the challenges growers face. Leading the way with the latest technology Vincent, head of IT at Van Iperen, proudly talks about Van Iperen’s head start in digital support. “More than twenty years ago, we already had the Level measurement service

BUILDING IT TOGETHER

Complete insight into cultivation The first applications have now been completed and are in use. For example, there is My Company, where a farmer can enter his company, plots and annual plan. There is My Fertigation for calculating the ratio of fertilizers administered via fertigation hoses (drip hoses for water with fertilizer, ed.). My Storage is available for potato growers, in which, for example, the planning for gassing potatoes (to prevent them from

4 FAST FACTS • Trading power: The Netherlands exports 85% of its agricultural production and imports 80% of the food consumed. • Global Impact: Despite its small size, the Netherlands is the second largest agricultural exporter in the world. • Economic Contribution: Every Dutch farmer creates 10 jobs within our economy. • Quality guarantee: Our farmers use the safest production methods worldwide.

FAST FACTS

with a tank sensor for greenhouse horticulture. If the level of the fertilizers in the storage tank at the grower falls below a certain level, an order is automatically created. It prevents the grower from not being able to fertilize because he has too few fertilizers. We were also working six or seven years ago in arable farming with Precision Cultivation Plus (a targeted cultivation approach by dividing the field into small sections and mapping them out completely). The applications we are now developing build on that tradition.” For example, the construction of eight arable farming applications has started, which together support all facets of cultivation. “Arable farming is under pressure due to climate change, increasingly strict laws and regulations, and customer requirements. Growers have to take more and more things into account, and we want to support them in this,” says Vincent. “Of course, we also benefit from this ourselves because it ultimately helps Van Iperen with the sale of products. In addition, we are always keen to offer growers added value. That is one of the reasons why we opted for low-code. OutSystems applications synchronize all the necessary data so that they also work when you are offline, which is a good addition if you spend a lot of time in the field.”

running out) is arranged. The team is currently developing My Cultivation, which combines various data to provide growers with advice. Based on, among other things, the weather, the soil, previous actions and other external inputs, this application predicts which crop treatments are required for optimal crop growth. Additional input sources are, for example, a barometer for stress in the crop, a calculation tool for the number of seed potatoes for maximum yield, or the PT+ application for precision cultivation. The end goal? A complete insight into the cultivation, with everything the grower needs. And the longer the applications are in use, the more

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

COVER STORY

information will become available. It gives more insight, both to the grower and to the crop advisors. “Our product owner also has a great deal of affinity with arable farming,” explains Vincent. “So he knows what the target group is looking for.” Internally, the applications are also used by our representatives and specialists. Vincent: “Each crop consultant has its expertise. With the data in these applications, we can unlock a great deal of knowledge and provide clearer advice.” In addition, Van Iperen relieves growers because they only have to enter data once. “Because all applications work together, that saves hassle. Everything comes from one base.” Added value for company, people and the environment Vincent also talks about the ‘digital plant’, a model central to the ecosystem of arable farming applications. “It’s kind of Tamagotchi, actually,” he jokes. “With which we can predict what is needed and calculate the consequences of decisions. For example, the model calculates which minerals are needed. Based on that information, we can focus on selling the necessary products at the right times.” Vincent continues: “Ultimately, we want to move towards

a complete decision support system, with which you as a grower can easily determine what you will do that day. So you can wake up, so to speak, and look at your phone to have all the information immediately available. For example, with a pop-up or a message that says, ‘This week you have to fertilize with this product, and the best time for this is today around noon because then there will be rain. If today doesn’t work,

“We have always looked at how we can make it as user-friendly as possible for the grower. We have immediately implemented this in the design, which is the basis for every app”

the next best time is three days from now.’ As a grower, you need more and more insight, and you have to deal with water, fertilization, etc., more and more efficiently. These apps not only provide that insight, they also help motivate choices, for example, regarding environmental impact or legislation.” In this way, the applications together form a whole that relieves the grower.

Not only that, monitoring crops and combining data in this way also minimizes problems with plants, maximizing the possible harvest and the healthiest possible soil. It is a win for the environment, the grower and Van Iperen, which can deliver exactly what the grower needs with uniform advice. Design sprints for a uniform appearance and efficient process For growers, their harvest is most important. And although the sector is quite innovative, the grower focuses on something other than IT. “That is why we have always looked at how can we make it as user-friendly as possible for the grower?” says Vincent. “We immediately implemented that in the design, which is the basis for every app. We go for a simple and unambiguous user experience.” In addition, a wireframe, which has already been tested with end users, ensures faster development and turnaround time. In sprints of two weeks each, the focus was on the design, which now makes development much more efficient. Antonie, scrum master at LINKIT: “At the start of this assignment, we spent two months setting up a design structure, and we are now reaping the benefits.” Vincent agrees. “Involving an external

“As a grower, you need more and more insight, and you have to use water, fertilization, etc. more efficiently. These apps not only provide that insight, they also help to motivate choices, for example, when it comes to environmental taxes or legislation”

BUILDING IT TOGETHER designer has certainly been beneficial in that respect,” he says. “Design sprints and the design structure help to stick to one look & feel.” Strategic partnership for a fruitful collaboration To build the applications, Van Iperen needed to scale up their capacity. LINKIT was the partner that could guarantee continuity and, with their ‘Team As A Service model’, put the right people on the job when needed. Therefore, Van Iperen has a multidisciplinary team consisting of a developer, tester, scrum master and designer. Antonie: “As soon as something new needs to be built, we pick it up, and when we’re done, we transfer everything to the organization so that they can continue with it. This model means we make the right expertise available and reserve the people this customer needs. This scalability is a challenge for many companies. Especially when scaling up and down in the meantime, for example, that is no problem at LINKIT.” Vincent agrees. “It is difficult to attract experienced people for such an assignment immediately. With LINKIT, we have those people, but we remain flexible. They think along with us in that respect.” Antonie: “As a strategic partner, we do not necessarily do what the customer asks, but we look at what the customer needs and how we can add the most value. For example, a project can take a shorter time. Still, it provides a much more sustainable and long-term relationship.”

ABOUT VAN IPEREN Van Iperen has been active in the agricultural sector for a hundred years. They know the market like no other because they have visited customers since 1921. As a family business, they advise and support customers with challenges in their cultivation. They can add value to customers thanks to a wealth of experience and knowledge.

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

LI N KIT EX P LOR ERS

DIVERSITY DRIVES INNOVATION 03

Why diversity is so crucial to the creative process Despite the enormous growth of the IT sector in recent decades, only 22% of all tech jobs in Europe are currently filled by women. It is even lower than the average in the Netherlands, namely only 19%. These numbers highlight the call for diversity in the industry.

e give the floor to six female LINKIT explorers from the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa. They talk about the obstacles and challenges they have had to overcome, why diversity is so essential to fully exploit the potential of IT and what the social importance of this is. Dusty typing rooms Where women in IT used to work in typing rooms, we now see more and more women in various positions. Yet the average remains remarkably low, partly because women (still) have to prove themselves more than men, says

Marina Hilliger (OutSystems Developer). “Women have to fight against oldfashioned stereotypes, such as the idea that women are by definition not suitable for IT. Unfortunately, I know enough examples of women who feel they must work harder to get the same recognition as men.” According to Marieke Meelker (Team Lead Functional Consultancy), it also has to do with men not seeing women as full partners. “I have been asked on several occasions to get everyone coffee of take the meeting notes, while, in my role and position, there was no reason to ask this of me. As a confident woman I was not afraid to delegate these tasks to somebody else, however by doing so I could be perceived as being difficult

and not a team player. Things that probably would have not been said when it was a male doing the delegating. Where a man would (almost) automatically give respect to another man, a woman would have to ‘fight’ to get the same respect.” Yet it is not just the IT sector, says Vonnelize Haupt (Manager). She believes that it mainly has to do with upbringing. “Obstacles women experience in IT mainly stem from prejudices, passed on early in childhood.” Importance of Diversity Still, ‘fighting’ for diversity is extremely important, the six women say. It opens doors to new solutions and approaches from different angles. Anna Langelaar

BUILDING IT TOGETHER

Laura Fildago (28) OutSystems Developer (LINKIT, The Netherlands) 01

02 Mirirai Mapanda (28) OutSystems Developer (LINKITSYSTEMS, South Africa)

Marina Hilliger (29) OutSystems Developer (LINKITSYSTEMS, Germany) 03

Marieke Meelker (38) Team Lead Functional Consultancy (LINKIT, The Netherlands) 04

Anna Langelaar (33) Marketing Team Lead (LINITSYSTEMS, Germany) 05

Vonnelize Haupt (45) Manager (LINKITSYSTEMS, South Africa) 06

(Team Lead Marketing): “IT solutions are intended for diverse people. It makes sense that individuals of different backgrounds and genders develop these. Diversity, therefore, has a positive influence on the user experience.” Mirirai Mapanda (OutSystems Developer) agrees. “Diversity leads to a considerably wider range of solutions so that a much larger group can be reached even better.” Role of LINKIT Organizations should, therefore, not be guided by prejudice but by expertise, says Laura Fidalgo (OutSystems Developer). “LINKIT focuses on new talent and the best people in their field. That vision is important. After all, I don’t want to work here because I’m a woman but because of my knowledge and skills.” Anna and Marina nod in agreement. “LINKIT is an example for many organizations on how to deal with

different nationalities, religions and backgrounds. Everyone ‘lives’ for these values instead of just talking about them,” says Marina. For Anna, it is mainly the passion that touches her. “In many ways, LINKIT is very diverse. It doesn’t matter if you are male, female, non-binary or any other form of diversity. What matters is passion, the willingness to discover and be a real team player.” Innovation thanks to women Yet, despite the low percentages, the share of women in IT is substantial. Mirirai: “Women approach issues differently and - in fact - have more empathy, which creates a different synergy in a team.” Marieke adds: “Women ask themselves questions such as ‘Why do programs work the way they do?’ or ‘How does the process behind the application work?’. These kinds of questions arouse curiosity in a team, resulting in new ideas.” According to Anna, Diversity ensures creative, innovative solutions. “The more diverse the group is, the more creative the solutions become. Solutions that would never have been devised in a homogeneous group.” Laura adds: “Another perspective is already innovation - and you achieve that through inclusivity. When we get stuck in our thoughts, we ignore brilliant minds around us and deliver an end product that would have had much more value if we had just listened to each other.” Social awareness In the eyes of all women, developed

solutions are aimed at society. That is why it is also important that the people behind this are a reflection of this. “I see more and more women as software developers, UI developers,

“This was the ultimate example of how successful diversity can be: the project was completed without any problems, and the customer has asked to expand the team” Vonnelize Haupt

data analysts or project managers,” says Vonnelize. “This growth results in more user-friendly solutions and increased employee satisfaction.” Mirirai: “Diversity goes much further than gender equality. It is about a synergetic collaboration between different cultures, backgrounds and upbringings. Everyone is born and should be respected the same way.” Vonnelize concludes with a striking example. “We recently completed an MVP project at LINKIT for a South African client. The team largely worked remotely, and it was one of the most diverse teams I’ve ever encountered: a South African female analyst and UX designer, a Dutch woman as a UI designer and a development team consisting of three women and two men. It was the ultimate example of how successful diversity can be: the project was completed without problems, and the customer has now asked to expand the team.”

DISCOVER ALL OUR VACANCIES Diversity is a word with great value within LINKIT. We are looking for explorers who drive to discover and develop. And that does not include gender, orientation or religion. Want to know what opportunities there are for a new step in your career? Become an explorer and discover all our vacancies.

DISCOVER VACANCIES

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

ITN EX T

TOP 5

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Create an AWS Remote Access VPN Gateway An AWS account typically consists of multiple VPCs and private subnets. You may wish to provide remote access to private subnets or end points on AWS without exposing them publicly. AWS has its own remote access VPN solution called ‘AWS Client VPN’. However, this can be unnecessarily expensive. With several users and endpoints, you can easily spend hundreds of dollars per month. However, it is pretty easy to build your solution using WireGuard® and Netmaker for free. In this post, Alex Feiszli explains how to create a gateway device running on AWS, on which you can easily attach WireGuard clients to access private AWS resources.

End users prefer native apps due to their speed, responsiveness, and seamless integration with the device interfaces. However, native app development is not without its challenges; different device types, operating systems, and interfaces with the expectation of a consistent cross-platform user experience are significant hurdles and demand repetitive efforts with each new device model or OS update. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) offer a promising alternative to native, providing near-native performance and cross-platform support. Among the PWA frameworks, .NET Blazor stands out, enabling PWA development using C#. In an application, authentication or authorization is often required. Configurations are then required to enable these features. In .NET, you normally add configuration settings in plain text to a configuration file, readable for everybody with access to the file. Sometimes these settings can contain sensitive and secret information. This does not pose an issue because the configuration file is never shared. A .NET Blazor PWA, however, is a client-side application. All required files to execute the application are downloaded to the client, the end-user computer. This includes the configuration file co¬¬ntaining your sensitive secret information, posing security risks due to plaintext exposure.

DICK VAN STRAATEN

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Articles on ITNEXT are written by authors from an international community. All of them are the best experts in their field of expertise. LINKIT explorers are also part of this community and publish their knowledge on the ITNEXT.io platform.

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Securing Your .NET Blazor Progressive Web App

BUILDING IT TOGETHER

Android Data Repository — A simple pattern that we often misunderstand If you develop Android applications, you have some sort of Repository classes in your codebase. The Repository class is much more than just a simple wrapper for accessing a database or API. Repositories exist to provide and manage domain objects, so we should implement them based on the domain model, nothing else. There are four simple rules that we should keep in mind: 1. Repositories manage domain objects, so define domain objects that are more than just a copy of the JSON/SQL model. 2. Repositories should work as collections of objects, similar to standard Set or List. 3. Create Repositories only for these objects, which need to be accessed independently. 4. Use Repositories to manage domain objects even if they don’t need a database or an API.

MARCIN PIEKIELNY

Web Apps in Python with Solara — A Streamlit Killer? Solara has some benefits that are not available in Streamlit, such as reusable components, more complex functionality with local and global states and more customizability with CSS. Still, a few things are missing, such as the ability to use basic HTML components. Currently, you can call solara. HTML(...) but it is only for read-only rendering of HTML in isolation. You cannot wrap other components within them. Additionally, some other basic components are currently missing, like multiline text inputs, but these will likely be added sooner or later. In this post, Jacob Ferus deep dives into Solara features and concludes that it has great potential and will likely replace his use of Streamlit. However, at the moment, it will not replace his use of a ReactJS clientside and a Python serverside in situations where he would like to have complete flexibility.

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In the dynamic world of Kubernetes, managing ingress traffic efficiently and securely has always been a crucial challenge.

Embracing the Future of Kubernetes Traffic Management

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SEIFEDDINE RAJHI

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Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

LI N KIT M EMOR I ES

25 YEARS OF LINKIT From living room to international IT company Twenty-five years of LINKIT means 25 years of stories, challenges and memories. What once started as a small agency for IT freelancers has now grown into a leading, full-service IT organization with over 1,700 employees in three countries (the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa).

BUILDING IT TOGETHER

ogether with Bert Peters (founder of LINKIT) and Cornelis Lemstra (current CEO), we look back on the past 25 years. What are their fondest memories? What challenges have they overcome? And what does the future of the organization look like? Ten guilders loss Bert has been involved in corporate reorganizations for many years in various roles. Still, he cherished the desire to build his company from the ground up. Driven by ambition, he founded LINKIT in 1998. He started sourcing first-line and second-line helpdesk employees from his living room. “I remember when I did my first placement… with a loss of ten guilders per hour,” he says with a laugh. “I will never forget that. It has been a good lesson for future placements, with which I did achieve a margin.” After years of doing business, Bert noticed that the market was changing and companies from India were ‘buying’ the market. That was the time to shift focus and transform LINKIT into an IT knowledge organization. “We started rebranding around 2014 and put ‘knowledge’ at the centre of all our activities, such as sourcing and projects,” he explains. Cornelis also sees this period as a new starting point. “The balance between our people and the flexible layer (hiring in externally, ed.) had to be restored, new ways were devised to work more profitably, and a new ‘schwung’ came into the organization.” From sourcing to knowledge The internal organization was restructured, and new squads were created to focus on specific areas of expertise. A successful change, of course, because LINKIT is now anchored as an IT partner of the government, the knowledge platform ITNEXT (itnext.io) reaches millions of

developers. LINKIT is increasingly profiling itself as an expert in low-code software development and IT innovation. “We have experienced unprecedented growth since the transformation,” says Bert. “Partnerships and consortiums have expanded, and the number of

“I remember when I did my first placement… with a loss of ten guilders per hour” Bert Peters

sourcing and project requests has increased enormously. Moreover, the complexity of projects is increasing, which indicates that organizations rely on the knowledge and skills of LINKIT. For example, we could design and build a German logistics company’s entire transport management system.” Power of 25 years of existence Therefore, the organization’s strength lies in its adaptive capacity, says Bert. “The market has accelerated in 25 years, so you have to be able to move with it. Setting new goals, sometimes daring to make hard choices, and constantly knowing what is happening with your customers. It’s okay to miss an opportunity. I find it much worse that you do not know what is happening with your customer.” He continues: “To stay relevant, we have reinvented ourselves over the past 25 years and can continue to meet changing customer demand. Take KLM, for example; that was LINKIT’s first customer, and now, 25 years later, she is still a customer. These kinds of collaborations give us confidence for the future.” IT as a business enabler. To remain successful in the coming years, LINKIT’s ambition is to give IT

the place it deserves. “We want to use IT as a business enabler to strengthen the business,” says Cornelis. “For example, using low-code can visually develop company-specific software at

“The market has accelerated in 25 years, so you have to be able to move with it” Bert Peters

lightning speed. This way of programming has enormous potential nationally and internationally because the market is constantly changing and, with it, the requirements of users. We are responding to this with branches in Germany and South Africa, and we want to mix knowledge in ‘blended teams’, which means that people from different countries together form the team at our customers.” In addition to the internationalization of the

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

LI N KIT M EMOR I ES

organization, it is an ambition to develop and market products and services in-house. Within the Innovation Lab, a team works full-time on devising and designing these innovations. “As LINKIT, for example, we are no longer solely dependent on the ‘labour’ factor, but we are extending this much more broadly,” he says.

That shows what we are capable of.” The 25th anniversary was, therefore, a goosebumps moment for both. At the beginning of this year, all LINKIT explorers from the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa flew to Slovenia to celebrate the success

Goosebumps What is Bert most proud of? That he left the organization in the state it is now. “We are in form”, he says as a passionate football fan. “The endless ambition of our explorers creates a connection with the customer, from which new initiatives arise. Explorers, some of whom have been present from day one. But our customers, such as KLM and Robeco, have trusted us for 25 years.” Cornelis also sees a rosy future. “We have demonstrated in complex projects that we can compete with the ‘Big Five’. It’s really cool that we win these kinds of projects and then colour them in successfully.

“We want to use IT as a business enabler to strengthen the business” Cornelis Lemstra

together. “The after-movie still gives me goosebumps,” says Bert. “We have reached such a huge milestone and experienced unprecedented growth. The moment we were all together reflects to me the success and potential of this wonderful company.”

BERT PETERS (64) Founder LINKIT Bert founded LINKIT in 1998 from his living room. Where he initially focused on the mediation of IT freelancers, LINKIT has now become a leading, full-service IT organization. At the beginning of 2021, he handed over the baton to a new management team led by Cornelis.

CORNELIS LEMSTRA (35) CEO LINKIT Group Cornelis started at LINKIT in 2011 as an intern, after which he developed into Quality Manager, Manager Support Center and COO. Since January 2021, he has been at the helm of LINKIT as CEO.

LISTEN TO PODCASTS

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N EWS BY TES

BUILDING IT TOGETHER

In tune with technology: Studio LINKIT - IT Podcasts In the IT world, staying updated on the latest technological trends, best practices and innovative processes is essential. Our Studio LINKIT IT Podcasts serve precisely that purpose. We dive into hot topics in each episode, from emerging technologies to strategic IT decision-making. With insights from experts in the field and real-life examples, our channel offers a lot of information that can be immediately useful in your daily work. It is a source of knowledge and an opportunity to broaden your perspective and gain inspiration. Do not miss it; our podcast can be listened to on Spotify and more channels!

LINKIT: 25 Years in the service of IT and our employees This year marks a milestone for LINKIT: our 25th anniversary. By continuously listening and learning from our employees, we have received the recognition of Top Employer from De MonitorGroep. We appreciate the steady growth we have experienced, both in team size and in broadening our international footprint. Initiatives such as the Wellbeing platform

Ready to modernize your tech stack? Modern technological developments rapidly follow each other and force companies to take a critical look at their IT landscape. The philosophy ‘to stand still is to go backwards’ applies more than ever, and modernizing software, frameworks and infrastructure (in short as a ‘tech stack’) is therefore not a luxury but a pure necessity to remain competitive and relevant as a company. Our website has dedicated several articles to the importance of modernizing your tech stack. Refreshing outdated and legacy applications is essential for efficiency and security and enables you to provide innovative solutions and services to your customers. Still trying to figure out where to start? Our articles offer insights into the first steps towards modernization and how to transition without interrupting business-critical processes. Dive in and stay at the forefront of your industry!

and regular knowledge development days illustrate our commitment to growing the team. Our company culture and structure have contributed to a stable working environment. In honour of this anniversary, we spent time in Slovenia with all our international colleagues, underscoring our value of team bonding. We want to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues once again for their great team spirit.

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

I N TH E P ICTUR E

WHEN EXPLORERS MEET LINKIT often talks about our ‘explorers’. If you become part of LINKIT, you become an explorer. But what exactly is an explorer within LINKIT?

n explorer pushes boundaries and starts research with a curious attitude with a goal in mind. To celebrate our 25th anniversary and to bring together all our explorers from the various international hubs, we all went on a trip to Slovenia. You can see our journey in the pictures.

BUILDING IT TOGETHER

LINKIT explorer [iks’plo:re] noun:

‘A person who explores a new or unfamiliar area. Searches for new information by means of travel’

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

I M PACT

BRING THE SPARK BACK TO IT

IT and business: The dynamic duo for business growth and innovation

BUILDING IT TOGETHER

In the business world, IT is often known as a ‘necessary evil’, a dusty department that only solves problems and does not contribute to business growth. This misconception fails both IT teams and the entire organization.

t’s time to bring the spark back to IT, not just for department morale, but as a strategic partner for business success. The misconception: IT as a supporting service Companies must take advantage of a big opportunity if IT is seen as a support service. This view can demotivate the department and stagnate the company’s overall growth potential. In the worst case, it can lead to a weakened competitive position. The power of synergy Technological advancements make IT much more than a ‘help desk’. Smart, modern technologies, when used properly, can be a driving force for organizational growth. By linking technological knowledge to business strategies, companies can innovate and become more competitive. Case study: LINKIT’s approach At LINKIT, we have put this insight into practice. For 25 years, we have used our technical knowledge to not only

help companies out but also to grow them. Thanks to our curiosity and energy, we link the right technologies to business goals and think alongside business early in the process. It is how we transform the IT department from a ‘necessary evil’ to a strategic partner. Partnership between business and IT We strive for more than technical solutions; we focus on bringing back the spark by creating a strong partnership between business and IT. By working together and setting goals, we can build solutions that add value to the organization. It creates a renewed energy in both departments, similar to the spark in a budding crush. Conclusion It’s time to bring the spark back to IT. Companies can adapt, innovate and grow thanks to a good dose of knowledge and strong cooperation between IT and business. The days of underestimating IT are over; let’s bring back the spark and grow together.

DO YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE HOW THAT ‘SPARK’ WORKS? You can read it in this case, where a multidisciplinary team transformed a boring, complicated Excel file into an innovative app. Be inspired and bring the spark back into your IT projects!

SCAN FOR CASE

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

I N NOVATION

25 YEARS OF TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION From internet to AI: LINKIT looks back and ahead Over the past 25 years, we have experienced an unprecedented technological revolution, and the rise of the internet and the breakthrough of artificial intelligence have changed our lives forever. The digital age has never had such an enormous impact as it does now, and there is still much ahead of us.

e look back on these developments with Anthony Potappel (Principal Data Engineer AI & Data Engineering, LINKIT) and Gino Heetkamp (CMO, LINKIT). What have been the biggest game changers? What future trends can we expect? And what should companies prepare for? Birth of the digital age “The 1990s mark the beginning of the digital age,” says Anthony.

“While the internet was previously a closed network for government and research institutions, it became accessible to the general public in the 1990s, and an explosion of new possibilities took place: e-mail, websites for companies and online shopping.” This period also marked the breakthrough of open-source software, he says. “The internet made it possible to work together on a large scale, allowing you to create software as a group of individuals. It is a development that is noticeable to this

day because almost the entire internet runs on open source. Including what we now call the ‘cloud’.” Turning point in history Nevertheless, the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. Several companies collapsed, and share prices plummeted. At the same time, this period has laid the foundation for numerous innovations, such as e-commerce and (digital) start-ups. “The introduction of the iPhone (in 2007, ed.) turned out to be a turning point in tech history and an

BUILDING IT TOGETHER will continue to change the IT landscape in the coming years.” Future innovations AI (artificial intelligence) and AR (Augmented Reality) are promising developments. It is expected that soon, they will play an increasingly important role in the remote maintenance of aircraft or machines, for example. “But AI can also offer a solution for sectors

“The internet made it possible to collaborate on a large scale, allowing you to create software as a group of individuals” Anthony Potappel

unprecedented trend developed for mobile apps and ‘on demand’: all at your fingertips,” says Gino. With this development, the demand for chips also increased exponentially. Moore’s Law was true: Due to technological progress, the number of transistors on a chip doubled every two years. Anthony: “Chips are getting smaller and faster, and the software is getting smarter. This demand and development

with a dire workforce shortage by automating human tasks,” says Gino. Another significant change that awaits us is LLM (Large Language Model). These algorithms can analyze millions of pieces of text and use this knowledge to generate human readers - think of ChatGPT or Bard. Anthony: “The tipping point of LLMs has been reached: it is available to the general public, and therefore more commercially attractive. It leads to more capital available for its further development.” Changing business strategies Inherent to these changes is the increase in data. It is, therefore, important for organizations to define a strategy for dealing with this. For Anthony, it starts with a modern tech stack. “If you want to be at the forefront of modern technology, that comes at a

GINO HEETKAMP (32) Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Gino has been employed by LINKIT since 2013. When he started ten years ago as a Social Media Manager, he is now responsible for all (international) marketing activities of the organization.

price. On the other hand, if you stay behind, this ultimately costs an unnecessary amount of money. For many companies, the optimal ratio is

“As a DMU within an organization, you must accept uncertain outcomes and associated risks” Gino Heetkamp

just above the middle. Certainly not too old, but it doesn’t have to be completely new either. As long as your infrastructure is scalable and futureproof.” By distinguishing new technologies from the existing ones, you can develop a targeted business case for the infrastructure, says Gino:

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

I N NOVATION

“Make a business case for the desired technology and ask targeted questions. Is it about cost savings? Or do you want to improve your service or product? New technologies like LLM have huge profit potential and higher risk. As a DMU within an organization, you must be willing and able to accept uncertain outcomes and associated risks.” He also expects the company will increasingly focus on UI/UX. “Technology is there to help customers, but there must be a clear translation into how the user wants to ‘use’ these techniques. Because only by designing this properly you increase and strengthen customer involvement,” says Gino. “The ‘citizen developer’ (the business user who can independently create IT solutions, ed.) will increasingly emerge within companies, and the demand for and influence of low-code and no-code will increase.” Innovation Lab Despite the endless developments, Gino and Anthony know that many companies have doubts about using new technologies. Sometimes because of the cost aspect and sometimes because of the complexity. Yet they argue that companies stay ahead of their competition by innovating and investing - even if only one in ten innovations makes it to the end of the

funnel. Gino explains: “At LINKIT, we have our own Innovation Lab. We continuously investigate new possibilities in data, algorithms and

“If we continue to innovate, the next 25 years will be at least as exciting and energetic as the past 25 years” Anthony Potappel

machine learning. Many ideas do not make it to the finish line but contribute to innovations. During these innovation processes, it is therefore important to build in feedback moments so that you can make a timely decision whether to continue developing or focus on other ideas.” Conclusion One thing is sure: the past 25 years have accumulated innovations and trends that have completely transformed our lives. Gino: “Each phase has contributed to shaping the digital world as we know it today. And trends such as 5G and AI will continue to influence our daily lives in the future.” Anthony is also curious about the upcoming developments. “If we keep innovating, the next 25 years will be at least as exciting and energetic as the past 25 years.”

ANTHONY POTAPPEL (43) Principal Data Engineer AI & Data Engineering Anthony has been working at LINKIT since 2019. As he describes himself, he started ‘computing’ at twelve and has never stopped. He expects to remain active in this field in the coming decades. There are plenty of challenges!

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BE SURE ABOUT IT How development increases customer satisfaction In an era where technology is increasingly important, we see the insurance industry transforming through the integration of advanced automation systems. One of the prominent solutions for this is the 4SURE developed by Acumen and LINKIT.

his innovative software enables insurance companies to automate the underwriting and processing of insurance claims to increase efficiency and control. In this article, Bob van Heijster (Mendix Squad Lead at LINKIT) and Paul Veerkamp (Managing Partner of Acumen) talk about the 4SURE product, its

complexity, what LINKIT’s role is in this and what results have emerged from the further development of the product. Solving insurance-related problems The insurance industry is known for its complex and repetitive processes. Insurance companies and their agents often face many claims that must be

manually checked, assessed and processed. It is a time-consuming process that can lead to delays, human errors and inconsistent outcomes resulting in dissatisfied customers. 4SURE offers a solution by integrating advanced automation technologies that eliminate repetitive tasks and minimize human intervention. It not

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

The power of Mendix Behind the success of 4SURE is an experienced LINKIT team led by Bob van Heijster. The team is committed to building and further developing the software on the low-code platform Mendix. Bob: “We have been supporting

“We have been supporting large organizations for years with building innovative IT solutions using low-code” Bob van Heijster

large organizations for years with building innovative IT solutions using low-code.” He continues: “LINKIT has in-depth technical knowledge of low-code – and in this case, Mendix – which quickly created a powerful

business application that fits well with the basic structure already in place, making adjustments easy to implement. In addition, the flexible, underlying architecture makes it possible to connect new customers without any problems because the decision rules are not hard-wired into every insurer.” Another reason to develop with Mendix is the continuously changing legislation and regulations in the insurance industry, says Paul. “More and more stringent requirements are being imposed on insurers to prevent fraudulent actions. These are enormous challenges for companies, with processes often taking weeks or months to complete. Mendix offers the opportunity to model these changes in the rules so that we overcome the complexity and speed of the legal aspect in the insurance world.” Complementary partnership By working closely together, Acumen and LINKIT have ensured that the platform seamlessly meets the needs and expectations of users. Bob explains: “It is a complementary partnership: Acumen has all the substantive, functional knowledge of the insurance market, while LINKIT has the technical know-how in (complex) automation processes. By bundling this knowledge, we strengthen each other.” This also has a positive influence on the users, says Paul. “It is clear to our customers who they should contact if they have questions. Technical questions are asked to LINKIT, while functional questions are sent to us. In this way, we deliver added value without unnecessary disks, and we can respond in a customer-oriented and adequate manner. In addition, we listen carefully to the feedback from our customers so that we continuously improve and optimize the 4SURE application.” Results of further development This method of further development produces visible results. For example,

3 FAST FACTS • With low-code development, software can be developed up to 2-6 times faster than the traditional method. • According to market research firm Gartner, as much as 65% of software development will occur via low-code platforms by 2024. • Notable: 70% of people using low-code platforms only need a month to master this software development method on these platforms.

customer satisfaction with affiliated insurers has increased, claims are processed faster, and the administrative burden has decreased. But these successes do not mean the product’s end is over. Bob: “We build the application as generically as possible. In this way, we ensure broader, faster product deployment and a growing customer base.” The standard processes have already been overcome by building generically, and the focus is on customization. Paul adds, “4SURE must remain a customer-friendly application for customers and insurers and their authorized representatives. Its development is, therefore, a non-stop cycle because wishes and requirements keep changing.” Stronger together as a joint venture The desire to further expand the product has now taken on concrete forms. Due to the increasing demand

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only results in faster processing of claims but also results in consistent and more accurate handling. Paul: “We automate the ‘routine work’ so that knowledge work remains.”

BUILDING IT TOGETHER for the 4SURE application, a joint venture has now been established between Acumen and LINKIT. Both companies retain their independence but work in a strong composition on further application development. “We have noticed that we can launch the software much more broadly than just in one specific sector,” says Paul. “We have developed a roadmap in which we have determined how we can approach new markets and domains, such as industry, logistics and state pension.” Bob is also enthusiastic. “This joint venture offers LINKIT and Acumen the opportunity to market 4SURE even more widely under one flag. Acumen remains responsible regarding functional content, while the technical aspect lies with LINKIT. It is a new version of the current collaboration, where we are broadly oriented towards the market and can tap into new sectors.” Therefore, the future of 4SURE is promising, with the dynamic collaboration between Acumen and LINKIT demonstrating how new technologies can positively influence an industry. Paul: “Together, we have created an innovative product (4SURE, ed.), which serves as an example for the industry and soon beyond.”

“The 4SURE application is continuously improved and optimized through regular consultation, feedback rounds and joint decision-making” Paul Veerkamp

BOB VAN HEIJSTER Mendix Tech Lead & Mendix MVP Bob has been working at LINKIT since 2021, where he is co-founder of the Mendix Squad. He sees low-code as the next step in the evolution of software development and expects that trend to only continue to grow.

PAUL VEERKAMP Managing Partner Acumen Has been managing partner at Acumen since 2004 and has experience at almost all major financial institutions in the Netherlands. Paul combines IT knowledge with expertise in various financial sectors.

Together | LINKIT | Issue 6 | 2023

KNOWLED G E

CELEBRATE YOUR FAILURES: HOW MISTAKES LEAD TO SUCCESSES In the past 25 years, LINKIT celebrated many successes, and a knowledgedriven organization has emerged. But anyone who thinks it has only been easy will be disappointed. Because 25 years of entrepreneurship also means taking risks and sometimes taking the fall.

evertheless, Douwe de Haan (Quality Assurance Squad Lead & Delivery Manager, LINKIT) says that daring to take risks and making mistakes are inherent to growth. “It is an integral part of innovation at LINKIT. Making mistakes creates new insights that are very valuable to learn from. It is a step towards success.” Mistakes bring new insights Organizations will only be successful by making mistakes. “Mistakes ‘force’ teams to take a critical look at the choices made and to understand what and why something went wrong. This reflection leads to a better understanding of the situation and stimulates creativity to tackle future mistakes in new ways,” says Douwe. Also, mistakes are not necessarily ‘wrong’. You can exclude certain things, bringing you closer to success. Admitting mistakes Yet daring to admit mistakes is

also tricky, and we prefer to avoid this. “For example, it is difficult to disappoint the customer with a ‘wrong’ or ‘too late’ delivery.” But to be successful, you have to be able to deal with this. “Take Apple for example: in 2000, they launched the spectacular Power

“Celebrating successes increases confidence in taking new risks”

Mac G4 Cube. Yet the public wat not enthusiastic and even called the product a ‘huge failure’. But Apple didn’t give up. They accepted the feedback, got to work, and all kinds of new products were created that turned out to be extremely successful.” He continues: “Realize that many of the world’s most revolutionary inventions have come from experimentation and (daring to) make mistakes. Risks, therefore, do not hinder

your (business) growth but lead to innovations.” Celebrate success Celebrating success is part of LINKIT’s ‘DNA’. “Celebrating successes together with the customer, increases employee involvement, motivates them, and positively impacts the quality we deliver to customers. Celebrating successes increases confidence in taking new risks,” says Douwe. “Both business and personal success come from learning from mistakes, and that is how you build resilience.” Successes, no matter how small, celebrate them, express them and appreciate each other and build on this to keep improving. If you are not satisfied, do something about it. (“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” – from the Commencement speech at Stanford, June 12, 2005). Find an expertise you love, and excel in it (as we at LINKIT call it: Evolve, Excel, Inspire).

DOUWE DE HAAN (60) Quality Assurance Squad Lead & Delivery Manager Douwe has worked at LINKIT as Squad Lead QA since January 1, 2021. He is responsible with his team for the quality of service of all projects. We take care of project management and (automatic) testing to ensure that the software quality that LINKIT supplies meets the customer’s expectations.

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2 5 YE A RS OF IT EXP EDITION

EXPLORATORY, INNOVATIVE AND IMPACTFUL LINKIT celebrates 25 years of innovation and growth. New modernized buildings, a logo development, international expansion and increasing sales growth; we look forward to the next 25 years of impact!

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Issue 6, year 2023 Together is published by LINKIT and is released twice per year. LINKIT B.V. Rijnzathe 9 3454 PV De Meern Contact address marketing@linkit.nl

Chief editor Ande Smith

Coverphoto Nander de Wijk, Studio Haviq

Final edit Ande Smith Gino Heetkamp Geen Blad voor de Mond

Copyright and disclaimer All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or saved in any form or by any means, without prior written permission from LINKIT. The content is composed with the greatest care. If the content, despite the care, appears to be outdated or incorrect, then no rights can be derived from it.

Design and layout Geen Blad voor de Mond www.gbvdm.nl

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