Proximus One • March 2016

March 2016 Business magazine for IT-professionals | proximus.be/one

Vision “ Now, more than ever, the CIO is looking at how technology can improve his or her company’s business model.”

Peter Bal, CIO of the Year 2015

Dossier A spearhead of the Internet of Things

The connected car The car is developing into a digital hub on wheels, offering opportunities for totally new business models. Manufacturers are on the lookout for new project partners, with a key role in store for operators.

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Welcome

“The connected car is radically altering the perception of our mobility.”

Perhaps you, too, spend a considerable amount of time in the car every day: the daily drive to the office, to meetings with clients and partners, and so on. For a long time, these trips were a blind spot in our diaries. The mobile phone meant that we remained within reach. The smartphone kept us in contact through e-mail and other applications while traveling.

investing in 5G so as to guarantee a fast mobile connection, without any delay in data exchange.

Read all about the opportunities and challenges of the connected car in this magazine.

Happy reading!

The connected car is radically altering the perception of our mobility. Cars share data with one another and with their surroundings.

Ultimately, we will have efficient and safe self-driving cars. We’re not there yet, but you yourself may already drive a connected car.

The built-in SIM card supplies up-to-date traffic information, provides entertainment for passengers and sends servicing details to your dealer, among other things.

For the further development of the connected car, cooperation is essential: between carmakers, highway authorities, application builders and operators. Proximus is filling in part of the puzzle by

– Bart Van Den Meersche, Chief Enterprise Market Officer Enterprise Business Unit Proximus

Trends

60% of company apps won’t have a PC variant by 2018

Securing wearables: top 5 priority for CIOs in 2017

Roboboss for 3 million employees

Within three years, most company applications will be developed in a ‘mobile only’ environment. They will be written directly for tablets and/ or smartphones, not for PCs. Due to the increasing mobility of people and business, by 2018 PC versions are likely to be superfluous.

The rise of wearables and, consequently, of apps on these wearables and smartwatches is unstoppable. More and more corporate data is being stored on wearables.

Conversely, more private data is find­ing its way into companies via big data. According to IDC, the security of all this data will become critical for CIOs.

Employees are increasingly being assessed on the basis of performance and customer satisfaction measurements. These can be taken far faster and more efficiently by smart machines geared to personnel decisions and incentives. So talent for the labor market can be underpinned, selected and re­cruited by computer.

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SPOTTED | ‘The Millennium Falcon’

Vesa Lehtimäki Nothing is what it seems “The Millennium Falcon is, by far, the most complicated model that I have ever made for a shoot. For the creation of this spaceship I used 43 LED lights and about two meters of optical fiber,” says photographer Vesa Lehtimäki. The original size of the miniature spacecraft was 431.8 mm by 304.8 mm. To make his photo a success, Lehtimäki used a special technique: “I combined the separately photographed model with background elements in Photoshop. The picture of the field was taken days before the picture of the scale model.”

Vesa Lehtimäki is a Finnish photographer specializing in building and photographing spaceships. For The Millennium Falcon he got his inspiration from Star Wars.

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March 2016

In this issue TALKING HEADS

IN PRACTICE

06 Q+A

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Birgitta Brys, COO Benelux Worldline 11 Vision

Vangrootloon bakery “ Thanks to cameras, we can see how busy it is in the tearoom. If necessary, someone from a nearby store can go and lend a hand.”

DOSSIER

19-26

Peter Bal, CIO of Wabco and CIO of the Year 2015 30 Q+A Johan Guelluy, CIO Generali Belgium 32 Interview Marion Debruyne on her new book 34 In team Roger Malevé on his team at the National Lottery 38 Fiber optics Four managers on the need for highperformance connectivity SOLUTION 14 Unified

communication in the Cloud 33 Reliable network

IN TEAM

34 “ Digitalization makes it possible to gauge playing behavior using big data techniques.”

Roger Malevé, CTO/CIO at the National Lottery

The connected car Nine managers on the upcoming change in the automobile industry.

ADAS offers extra safety systems, Matteo Gatta, Director Technology Strategy & Innovation at Proximus, is striving to achieve digital leadership in Europe and Luc Derie, Program Director Modernization Metro at STIB-MIVB on the connected metro.

IN PRACTICE Vangrootloon bakery Cameras like hot cakes 10 Vandeputte Everyone involved thanks to the New Way of Working 16 NATO Multidimensional working model 28 UBench International Safe data highway 36 Imtech Belgium From the Netherlands to Belgium in just two months 08

SCOOP 18 Devices

A publication of Proximus public limited company of Belgian Public Law / Year 10 / Number 26 / Q1 2016 Publisher: Bart Van Den Meersche, Koning Albert II-laan 27, 1030 Brussels Coordination: Charline Briot, Markus Eggermont, Robbin Sacré, Jean-Marie Stas. Contributors: Andrew Beavis, Klaar De Groote, Robert Doran, Davy Goris, Isabelle Latour, Frederic Petitjean, Anneke Stoffels, Dries Van Damme, Frank Van den Branden, Filip Van Loock, Cis Van Peer.

Concept and realization: Propaganda nv, Imperiastraat 16, 1930 Zaventem, www.propaganda.be For more information, contact: Robbin Sacré robbin.sacre@proximus.com Nederlandstalige versie: Mail naar robbin.sacre@proximus.com om een exemplaar van dit magazine in het Nederlands te ontvangen. Version français: mail à robbin.sacre@proximus.com afin d’obtenir un exemplaire de ce magazine en français. The technical specifications are indicative only.

Proximus reserves the right to make changes without prior notification.

Like to know who your Proximus-account manager is? Surf to www.proximus.be/mycontacts

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in the spotlight Huawei Y5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 27 Read for you ‘Customer Innovation’ 31 Useful app and IoT 1Password and Anybridge Controller ALSO INTERESTING… 07 Technology

Machine learning News

Dominique Leroy is crowned Manager of the Year and Audi connect 42 Trigger Mazout as a Service 40 Proximus

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TALKING HEADS | 7 questions for Birgitta Brys, COO Benelux at Worldline

Birgitta Brys

“ Eating well at lunchtime is important, because you know when you’ll arrive in the morning, but you never know when you’ll leave...”

COO Benelux at Worldline What is your greatest professional achievement?

Since September 2015, our customer services and IT departments have been fully integrated into the three Worldline Benelux business lines. We spent over two years preparing this. As a result, we see far more consultation now between business and delivery management and a better alignment of our priorities. That’s a huge step in meeting our customers’ expectations.

Who would you like to sit next to in an airplane and what would you like to ask him or her?

Personal Birgitta Brys likes to relax at music concerts by U2, Adele, Clouseau and ­others, where she seeks out new experiences from time to time. Taking initiative and learning new skills are also things she likes to encourage among her staff. She realizes that no one can know everything and appreciates it when her staff disagree constructively with her. Career Birgitta Brys began her career in 1996 with Banksys (now part of Worldline) as an application test engineer.

In 2008, she headed up the IT Production Department at Worldline. Two years later, she was appointed Director of Technical Operations – Delivery Systems Belgium. She has been Chief Operating Officer Benelux since September 2015. Company Worldline is European market leader for payment and transaction services. The company is part of the Atos group and provides a new gener­ ation of services that enable clients to offer the end-user easy and innovative solutions.

Coworkers Worldline posted a turnover of € 1.15 billion in 2014 and employs over 7,300 staff worldwide. Around 350 people work for IT in Belgium, 180 of whom are in technical operations.

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Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox. I’ve already met her once and I was very impressed by the way she is able to share her down-to-earth principles with others. Unfortunately there wasn’t time to ask her how she combines various aspects of the business and how she deals with different cultures.

What brand do you always stick with?

Torfs. I’m a shoe fanatic and I’m constantly pleasantly surprised by the customer experience they offer. There are stores in shopping centers, too, which means that they are easily accessible, and above all they stay open late. That’s a huge advantage for me. It’s handy that you can view the range online, too.

What don’t your staff know about you?

I’m an extrovert and I talk a lot. So there’s not much they don’t know. But they’ll be surprised to read that I went to the Schlager music festival last year. Mainly, I wanted to experience the atmosphere, just once.

You can’t go a day without…?

Strong coffee, black. Especially in the morning, while I’m looking through the messages on my smartphone.

Which (IT) book would you recommend to everyone?

‘Outside In’ by Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine. I took their vision as a basis for the transformation of our business lines. Customer experience is a fundamental business driver and with this approach you can look at your internal business processes and arrange them differently.

You can choose: your staff can work from home or be with you at the office. Which do you prefer, as a manager?

I prefer a mix. With us, everyone can work at home on two days. That makes people more relaxed and they are more focused. But it’s important to come together at the office to maintain the connection with the working environment and because some tasks can be done more efficiently there.

March 2016

TECHNOLOGY | The Internet of Things and a step further

A lot of scientists and business insiders are telling us about selflearning machines. If computers could understand what people want to do, wouldn’t things be easier?

But it’s more complicated than that.

Jean-Marie Stas, Marketing Manager at Proximus, on machine learning.

Jean-Marie Stas, Marketing Manager at Proximus

Machines that learn.

What do you mean?

T

he concept of machine learning in itself is simple: it’s about systems and applications that analyze the results of actions and improve or adjust the next operation as a result. So we get systems that go through a sort of learning process, without the need for any further human intervention. The system collects data, checks the information against a certain objective and takes it into account in a subsequent action. But even though the concept may seem simple, in practice it’s anything but. And yet we’re already using it. The smartphone that recognizes your fingerprint, for instance, uses a simple form of machine learning. The software stores a table of 30 to 50 measurements per finger. When you log in, it looks for a correspondence in this table. It’s not really self learning, but learned behavior.

The use of a smart thermostat is a little more complex. This ‘learns’ by taking account of the days of the week and the time when you come home. Connecting

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the system to your diary or other data sources – traffic information, for instance – makes it smarter.

IBM simulates the human brain For a machine to learn independently, a computer needs to imitate the human brain. The IBM Watson project was a first step in this direction, based on an analysis of human language and millions of documents. When asked a question (“Why does a cat always land on its feet?”), the computer model can find the right answer by analyzing all these documents and texts. But it takes 90 servers, 2,880 processor threads and 16 terabytes of RAM to go through 200 million pages of text in one second. IBM is now going a step further by building chips that simulate the working of the brain.

Their TrueNorth chip currently contains 4,096 cores that implement 1 million neurons and 256 million synapses on 5.4 billion transistors. These chips can be placed in networks, the aim being to build 4,096 chips into one rack, with 4 billion

neurons and 1 trillion synapses altogether.

By way of comparison: the human brain has around 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses. Roughly put, at the moment IBM can ‘pour’ 1 to 5% of the brain into a computer. For that, the company developed a new programming language, new algorithms and new program libraries.

What if…?

If we really do achieve machine learning, it has advantages. Doctors can be assisted by computers to make a correct diagnosis. Robots can learn where something is kept in a storage facility.

Smartphones will be able to recognize our emotions using sensors and cameras and play appropriate music or guide us to the web information that is most suitable at the time. But what if these selflearning systems were to take decisions independently – or develop emotions?

We need to look at this development, as well. Who wants to see self-learning, independent computers take control?

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IN PRACTICE | V angrootloon bakery knows the benefits of camera surveillance

Cameras like hot cakes At the Vangrootloon bakery, cameras help make sure that you always have a choice of tasty delights. What’s more, the cameras in the tearoom and at the checkout underpin security for customers and staff alike.

About Vangrootloon

Vangrootloon bakery supplies fresh bread and pastries to 23 of its own branches in Limburg and Flemish Brabant, as well as to supermarkets, off-premises bakeries, schools, nursing homes and institutions. Vangrootloon has 350 employees.

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V

angrootloon is a large, traditional bakery in SintTruiden. The company’s roots date back to 1915, when Joseph Vangrootloon began baking bread for his family, neighbors and refugees. Today the bakery is run by the third generation. Over the years, this family business has grown strongly. Vangrootloon has 23 of its own shops, 17 of which have a tearoom.

Although, in essence, Vangrootloon is a totally traditional company, it also uses modern technology to support its stores.

Cameras play a key role here.

Discreet follow-up “Our shops can order extra stock until midday,” says Jan Massa, Head of Marketing at Vangrootloon bakery. “In the past, this wasn’t always possible, or it was done too late, because of the pressures of business. Via a camera at head office, we can see the shelves in the shops and estimate ourselves whether we need to send new stock.” With a second camera, Vangrootloon can also see, from head office, how busy it is in the tearoom.

If necessary, someone from a nearby store can go and lend a hand. A third camera is installed discreetly above the cash register. “It is there for the safety of our staff,” says Massa. “If there’s any argument about the right change – did

the customer hand over a € 20 or € 50 note? – the CCTV footage can settle the matter. The same if someone were to take money from the till while it is unmanned for a moment.”

One single contact point Vangrootloon uses Explore for the connection between the shops and head office. A private network with a fast, secure Internet connection is handy to give all staff fast access to the applications they need. For everything related to the network and telephone services, Vangrootloon relies on Proximus SpearIT. This partner – an integrator and operator of IT services for SMEs – also March 2016

Jan Massa has worked at the

registry of the Commercial Court.

Now he is head of marketing at Vangrootloon bakery.

“ First and foremost, the cameras ensure staff safety. We can see what is happening in the tearooms and at the cash registers.”

took care of installing the camera. “It’s handy because that way we have a single point of contact for everything,” according to Jan Massa. At the Vangrootloon head office, all the CCTV footage can be followed on a large screen. The pictures are taken using video cameras/recorders in the shops. “We can export them and watch them back at head office. Recently, there was a case of theft in one of our shops. We found the relevant footage and sent it to the police.”

Costs recovered fast Ten Vangrootloon shops have already been equipped with the cameras. “Each time we convert or renovate a shop, we www.proximus.be/one

include the camera installation in the project,” Massa explains. “That way we will eventually have cameras in all our premises.” The up-front investment is relatively small and the costs are recovered quickly. “We optimize the logistics planning because we have a real-time view of stock in the shops. At the same time, we provide more safety for our staff thanks to the cameras in the tearooms and at the cash registers.”

To improve security at head office, Vangrootloon is also investing in surveillance cameras for access control.

Business benefits • Stock optimization in shops • More efficient logistics • Greater security for customers and staff

More info Contact your account manager.

For more customer testimonials go to www.proximus.be/one

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IN PRACTICE | V andeputte chooses Skype for Business and Anywhere 365

For companies that are in contact with clients on a daily basis, good telephone accessibility is still a priority.

Vandeputte from Boechout wanted to combine this accessibility with new technical possibilities and thus open the door to the New Way of Working.

Everyone involved thanks to the New Way of Working 175 staff members

6 sites in three countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and France) Turnover:

€ 76.86 million

Business benefits • Seamless integration with the existing Microsoft environment.

• Not only phoning, but also videoconferencing, instant messaging, VoIP. In short, unified communication and collaboration.

• Extensive reporting and call forwarding with Anywhere 365.

• Business Trunking via double server rooms: everything is 100% redundant and telephony is centrally managed.

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Vandeputte Vandeputte has been producing and distributing every possible sort of safety equipment, from industrial safety helmets and earplugs to gloves and overalls and even gas masks and emergency showers.

The company has been operating for 70 years. Its customers range from small and medium-sized firms to larger organizations.

Choosing Skype for Business Eighteen months ago, Vandeputte began to explore the market in search of a new telephone system.

The new system needed to cover not only telephony but also a series of new technologies: video, instant messaging and VoIP. As a result, it also became a driver for mobile- and homeworking.

V irtually the entire IT environment at Vandeputte was Microsoft-based. So it did not take long for them to choose Skype for Business.

When selecting a supplier, four names were considered, including Proximus, which had been providing telephone and data services for quite a while already. Thanks to positive past experience and its technical know-how, Proximus won the day.

On the advice of Proximus, Vandeputte is also implementing Anywhere 365,

Maarten Bekers joined Vandeputte in 1999.

The company was his first and so far only employer.

Until two years ago he worked as a systems engineer. Now he is IT manager.

mainly for the options it offers for call routing and reporting.

Vandeputte has also opted for Business Trunking, which means that the entire system is IP-based via two redundant server rooms. This significantly increases availability. If a site fails, all telephone calls can be dealt with at another location.

Communication as a HR tool Instant messaging, in particular, was quickly picked up by users. With video, at first there was a peak, then usage fell before rising again.

Thanks to video, foreign sites have become far more involved in short, 30-minute meetings. In the past, it was not worth the trouble of traveling hundreds of kilometers for this.

It’s difficult to calculate a real ROI. The cost price is more or less equal to the previous system but the possibilities are far greater.

More info Contact your account manager.

For more customer testimonials go to www.proximus.be/one

March 2016

VISION | Peter Bal, CIO at Wabco

“IT helps give shape to new business models” Digitalization is creating interesting times for CIOs once again.

Of course, IT has to keep providing operational support but, at the same time, it is being given another role. “The availability of new technologies is changing existing business models,” says Peter Bal, CIO at Wabco. “That brings a new challenge for the IT department, but also an opportunity.”

As CIO of Wabco, Peter Bal combines his passion for technology and leadership. He did so even as a student, as he has diplomas in both industrial engineering and business studies.

Peter Bal began his career with Imec. Later on came jobs at Alcatel, Proximus and Swift. Since 2007, he has headed up the IT department at Wabco: a team of 200 IT staff, plus 110 people in various functional areas in the Wabco shared service centers in Poland and India. In addition to this, he leads a team of 200 in the product development department at Transics, a Wabco subsidiary that offers fleet management solutions. Peter Bal won the Wabco Chairman’s Award for the development of the current team.

Specialist journal Data News named him CIO of the year 2015.

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VISION | Peter Bal, CIO at Wabco

W

abco is a global market leader in vehicle technology. The company develops and produces braking and suspension systems for trucks, among other things.

Wabco employs 11,400 people in 38 countries. CIO Peter Bal has his office in the headquarters in Brussels. At the end of 2015, the specialist journal Data News named him CIO of the year in recognition of the remarkable path that Peter Bal has traveled with his team over the past few years. “Operational excellence remains an important core task for IT,” he says. “We haven’t lost sight of that. We see IT as a means of simplifying systems and applications, which saves time so that people can get round to other things more quickly.” This is an important observation, particularly in an environment where business and technology are developing at lightning speed. “There’s a lot of volatility. It’s essential to be able to react quickly to changes. In the best case, you can anticipate them.”

Of course, IT doesn’t just focus on improving their own activities. Peter Bal: “We devise solutions to increase productivity in the other business units.” That requires not only a thorough know­ledge of the IT systems, but also of the operating processes to which they are applied.

“The shared service center is the best example of this. There we have combined and optimized processes.” The digital­ ization of operating processes – and the expansion of the entire business – is both a challenge and an opportunity here. “In terms of IT, we are living in very interesting times,” says Peter Bal. “Digitalization means that the CIO has to take more initiative. That’s fairly new.” Until recently, the CIO played a more supportive role.

“Now more than ever, the CIO looks at how technology can improve a com­ pany’s business model.”

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IT takes the lead In the case of Wabco, cooperation with clients and partners plays a crucial role.

“We usually develop our products and services together with the client. But, more and more, the market expects us to take the lead.” So Wabco is shifting towards fleet management, among other things, by taking over Transics, a Belgian company that develops solutions for the transport sector. “In this context, as CIO you have to be given the space and the confidence to start up disruptive projects, even if there is no classic business case for them beforehand.”

So IT is both an enabler and a driver of the business. “Step by step, we are moving into a real data business. More than a hundred thousand trucks are driving around with our on-board computers. The data collected are the fuel for new applications, as regards platooning, for instance.” Here, trucks drive close together in a group, which lowers the energy consumption, among other things. Via IT, the braking systems on the trucks are interlinked, so that they all brake in the same way.

Business is IT “This example shows how business and IT are interwoven. Our business is becoming more and more IT, and vice versa.” The whole concept of self-driving vehicles is based on connected applications. “The important thing now is to integrate the existing systems for vehicle follow-up with new applications. Hauliers that want to stand out are actively pursuing this at the moment.” It’s a development that brings the role of IT at Wabco more than ever into sharp relief. “It’s with the combination of technology and leader­ship that we can make the difference here,” concludes Peter Bal.

“ Digitalization means the CIO has to take more initiative. Now more than ever, the CIO looks at how technology can improve a company’s business model.”

March 2016

3 tips for the CIO

1

Mix modesty with ambition

“Belgians are level-headed. They have both feet on the ground. It’s an excellent characteristic. If you wallow in complacency, then you remain blind to new opportunities. Generally speaking, Belgians can work well together. The Belgian compromise offers the CIO a key advantage: it leads to a partnership where everyone wins, not just your own company. But Belgian CIOs should demonstrate something more. In the context of digitalization, companies need a CIO who takes initiatives, who is ambitious: an entrepreneur in the enterprise. As CIO, you have to dare to put forward ambitious objectives – and then achieve them. With confidence and credibility, the CIO can increase his or her role in the company.”

2

Communicative leadership

“If the CIO wants to fulfill his objectives, then he has to understand his environment perfectly. That insight enables him to pick up on trends and developments and anticipate them.

The CIO must make the company management enthusiastic about new ideas, so that he is given the confidence to turn them into concrete projects.

Communication is extremely important here. By clearly communicating his ideas, the CIO has to bring both his own team and the management on board.”

3

Learn from the best

“I think it’s very important to regularly share experiences and ideas with colleagues. I do that, among other things, through the activities of CIONET, CIO Forum, Euro CIO and the MIT Club.

That way, you learn a lot from other CIOs and suppliers and you quickly pick up on new developments. It’s that sort of speed that leads to a competitive advantage.”

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SOLUTION | From voice to unified communication in the Cloud

More efficient cooperation Twenty hours – that’s how long we spend on average every week reading and sending e-mails. And yet only 15 to 20% are relevant to you. So it’s high time for smarter cooperation.

O

nce upon a time, the telephone was the only way to communicate from a distance. And then in the 1990s, e-mail arrived.

Gradually, e-mail became a victim of its own success: you can send a message quickly, copying in various people if you wish, and then you presume that your e-mail has reached its destination.

However, if the recipient gets over 100 messages in his mailbox every day, there is no certainty that your e-mail will be read any time soon. In the past few years, IT has developed rapidly towards broadband IP networks

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(both data and voice). As a result, the boundaries between the traditional telecom applications are becoming increasingly blurred. More and more IT applications are appearing that can be used to communicate and cooperate in a different – faster – way, such as instant messaging, videoconferencing and file sharing. Even voice traffic no longer has to use the phone line. That too, is now possible via the IP network. The success of applications such as Skype shows how people have now become familiar with Voice over IP technology.

Growing mobility The evolution of telephony towards smart cooperation with unified communication and collaboration tools is stimulated by the growing importance of mobility. How mobile are the staff in your company? Perhaps they are working more and more outside fixed office hours and in various locations – at home, on

the road or with customers. By working flexibly, we avoid traffic jams, we are more productive and we can achieve a better work-life balance. The first requirement to be able to work flexibly is that you have access to all professional applications, including mobile devices, wherever you are. Only then can we be as productive everywhere as we are at the office. That presupposes a good, secure connection with the company network.

Always reachable by phone If being mobile is so important, why not use a mobile device for all telephone communications? That may be a good option for one-man businesses and a lot of small companies or start-ups, but not for larger organizations. A fixed phone number makes a more professional impression and it’s easier for your customers if you can always be reached on the same, fixed number. Fixed-mobile convergence – where the mobile number March 2016

21% It is estimated that mobility and traffic problems result in a 21% productivity loss for Belgian companies every year.

is linked to the fixed number – means that the call comes in on both devices, so you can always be reached. It works the other way round too: if you call someone from your mobile device, they still see the fixed number on their screen. So there is no longer any need to give customers your mobile phone number.

How often do you have to listen to your voicemail and call people back because you weren’t available? That, too, becomes a lot more efficient thanks to improved accessibility: fewer voicemails, fewer missed calls, more efficient communication and better service for your customers. You can even receive your voicemails by e-mail.

Unified communication in the Cloud In the past, it was sometimes fairly complicated for companies to introduce unified communication and collaboration.

They needed to have the right IT www.proximus.be/one

expertise in house, which was often only possible for large organizations. And some technologies were only feasible with bigger budgets. Videoconferencing, for instance, took place in meeting rooms with large screens and expensive systems. Now you can easily install video software on your PC or even on a mobile device – laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Unified communication and collaboration tools are now within reach for every company, via the Cloud. So your company no longer has to install or maintain any equipment. You don’t have to make any major investments beforehand in order to acquire internal UC knowledge or IT infrastructure; you simply pay a fixed monthly amount per user. What’s more, the number of users can be adapted very flexibly, which means that a unified communication in the Cloud solution can follow the growth of your company.

When is unified communication in the Cloud an advantage for you?

• I f your staff are often on the road • I f you work flexible hours and from home • I f your company has several sites • I f you work on an international scale

Business benefits • Advanced cooperation tools • No internal expertise necessary • Flexible and modular • More time for strategic projects, less day-to-day maintenance • Clear view of IT costs

More info For more information about unified communication and collaboration, contact your account manager or go to www.proximus.be

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IN PRACTICE | N CI Agency increases its emphasis on videoconferencing

The NATO Communications and Information Agency, NCI Agency, is engaged in ongoing innovation with its trading partners Proximus and Polycom. The idea is to optimize the use of videoconferencing for as many NATO personnel as possible.

Multidimensional collaboration

T

he NCI Agency delivers secure, coherent, cost effective and interoperable communications and information systems and services in support of consultation, command and control and enabling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, for NATO, where and when required. It includes IT support to the alliance’s business processes (including provision of IT shared services) to NATO HQ, the Command Structure and NATO agencies. “Our headquarters are located in Brussels,” says Gus Mommers, Head of Conference Management Services at the NCI Agency.

“We also have regional offices in Mons and The Hague and are active at 30 other locations.” The NCI Agency was finding the purchase, management and maintenance of facilities for videoconferencing particularly complex and time-consuming. Working closely with Proximus, the agency devised a new process, based on a hybrid approach.

“Polycom acts as supplier,” says Mommers, “while Proximus looks after the helpdesk and first-line support. In this way we combine the best of these two partners.”

New ways of working Based on this partnership, the NCI Agency plans to expand and renew its infrastructure for videoconferencing.

The Agency manages, among other things, nine Tele Presence Experience systems for videoconferences. Some of them have reached the end of their life cycle. “The employees’ needs are changing all the time,” says Catherine Galoppin, Section Head of On-Site Conferences and Events. “We therefore looked into what the most fitting and cost-effective solution would be.” The NCI Agency ultimately opted to offer the advantages of videoconferencing to the widest possible group of users.

“Flexible solutions like the Polycom RealPresence Group Series, Centro, RealPresence Trio and Software Clients fit perfectly within the broader context of the new ways of working that we have introduced in our agency,” Galoppin continues.

“These days, flexibility is absolutely vital because we are no longer at the office from nine to five. We are a mobile

About the NCI Agency

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is NATO’s internal IT Agency. The agency is headquartered in Brussels and has about 2,400 employees.

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March 2016

workforce that must be able to operate from different locations. This enables our customers to communicate accurately and clearly, without any time being wasted.”

Advanced applications “Videoconferencing has to be accredited and reliable,” says Mommers. “In this technology, facial recognition is very important, partly because staff from 28 NATO countries are often not speaking their native language in their job. This means that high image quality is a must.”

Another important point is that the NCI Agency wants to make videoconferencing as widely available as possible. “We are not replacing large installations on a onefor-one basis,” says Galoppin. “A range of applications is being introduced: we are equipping small and large meeting rooms – 60 in total – but we are equally supporting videoconferencing on desktop and laptop.”

Lower travel costs The NCI Agency wants to use videoconferencing to support its employees in their own location wherever possible. This should bring

Gus Mommers is

Head of Conference Management Services.

Catherine Galoppin is Section Head of On-Site Conferences and Events at the NCI Agency.

the agency enormous savings in terms of time and travel expenses. The use of videoconferencing is very diverse. There are employees who hold meetings about administrative matters via video and therefore no longer need to drive from Brussels to The Hague or Mons. Equally, though, it is used in critical dialogue with operational units in Afghanistan. “In that situation, the technology has to work flawlessly,” Mommers adds, “because lives could be at stake.”

Partnership “This makes it necessary to look for the right project partner, who must meet certain criteria such as being innovative, reliable and efficient – in short, someone who thinks problems through with the customer. A partnership with Proximus enables us to offer the innovative solutions we have been talking about, which meet the demand for better, more efficient communication, effective purchase, installation and maintenance processes, cost reductions and time savings, resulting in an ROI of 36 months,” says Galoppin.

Business benefits • More efficient communication • Faster, more efficient processes for purchase, installation and maintenance • ROI of 36 months • Time savings • Cost reduction

More info Contact your account manager.

For more customer testimonials go to www.proximus.be/one

www.proximus.be/one

17

SCOOP | Devices in the spotlight Huawei Y5

Low cost, but full functionalities If you’re not interested in a mobile phone as a status symbol, but you are interested in the possibilities it offers and its ease of use, the Huawei Y5 is definitely a device to consider. For the price of an ordinary mobile, you get a fully fledged smartphone that works with the modern Android 5.1 Lollipop.

The Y5 comes in black and white. It is particularly easy to use and thanks to the quad-core processor, multitasking with the various Android apps supplied with it works very smoothly. Handy features like the Multi Snap function mean that the smartphone unlocks in a flash to take a photo, so you never miss a great moment.

Equally handy is the tethering possibility, with which the telephone shares its 4G connection as a Wi-Fi hotspot for all devices.

Processor: 1,1 GHz quad core Operating system: Android 5.1 Memory: 1 GB RAM; 8 GB storage Screen type: 4.5” multitouch FWVGA

Screen resolution: 480 x 854 pixels Dimensions: 136 x 68 x 10 mm Weight: 141 g Connection: 4G LTE, HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

Bluetooth: 4.0 Camera: 5 Mpix; 2 Mpix front camera; LED flash Other accessories: USB 2.0, GPS, light sensor, proximity sensor, tethering

With great value smartphones like the Huawei Y5, there is no longer any reason to keep on using an ordinary phone.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Raising the smartphone bar even higher The new flagship in the Samsung Galaxy range offers a host of reasons to upgrade.

This streamlined device with its superb 5.1” Super AMOLED touch screen is just 7 mm thick, and yet it is waterproof, dustproof and has a reinforced Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Under the bonnet, the fast processor runs on the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with no less than 4 GB RAM available. The entry-level model has 32 GB storage space and can be extended via a micro-SD slot to no less than 200 GB! That’s enough for you to take your entire music collection with you and synchronize the device with Microsoft’s OneDrive, supported as standard.

The improved camera takes amazing photos, even in difficult light conditions, and films in full HD resolution. What’s more, it fits seamlessly in the elegant case.

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820/ Exynos 8 Octa Operating system: Android 6.0 Memory: 4 GB RAM; 32/64/128 GB storage space, micro-SD slot

Screen type: 5.1” Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen Screen resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels Dimensions: 143 x 71 x 7 mm Weight: 152 g Connection: 4G LTE, NFC, 802.11ac

Bluetooth: 4.2 Camera: 12 Mpix with dual LED, autofocus, face recognition; 5 Mpix front camera Other accessories: Corning Gorilla Glass 5, Active Noise cancellation, Samsung Pay, IP68

The new flagship in the Samsung Galaxy range makes it difficult for the competition to match these top specifications at a comparable price.

Visit www.proximus.be/devices or go along to a Proximus Center to choose your new mobile device.

18

March 2016

Dossier

The connected car 90 minutes

On how the connected car is taking its place in traffic and in the automobile sector.

20 The connected car means at least another 50 years’ growth…

Interview

Matteo Gatta, Director Technology Strategy & Innovation at Proximus, on the transformation of the automobile industry

24 … provided that there are radical shifts in the sector and that Europe claims the digital leadership.

In the words of the expert

Luc Derie, Program Director Modernization Metro at STIB-MIVB: “A fully automatic metro, without drivers, is planned for the expansion of the metro network.”

26 www.proximus.be/one

19

DOSSIER | 9 managers round the table

90 minutes

on the connected car Seen rationally, a car should enable you to move around efficiently and comfortably.

However, the connected car takes us into a new era. The car is developing into a digital hub on wheels. This is causing a radical shift in the sector, with opportunities for totally new business models.

T

he concept is not really recent. We phone from the car, the satnav is connected to satellites and tracking systems register routes and driving behavior. But now, something fundamental is changing. Not only our smartphone, but the car itself is permanently connected to the Internet. The avail­ ability of data on cars, traffic flows and infrastructure creates new possibilities, such as advanced traffic information for the driver and online entertainment for the passengers.

The car produces data itself, on the working of the engine or the need for servicing, and keeps up-to-date information on distances, driving times, consumption and so on. This development is bringing radical change to the entire sector.

20

New information means new insights. They, in turn, lead to new services and models from manufacturers, garage owners, leasing companies, insurers, etc.

Reflection of daily life The spectrum of the connected car is very broad: from the car with the built-in SIM card to the self-driving vehicle.

“The essential thing with every type of connected car is the possibility of connectivity and data exchange,” says Joost Vantomme, Director Public Affairs at Febiac, “including traffic information, safety and traffic optimization, among other things, as well as the level of comfort for the driver and passengers.” Connectivity and data exchange lead March 2016

Participants

One Magazine invited nine managers from the Belgian business world to discuss the connected car.

Joost Vantomme

Director Public Affairs at Febiac, the Belgian federation of the automobile and two-wheeler industry “ T he car learns how the driver behaves. Soon it will know which school the children are taken to.”

Jean-Marc Ponteville

automatically to the need for broadband – and to issues of data protection and privacy. The striking point in the whole story is that the connected car makes us look at cars differently. “In the past, the cubic capacity of the engine was the main criterion when choosing a car, then the horsepower and today it’s the emissions,” says Jean-Marc Ponteville, PR Manager Volkswagen Belgium at D’Ieteren. “Soon we’ll be choosing a car on the basis of bits and bytes. The car is a tool that reflects our way of life very accurately.” From that point of view, the consumer is driving the connected car market – and not the other way round.

PR Manager Volkswagen Belgium at importer and distributor D’Ieteren “ Tomorrow’s consumer will choose a car on the basis of bits and bytes. The car is a tool that accurately reflects our way of life.”

Stéphane Jacobs

CEO of Mobile-for, Proximus subsidiary and provider of 4411, the mobile payment service for parking “ If the car has a SIM card, you could make it into a sort of virtual mobility portfolio.”

Jan Cools

Open data “The connected car offers the entire automobile sector an extraordinary opportunity,” says Stéphane Jacobs, CEO at Mobilefor. “The demand for mobility is constantly increasing. The automobile industry can look forward to another 50 years of growth at least.” The connected car may be an element that helps resolve the current congestion on the road network. In the connected world, data is the fuel for new applications. “Carmakers, highway authorities and public transport companies will have to work together and open up their data,” says Jan Cools, CEO of Be-Mobile.

“Through electronic toll collection, among other things, you can guide traffic a lot.” This guiding effect will soon be felt here in Belgium too, namely in freight transport.

Eventually, tolls may well be collected from passenger cars, as well. This not only changes the tax system, but also people’s behavior and habits. Open data is becoming so important that Volvo Cars has even hired a data officer.

Best practices Although the self-driving car is not yet with us, the connected car already has its place in traffic. “Since 2013, our cars have had a built-in SIM card,” says Jasper Odent, Product Manager at BMW Group. “If there’s an accident, the car automatically contacts a call center.” Via the SIM card, the car sends servicing data to the dealer. The connection also enables real-time traffic information, as well as other online services, including Internet access. Audi, too, now has a second generation of connected models on the market. “Among other things, we offer apps with which the driver can contact the car via the mobile data,” says Edouard de Meulemeester, Network Projects Manager at Audi. “He can look for the location of the car, turn on the heating remotely, etc. The important thing with this type of application is that the focus is on the client: that the client wants a mobility solution.” The connected car – and www.proximus.be/one

CEO of Be-Mobile, a company that analyzes big data from connected cars and feeds back traffic information to drivers “ Connected cars produce a treasure trove of information, e.g. about the driver’s behavior on the road.”

Jasper Odent

Product Manager at BMW Group “ Our cars have a built-in SIM card as standard and automatically inform a call center if there’s an accident.”

Edouard de Meulemeester

Network Projects Manager at Audi “ T he explanation about the connected aspect and the apps in the car takes longer than the actual sales talk.”

René Aerts Jr

Corporate Communication Director at Volvo Cars “ Technology has to improve road safety. By 2020, we don’t want any more fatalities in our cars.”

Laurent De Meutter

Head of Sales Mobility at Proximus “ 5G is essential for the connected car. The network removes the latency of the previous generations.”

Laurence Hamer

Marketing Specialist Automotive at Proximus “ Operators and carmakers need to work hand in hand so that we can respond as well as possible to the needs of Belgian drivers.”

21

DOSSIER | 9 managers round the table

all the apps that go with it – can offer part of the answer here, for example by guiding the driver to a free parking space. “Since the car contains a SIM card anyway, you could make it a sort of virtual mobility portfolio,” says Stéphane Jacobs. “At the moment we are seeing mainly local initiatives, where you have to link a credit card to every application – in order to park, for instance.” Linking up directly with the connected car would make it possible to lower the threshold for new applications. “What’s more, the

manufacturers mustn’t all swear by their own apps” in the view of René Aerts Jr, Corporate Communication Director at Volvo Cars. “It’s not just Belgium that has to provide the necessary infrastructure.

We have to open up and cooperate with multinationals like Apple and Google, to integrate the best practices into the car.”

Road safety Safety remains a priority for carmakers.

“We have to take care that the availability of all sorts of information doesn’t distract the driver from the road,” says Joost Vantomme. An apt comment although, first and foremost, the connected car aims to improve safety. When the car receives data in real time about the cars 22

around it, the traffic infrastructure, the weather conditions and the traffic flows, it will be able to take the right decisions faster than the driver. “The arrival of the 5G network is important here,” says Laurent De Meutter, Head of Sales Mobility at Proximus. “This network not only makes it possible to give priority to certain data flows, but it also excludes latency.” Just a few milliseconds can make a big difference. “We’ll be investing heavily in 5G over the next few years.” If the data transmission is critical for road

“ The connected car can help resolve the current congestion on the road network.”

– Stéphane Jacobs, CEO of Mobile-for

safety then, of course, there can be no latency or delay in the signal. “At the moment, the connected car mainly provides support for the driver,” says JeanMarc Ponteville. “Step by step, this role will be expanded.” The main aim here is to make traffic safer. “By 2020, we don’t want any more fatalities in our cars,” says René Aerts Jr. “Smart technology will play a role here.” Over the next few years, trust in self-driving cars will have to be developed. Especially in places where there are few cars equipped with the latest technology.

Privacy and security If we are talking about safety in the context of the connected car, we can’t overlook the security of the connection and the data. Will hackers be targeting our cars soon? “We attach great import­ ance to the security of the data traffic,” René Aerts Jr. goes on. “That’s quite simply one of the major challenges of the connected car.” As soon as a device is on the Internet, a security risk arises.

“Besides data protection, privacy is also an issue. “The car sensors record the driver’s behavior on the road in detail,” says Jan Cools. “That information is very interesting, among other things for insurers.” They would be able to reward good drivers on the basis of recorded data on routes, times and driving behavior – or refuse accident-prone drivers.

There’s already an insurance policy like this on the market in the Netherlands.

“At the moment, the average client does not consider privacy much,” says Jasper Odent. “Clients seldom ask for the SIM card of the car to be deactivated.”

New profiles One other important observation is that connected cars also change the work behind the scenes. Dealers not only need to expand their networks to be able to carry out the updates for connected cars more easily but, as well as mechanics, they also have to recruit staff who understand connectivity and software – in the workshop and in the showroom. “That March 2016

Perspective

much is clear among other things when you deliver a new car,” says Edouard de Meulemeester. “The explanation of the connected aspect and the apps now takes longer than the sales talk.” It obliges dealers to invest in training. “It is increasingly becoming a challenge to find staff who can fulfill this changing profile,” says Jean-Marc Ponteville. “The technical costs of the connected car will rise, but so will the dealers’ turnovers. The cost of the mechanical part will continue to fall,” according to Laurence Hamer. Moreover, it looks as if that trend is set to accelerate.

“So the profession is becoming increasingly vulnerable,” in Joost Vantomme’s view. “In the past the car was an autono­ mous machine, but the connected car depends more on connectivity and applications.” So dialogue between all the stakeholders is essential. “We need to know one another’s plans for the future,” concludes Laurence Hamer, “so that, as operators, we can continue to fulfill the automobile sector’s needs as regards the connected car without difficulty.”

ADAS: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Extra driving comfort and safety ADAS or advanced driver assistance systems are deployed in the automobile sector to provide additional driving comfort and safety. In the future, cars will be able to drive fully independently with the help of systems like these. At the moment, they mainly ensure extra safety for drivers.

ADAS works with powerful processors and software, receiving all sorts of input from sensors, cameras, radars, navigation systems, etc. For instance, the R-Car V2H processors from the company Renesas calculate a 360° stereoscopic image using six videos. The processors are multicore and have a huge capacity for simultaneous data processing.

3 4 2 1

1 5

6 2

2

1 6 4

Conclusion The connected car makes driving a totally new experience. As a driver and a passenger, you will have access to up-to-date information and entertainment. Vehicles are getting smarter, so we are moving step by step towards self-driving cars, permanently connected to their surroundings. The connected car changes the whole ecosystem: from the carmaker and the dealer to the leasing company and the insurer.

2

1

3

ADAS processors rely on input from: 1 A maximum of eight cameras 2 Radars to detect objects up to 50 meters away 3 Radars to detect objects up to 300 meters away 4 Lidar(laser radar) to detect objects 5 GPS (satnav) for localization purposes 6 Gyroscope as a movement detector.

Your opinion matters!

Donwload the One app

Would you like to respond to this round-table discussion?

Go to www.proximus.be/one or tweet @proximusEnt

and read the digital version of this magazine.

Go to the App Store, Google Play or www.proximus.be/onemagazineapp

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23

DOSSIER | Interview with Matteo Gatta, Director Technology Strategy & Innovation at Proximus, on the connected car

5G extension assures European leadership The future is being played out on the Internet of Things (IoT) and the connected car is an example of this. “Carmakers need to open up to new partners and business models, with a key role set aside for the operators. They can’t afford to miss the opportunity,” says Matteo Gatta.

T

he automobile industry is Europe’s biggest industrial sector. A lot of European carmakers are world-class players. In the past few years, American companies like Google and Facebook have taken the lead in the field of digital platforms. The major opportunity of the future is being played out on the Internet of Things (IoT), with the connected car as a spearhead,” says Matteo Gatta, Director Technology Strategy & Innovation at Proximus.

“Europe is in a good position to claim the digital lead as the situation evolves. But, of course, there are a few conditions.

The carmakers need to move away from their short-term view, based on vertical integration and their own systems. They have to open up their cars to technology partners and new business models. A

24

key role has been set aside here for the operators, too. Cars spend upwards of 90% of their time in one country, often in one region. So the connection to the local network and local applications is very important for the connected car.”

Role of the operator “An operator like Proximus definitely needs to be part of the process of drawing up the roadmap to European leadership centered around the IoT and the connected car. I’m thinking mainly here of the extension of the 5G network.

We are increasing the density of the network. There are more access points, connected to fiber optics, so we can keep the last part of the connection – the wireless connection to the car – as short as possible,” according to Matteo Gatta.

“Via 5G, you can make a connection without latency or delay, so the apps in the car always have all the necessary data straight away. This means the apps can support decisions and we are then moving into the field of contextual intelligence. The connected car interacts with its environment: with other cars, with road signs, traffic lights, etc. For that, the most important thing you need is an impeccable connection. Of course, the data exchange has to be secure, too.

Once again: the connected car offers the

automobile industry an opportunity that it really can’t afford to miss.”

Cooperation with other services “There are already a few examples in the industry. I’m thinking for instance of the cooperation between Proximus and Audi. All new Audis with Audi Connect have an Internet connection via the Proximus network. So, the driver can access all sorts of online services for information and entertainment.

At the same time, the principle of the connected car is about opening up the vehicle to other services. So then, among other things, the car becomes an extension of the smartphone, by gaining access via the vehicle to the contents of your smartphone – for instance SMART parking or real-time navigation systems – without the need for cables or other complicated connections.”

New experience According to Gatta, the way the connected car is developing involves interaction. “Neither the carmakers nor the operators have a complete understanding of what the customer wants. But together, they know a lot.

One important observation is that the younger generation attaches more importance to the virtual experience of March 2016

“ The connected car stands for a new experience of mobility, guided by the customer, supported by the carmaker and implemented in practice by the operator.”

an app than to the physical device that makes this app possible. My life is my phone: everything comes together in the device, but it’s about the apps, not about the device itself. The younger generation will find it less important to own a car, but they will continue to need mobility. The key is to link the experience of this with the connected car. That’s a challenge, not just for the carmakers, but for local dealers too. The customer is guiding the need for this new experience, supported by the carmaker and implemented in practice by the operator’s network.”

Matteo Gatta is

Director Technology Strategy & Innovation at Proximus. He manages the investment files for technology, from start to implementation. Matteo previously worked for BICS (Belgacom International Carrier Services) and was CEO of Scarlet for two years.

Matteo has Italian roots.

He studied in Pavia and Milan.

Open system Should we look at the connected car as a smartphone on wheels? “No. The industry shouldn’t make the mistake of comparing the connected car entirely to the smartphone. It’s still a car and not a device that you keep into your trouser pocket. I prefer to talk about a sensor on wheels. To use the vehicle, you need a public infrastructure. Hence the need for an open system, with access to open data, from other sensors. The future of the automobile industry and the connected car lies, above all, in cooperation with other parties.” A system that works impeccably is vital for the safety of drivers, too.

www.proximus.be/one

25

DOSSIER |Over to the expert: Luc Derie, Program Director Modernization Metro at STIB-MIVB With the connected metro, the public transport company STIBMIVB can serve more passengers and shorten waiting times during peak periods. New technology for safety signaling aims to achieve this goal.

Smoother peak-time travel thanks to connected metro Dynamic arrangement “New technology for safety signaling – based on the principle of the connected train – offers a solution. Not for nothing is this technology called CBTC – communication-based train control. The new technology determines not only the safe distance between two trains, but also the speed of the second train on the basis of the location and speed of the first.

Instead of fixed blocks, moving blocks are created. The point that the second train cannot pass – on the basis of safety considerations – is dynamically connected to the train in front. That point moves with this first train and changes in line with the speed of travel and the topology of the metro network.”

“ The use of connected trains makes it possible to increase the capacity of the metro lines.”

Luc Derie is Program Director

Modernization Metro at STIB-MIVB. With this program, STIB-MIVB is aiming to increase the capacity of the Brussels metro network by introducing a new safety signaling system and self-driving trains.

Before he joined STIB-MIVB in 2013, Luc Derie had built up over 20 years’ experience at train manufacturer Bombardier.

26

T

he first metro line in Brussels came into use in 1976. The way we run the metro network, these days, is still based, in part, on outdated technology from that time. This way of working restricts the capacity of the network, while demand just keeps on growing.

During peak hours, the network is largely saturated. So, at these times, passengers cannot board the first train that arrives in the station, but have to wait for the next one. Our challenge is to increase the capacity of the metro in the context of the existing network. Every metro line is divided into fixed zones, also known as ‘fixed blocks.’ These zones ensure a safe distance, at all times, between two trains.

If there is a train in a zone, the following trains automatically get a red light. To increase capacity, in principle you could make the fixed blocks smaller, so that the trains could run closer together. But to maintain safety, the trains would then have to run more slowly. As a result, we would lose a major advantage of the metro: the speed of the connection.”

Wi-Fi and real time “The new system is based on constant two-way communication between the trains and the infrastructure. The permanent exchange of data on the location and speed of one train via Wi-Fi makes it possible to pass on the best speed (for all trains) to be maintained at all times.

This means that the trains can run closer together yet safely, thus creating more capacity. Initially, we will be switching in Brussels to a system that automatically connects the instructions on the speed to be maintained to the traction and braking system of the train, so that the train speeds up and slows down fully autonomously and automatically. The driver is still present to ensure inter­action with the passengers, as well as to open and close the doors and give the signal to depart – after which the system takes over again until the next station.

In its most advanced form, this techno­ logy can be used to operate trains in total safety without any human intervention, the ‘automatic metro.’ A fully automatic metro, without drivers, is planned for the expansion of the existing metro network, including the new Albert-Bordet line.”

March 2016

SCOOP | Read for you

Why should you read it?

In this book, Marion Debruyne presents the ‘Connect – Convert – Collaborate’ methodology and the right way to implement it. That way, businesses can both innovate successfully and build up a market-oriented strategy. (At the moment only available in Dutch)

What’s it about?

For (too) many companies, innovation and customer orientation are still opposites that are almost impossible to reconcile. But the most successful companies, nowadays, are precisely those that succeed in interweaving both these factors in their corporate model.

In this book, Marion Debruyne passes on the tools and methods you need to put your customers center stage and be innovative at the same time.

Customer Innovation:

why the customer is key to company innovation How innovation and customer orientation can reach out to one another.

About the author

About the book

Marion Debruyne is a civil engineer with a master’s degree in marketing management and a PhD in applied economics. After having been Director of the Master’s programs and Program Director of the product management executive course, since last year she has been Dean of Vlerick. She was previously attached to the Wharton School, Kellogg Graduate School of Management and Goizueta Business School. Debruyne also has a seat on the board of directors of Kinepolis and Recticel.

“If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have probably said faster horses.” This famous quote from Henry Ford (although in fact it’s doubtful whether he actually ever said it) should really have disappeared into the mists of time long ago, says Marion Debruyne.

Read the interview with Marion Debruyne on page 32. www.proximus.be/one

uccessful organizations constantly pick up signals from their customers S and apply them in their innovations. For them, ‘listening to customers’ is not marketing blurb, but a fundamental part of their organization. uccessful organizations recognize their own shortcomings and actively S look for business partners to fill the gaps. uccessful organizations are flexible enough to learn from their mistakes S and understand that customer orientation is, above all, a culture.

27

IN PRACTICE | UBench International unites insurance, garages and leasing

Hiring or selling a car, planning a service or scheduling repairs after an accident: thanks to UBench International, the driver has nothing to worry about anymore.

The company’s solution brings all the parties involved together.

I

n 2003, UBench International launched a digital ecosystem for service companies in the automobile sector. Carmakers, bodywork firms, leasing companies, insurers, insurance brokers and claims experts work closely together to offer the customer the best possible service, in the context of a leasing or an insurance contract. UBench International supports a fleet of around 600,000 cars. Over 500 suppliers are affiliated to the company’s ecosystem. “In the UBench International concept, speed and cooperation are essential,” says CEO Peter Verbraeken. “We relieve drivers of all their cares via a one-stop shop.” If the driver has an accident, the UBench International solution ensures that all the parties involved spring into action immediately. They arrange for a courtesy car and immediately start looking for a solution to repair the damaged car.

Duplication at every level “Our role is to make sure that the right information is available to the right partners straight away,” Verbraeken explains. “Proximus serves as the facilitator that carries the digital information and takes it to the right place immediately.” The focus at UBench International is on operating security and safety. “The digital ecosystem runs day and night, seven days a week. Everyone has to be up to date on what is happening all the time and all the data has to be permanently available. What’s more, the information is confidential, since it includes personal details and contracts. So the IT environment not only has to be efficient and available, but it has to be secure, too.” That’s why UBench International, in consultation with Proximus, opted for redundancy at all levels. The company’s data is mirrored in two Proximus datacenters. In the datacenters, UBench International has redundant servers and storage based on Dell technology.

UBench International worked closely with Proximus partner SpearIT for this.

Safe data highway 28

Annual assessment “As a start-up company, back then we wanted to focus fully on our core activities,” Verbraeken continues.

“Proximus grew with us on a very flexible basis, right from the start. That was important to us because, from day one, we wanted to offer our customers peace of mind and certainty. We manage to do that, but with the help of a strong partner.” An assessment takes place every year, when Proximus and UBench International check whether the solution on offer covers the needs of customers and partners in the ecosystem sufficiently. The Deloitte consultancy firm included UBench International in its booster program for fast-growing companies. “We came through the audit of our IT environment with flying colors,” says Verbraeken. “We are continuing to extend our capacity and security. In the future, we are planning to deploy even faster mechanisms for backup and recovery.”

About UBench International

UBench International offers solutions for integrated fleet management. The services focus, among other things, on claims management, servicing, repairs, temporary hire and sales. UBench International is based in Turnhout and has a staff of about 20.

March 2016

“ We were able to offer our customers peace of mind and certainty from day one, because Proximus grows with us as a flexible partner.”

Peter Verbraeken is a civil engineer (specialization: energy and automation). He has worked for Fabricom GDF Suez and SGS Belgium, among others. He came into contact with fleet management via the insurance world. He set up UBench International in 2003.

Business benefits • Redundant data storage • Secure IT environment based on Dell technology • Focus on core activities • Peace of mind thanks to improved reliability

More info Contact your account manager.

For more customer testimonials go to www.proximus.be/one

www.proximus.be/one

29

TALKING HEADS | 7 questions for Johan Guelluy, CIO at Generali Belgium

“ In the future, some children may well have a stronger bond with a robot than a pet.”

Johan Guelluy CIO Generali Belgium

What is your greatest professional achievement?

The turnaround we made at Generali Belgium in 2015. The IT department that I have led since May 2015, together with all the other departments (Distribution, Life, Non-Life) enabled the insurer to record organic growth of 12%.

Who would you like to sit next to in an airplane and what would you like to ask him or her?

Leonardo da Vinci, if only to give him the pleasure of seeing the results of his inventions so many years later. He is – for me – still the greatest inventor of all time.

Personal Johan Guelluy is an enthusiastic IT Director who does everything possible to achieve the aims of the business. The staff themselves determine how they achieve their targets. He likes skiing and spends a lot of his free time on the sports activities (hockey and horse riding) of his three daughters. He also thinks it is important to work for good causes. Career Johan Guelluy studied commercial engineering / business i­ nformatics at the University of Hasselt and then went to Bordeaux on a commercial engineer’s course through an Erasmus program.

He built up a thorough technical knowledge at the consultancy firms CSC and Accenture, which he combines with extensive expertise in the banking and insurance sector. Since May 2015, he has been IT Director (CIO) at Generali Belgium. Company Generali Belgium (1901) is part of the international Generali Group. Three subsidiaries still operate in Belgium: Generali Real Estate (GRE), Europ Assistance and Generali Employee Benefits (GEB), which offers international coordination and monitoring for programs and group insurance plans for over 1,500 multinationals. MIT Technology Review recently included the Generali Group on the list of the 50 best companies for techno­logical innovation. Coworkers From the head office in Brussels, the 500 staff members at Generali Belgium serve 530,000 clients. The medium-sized insurance company sells life and non-life insurance via its website and through a network of around 1,000 independent brokers.

30

What brand do you always stick with?

Europ Assistance. I still vividly remember when I was traveling with my parents as a child and during our holiday we were near the Czech border. It was -15 °C and our car broke down. Especially when you’re far from home, it’s an incredible relief when you can call an assistance insurer to come and help you out quickly.

What don’t your staff know about you?

My staff know a lot, but I like to keep work and my private life separate.

They probably don’t know that I’m a member of the Lions Club Tienen and that I regularly make time for projects through which the club aims to help the less fortunate.

What do you think will be the next trend in the world of technology and IT? Robotization. In Japan they already have a hotel run by robots. For some tasks, robots will be used more and more. It won’t come straight away in the first few years, but some children may well have a stronger bond with a robot than a pet.

How do you see your role as CIO evolving over the next 20 years?

As a business enabler. Business and IT will become even more interwoven. It’s important to have good relations with your business partners. The CIO must be open to new ways of thinking and inspiring.

We will need more people managers, IT directors who value the input of their staff.

What is your favorite app at the moment?

It’s still WAZE, the world’s biggest community-based traffic and navigation app. The contribution made by the community, in particular, ensures added value.

March 2016

SCOOP | Useful app and IoT 1Password

Safe and easy, all in one For the various Cloud services that you use – such as e-mail, Twitter, Internet banking, etc. – it is best to use a different password. Otherwise, hackers who manage to crack one system can also log in to all your other applications and take over your digital identity. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to remember dozens of passwords and you probably easily have that many.

1Password resolves this problem. The app collects all your passwords in an encrypted place and synchronizes them with your smartphone, tablet, PC and Mac. It interacts with your web browsers and, if necessary, automatically generates a new, unique password when a website asks it to do so.

As well as passwords, 1Password can also store other information securely, such as your credit card number. The app works on iOS and Android. You can try it out free of charge on both systems.

1Password generates and stores unique passwords in an encrypted place to protect your digital identity.

AnyBridge

Building devices easily The Internet of Things (IoT) calls for devices, sensors and actors for a wide range of applications. Developing your own device is a costly task. Suppose that with one product, you can experiment at a low cost and then move on to large-scale production in the target market.

The unique AnyBridge IoT Device Building Blocks offer an answer. AnyBridge can connect industrial things flexibly and quickly. With the AnyBridge IoT Power Plans, you can move easily from proofof-concept to production, without huge, risky investments.

AnyBridge is compatible with Proximus MyThingsScanner and MyThingsManager. It uses wireless connectivity. The MyThingsScanner application scans in all sensors and allocates them a particular location. The management platform then runs all sensors without any fuss.

AnyBridge Device Building Blocks can be produced in any volume required.

www.proximus.be/one

31

TALKING HEADS | Interview with Marion Debruyne, author of ‘Customer Innovation’

E A happy customer means a better innovator Eighteen months ago, Marion Debruyne brought out ‘Customer Innovation’ (at this moment only available in Dutch) a much-talked-about book that won several awards. In it, the author explains how companies can combine customer orientation and innovation to create a cast-iron success story. “Involving your customers is good for your business.”

Read the review of ‘Customer Innovation’ on page 27.

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ither you innovate thoroughly, or you focus entirely on your customers. For many companies, this is still all too often a question of either-or, Prof. Debruyne says. And that’s a shame. “A lot of business leaders see a paradox here,” she says. “Innovation is usually high on the agenda, but there’s still a lot of misunderstanding about the combination with customer orientation, often their second priority. However, one doesn’t rule out the other. On the contrary.” Companies that listen carefully to the market are often regarded with pity, says Debruyne. As if they are unable to come up with new, fundamental, pioneering things. And that’s not true. “All the research shows that this type of company has a bigger market share, better customer satisfaction and higher figures. In short, involving your customers is good for your business.”

Matrix model Prof. Debruyne has produced a matrix model that offers companies a foothold if they want to use it, the 3C model: connect, convert and collaborate. “Connect stands for making contact with the market and putting out your antenna as much as possible. Convert means that you’ll do something with it: you are aware of what’s happening, and you’ll actively innovate and build new business models. And, finally, collaborate means internal and external cooperation. No one has all the skills they need in house, not even IBM or Apple. So involving as many sources in your ideas and innovation as possible is a really good idea.”

Debruyne views this 3C model through three ‘lenses’: the first views the situation from the point of view of existing customers, the second focuses on the existing product range and looks at the broader market and the total product experience. With the last lens, the company goes further afield to pick up signs of impending changes. “The big challenge is to apply these three levels. You have to take account of what your customer wants today, and know what changes are in the offing. The 3C model also has a different meaning in each lens, so there’s no question of copy-paste.”

Need for culture Debruyne’s book contains dozens of examples of best practices and good ideas from multinationals and tiny start-ups alike. One thing struck her here. “Above all, you need a culture for innovation to really thrive. Co-creation is a trendy word at the moment, but without a culture that pervades the company, there’s not really any point to something like this. For instance, I notice that companies consult their customers first, without their employees having a say. That’s not right, of course.”

What’s next?

The book ‘Customer Innovation’ is now about a year and a half old.

Have new movements arisen in the meantime that Debruyne would like to cover in a sequel? “In my view, the 3C model and the three lenses are the main idea to come out of the book and I’d always write the same thing about that. If there is a sequel, I’d go a step further about putting the model into practice, how it can be used. But the sequel will have to wait a while. I recently became Dean of Vlerick and I’ve got my hands full with that (laughs).”

March 2016

SOLUTION | Reliable network

Suppose you send a text that doesn’t arrive until a day later: no one would accept that.

It’s equally inconceivable for customers that they can’t reach your call center or, for members of the public, that they have no access to an online government service because the network is down.

Real time is only possible with a reliable network

W

e live in a real-time economy and that means the network must be available at all times. People expect to be able to connect with one another, government organizations and companies, at any time. Through the online world, people can find what they are looking for, whenever they want. This also puts huge pressure on organizations: you absolutely have to ensure that you are accessible via various channels. Thanks to the Internet, you can run your services, day and night. And that’s essential, certainly for commercial organizations, because consumers are demanding and your competitors are only a mouse click away from them.

Virtual is real About 20 years ago, we still called the Internet the ‘virtual world,’ a world entirely disassociated from the physical world.

These days, at the very least, the Internet supplements the physical world and, according to some people, even replaces it. Just think how much time you spend online and how everything is gradually becoming connected. Do you sleep with your smartphone on your bedside table, even though health gurus advise against it? For companies and governments, in any case, it means that they have to offer their goods and services in both the www.proximus.be/one

physical world and online. After all, no one wants to lose a client or disappoint a member of the public.

The technology behind the scenes Behind all these possibilities – which your target audience takes so much for granted – lie all sorts of technological conditions: connectivity, communication standards, software, mobile devices, apps, etc., and all these facilities have to be constantly available. In the early years of IT, crashes were still quite common, but now they are unacceptable. The more accustomed you are to the permanent online possibilities, the more logical you think it is that they are always there.

So someone has to keep everything running behind the scenes. Proximus aims to be that someone, as a supplier of communication infrastructure, Cloud applications and datacenter facilities. In all areas, Proximus provides services with maximum reliability. The aim here is to ensure the best possible experience for your target audience.

Availability is not enough In the real-time economy, everything comes to a standstill if the network fails. Working, playing, entertaining, communicating, buying, informing – everything is based on a reliable network. So the connection has to be

available, all of the time. But that’s not enough. A reliable network is not only constantly available, it also has to supply sufficient capacity and, what’s more, it has to channel information without delay, whatever the circumstances. This is why Proximus invests continually in the reinforcement of networks and datacenters, e.g. by increasing capacity and investing in the latest technology and facilities such as managed services.

That way, users can be totally reassured and the technology behind the scenes keeps on running without interruption.

Business benefits • Meet your clients’ expectations • Focus on your core activities • Permanent availability • A mple capacity and high speed

More information Contact your account manager or visit www.proximus.be

33

IN TEAM | Roger Malevé, CTO/CIO at the National Lottery

“ I believe in management by walking around” The National Lottery has been organizing games of chance in Belgium for over 80 years now. But that does not mean that this grand old lady has stood still.

On the contrary. “IT and communication technology have become essential in virtually every department,” says CIO Roger Malevé.

About the National Lottery

The National Lottery was started in 1934 to bring in money for the then Belgian colony, Congo. Of the € 1.173 billion turnover in 2015, 53% went to winners and 10% was handed over to the points of sale. A further 28% went back to society (subsidies and monopoly rent) and 9% was used to cover operating costs.

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B

oth for the internal operation of the organization and in contacts with the players, networks and IT are a crucial pillar for the National Lottery,” says Roger Malevé.

“For instance, there are the 5,600 points of sale that sell draw games and scratch cards. They are all connected to our infrastructure via a Proximus VPN. All draw games and scratch cards are digitalized and we process over 600 million transactions a year. At peak times, we are probably the second busiest network in Belgium, after the banks.”

Digital follow-up Since March 2010, there has also been a website to play online. “It already has over 500,000 players and accounts for 10% of our turnover,” says Malevé. “In addition, you can play the Lotto via the supermarkets as well now, and, for instance, have the Joker figures printed on your till receipt. That means our systems have to be able to hook into their systems.” Plus the entire supply chain for scratch cards from printer to store is computerized. “Everything is followed up digitally. If a thief steals a pack of scratch cards, he won’t get anything out of it, because it is deactivated from a distance.”

Drudgery The difference compared with a few decades ago is huge. Paper lotto slips came into the head office and were keyed in manually. Pure drudgery. Scanning and March 2016

Roger Malevé has been CTO/CIO at the National Lottery since April 2009. He studied economics and has worked at the Federal Public Service for Finance, in various ministerial offices and for the investment company GIMV. He also worked for private companies such as Stork Group and Telindus.

“ At peak times, the Lottery has the second busiest computer network in Belgium, after the banks.”

sending them through digitally did not begin until 1992.

“Now we track scratch cards almost in real time, so the in-store stock volume is always optimal. Digitalization also makes it possible to analyze the huge quantities of data we have in our systems. Big data is a familiar concept at the National Lottery. That way, we try to understand our players better, to be able to offer them an even better service and more fun. As you can see, the National Lottery business is fully supported by IT.”

Various profiles The IT aspect of the National Lottery is taken care of by around 50 staff members, led by Roger Malevé.

About 50 other people work on projects. “They include architecture specialists, developers, security specialists, system administrators, project managers – a whole range of fields,” the CTO/CIO explains. His own management style is easy to describe. “I believe in management by walking around. Being present on the floor is definitely as efficient as seven meetings (laughs).”

Special dividend Malevé has worked for many different companies, but his job at the Lottery is something special. “We have a very specific mission. Not only do we try to keep the gambling side of things on the right track, but we give much of the money that we earn back to society. The social dividend that we pay out is unique.”

www.proximus.be/one

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IN PRACTICE | Proximus carries out full IT migration for Imtech Belgium

From the Netherlands to Belgium in

two months

I

mtech Belgium is a technical service provider. The company designs, produces and maintains installations for complex buildings in the tertiary sector and for industry. At the end of August 2015, the court declared the Dutch parent company, Royal Imtech Group, bankrupt. “But in Belgium, business was good,” says Jan Tanghe, IT manager at Imtech Belgium. “So we carried on, even after the declaration of bankruptcy. The services we provide for our clients were never in danger.”

Taking care of service provision It soon became clear that the construction company Cordeel would be taking over the activities of Imtech Belgium. Imtech Belgium became an independent, autonomous entity within the Cordeel group. This ensured the activities in Belgium, but the company immediately faced another challenge.

“Over the years, Imtech had built up a shared service center for IT in the Netherlands,” Tanghe explains.

“All the servers and data were in the Netherlands. Virtually everything IT-related came from the shared service center: Wi-Fi, core switches, ERP, e-mail, Internet access, etc.” Imtech Belgium had a redundant connection with the shared service center via Proximus Explore.

“The bankruptcy meant that the shared service center could stop working at any 36

time,” says Steven Hemelaere, Systems Manager at Imtech Belgium. “So we had to act quickly.”

Business-critical IT Imtech Belgium made a list of all their IT needs and gave themselves two months to disconnect entirely from the shared service center. “An ambitious plan,” Tanghe admits, “but we had no choice. IT is particularly business critical.” For example: the ERP system is the vital link between the call center, the technicians and clients.

Among other things, it manages the maintenance technicians’ schedule. They receive their assignments directly on their tablets, where they can also record all their information and the hours they have worked straight away. So it’s crucial in order to provide the best possible service for our clients. Imtech Belgium already had a good relationship with Proximus as a client for Explore and mobile telephony.

Barely three months before the parent company went bankrupt, Proximus had implemented a vContainer solution for Imtech Belgium. “That was an unexpected piece of luck,” says Hemelaere, “because it meant that we quickly had the necessary server capacity in the Cloud.”

Total migration With Proximus as partner and sole point of contact, Imtech Belgium got down to work. Within the time frame,

What happens if the parent company of your IT shared service center files for bankruptcy? Imtech Belgium knows all about that. In less than two months, the company built up a whole new IT environment, with Proximus as the sole point of contact for all the expertise required.

a completely new IT environment was created: 600 mail boxes were migrated, Explore was upgraded and adapted, vContainer was extended, the ERP environment was migrated, Office 365 and Lync were introduced, firewalls were moved, etc. Proximus partner IT-Care took care of the implementation. “At first, we set everything up on a very rudimentary basis,” says Dany Dedecker, IT team leader at Imtech Belgium, “so that we could guarantee business continuity. We are now in a consolidation phase, where we are finishing off all aspects of the project in detail.” However, the whole process took place behind the scenes. “Most of our staff didn’t notice anything,” Tanghe concluded. “At most, they had to change their password.”

Every month, Imtech Belgium discusses the situation with Proximus. Eventually, the company wants to rehouse more elements of its IT infrastructure in the Proximus datacenters.

More info Contact your account manager.

For more customer testimonials go to www.proximus.be/one

March 2016

“ We managed to create a completely independent IT environment in just two months.”

– Jan Tanghe, Dany Dedecker and Steven Hemelaere of Imtech Belgium

About Imtech Belgium

Imtech Belgium specializes in technical service provision. The company designs, produces and maintains installations for complex buildings in the tertiary and industrial sectors. Imtech Belgium employs 800 staff and posts a turnover of € 200 million per annum.

Business benefits • Building an independent IT environment in just two months • Business continuity always guaranteed • Sole point of contact

Jan Tanghe, IT-manager,

Dany Dedecker, IT Teamleader and

Steven Hemelaere,

systems manager at Imtech Belgium.

www.proximus.be/one

37

TALKING HEADS | Handling heavy data traffic without difficulty

Fiber optics Companies exchange multimedia with clients and partners, they offer applications in the Cloud and work together online.

A great many users are often active on the network at the same time and, what’s more, the data volumes can be sizeable. Because they therefore want highperformance connectivity, they are opting more and more for fiber optics.

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I

n the multimedia era, now more than ever we need a network that offers sufficient speed and bandwidth. With multimedia in the Cloud, fiber optic connections are becoming increasingly common, including in smaller companies.

“We’re constantly exchanging large files,” says Tim Vanderbruggen of Watkins, an American jacuzzi manufacturer. “For instance, we receive digital brochures from the head office in California, as well as video files, manuals, photos, etc., that we provide as support for our dealers.” One feature specific to companies that switch to fiber optics is that they often work with large volumes in both directions, both uploading and downloading. “We do indeed need substantial upload capacity,” says Frank Boeckaerts of All Media Monitoring Company (AMMCO). The company undertakes media moni­toring for over 1,000 partners: it collects and compiles reports that appear on companies in the media. “In the first place, fiber optics offers us high capacity. A conventional ADSL connection proved inad­equate.

Sometimes hundreds of users log on to our platform, all at the same time, in search of their content. Fiber optics can cope with that perfectly.”

Large volume, no problem Dapesco has a similar need. The consultancy firm helps clients follow up and adjust their energy purchases and consumption. “We receive over a million reports daily with data from clients’ measuring points,” says Jean-François Potelle of Dapesco. “We analyze this data and then send summary reports to our clients.” Via a web application, clients can follow their energy consumption online, too. “Of course, this application has to be constantly available, everywhere, including at peak times. Thanks to the fiber optic connection, we manage to guarantee this service.” Availability is the biggest challenge for Oona, too.

The communications firm provides text, photos and videos on big-name clients such as Nike, JBC and Ikea. “We make these media available to journalists, for instance,” says Oona’s Werner De

March 2016

is an essential part of our business Smet. “The files have to be available immediately and the download has to be fast.” When Oona moved to new premises, the company decided to switch to fiber optics. “We wanted to avoid ultimately having to compromise on performance. “In terms of speed and bandwidth, with fiber optics we’re good for quite some time yet.”

Essential element Oona, All Media Monitoring and Watkins all have a fiber optic connection with a symmetrical capacity: uploading and download take place at 20 Mbit/s. At Dapesco, the symmetrical capacity is 30 Mbit/s. “Our entire business depends on this connectivity,” says Frank Boeckaerts of All Media Monitoring.

“Instead of cutting articles out of the newspaper for our partners, we collect and distribute everything digitally. The fiber optic connection is an essential part of our business.” At Watkins, the internal working of the company also relies heavily on the network. Staff at the European distribution center in

www.proximus.be/one

Dilsen-Stokkem are in close contact with their colleagues in San Diego via videoconferencing. “For that, too, it’s handy that we have a fast connection,” declares Tim Vanderbruggen. “We use Skype for Business. With fiber optics, that works without a hitch and offers good audio and video quality.” Above all, fiber optics guarantees smooth service provision for clients. “We manage 15,000 sites in 40 countries,” says Jean-François Potelle. “Without a reliable and high-performance network, our business comes to a standstill straight away.” The same goes for Oona.

“The network is an essential element of what we offer as a company,” concludes Werner De Smet. “Clients know that our content is always available immediately.”

Participants

One magazine invited 4 managers from the Belgian business world to discuss fiber optics.

Werner De Smet

CEO at Oona “ In terms of speed and bandwidth, with fiber optics we’re good for quite some time yet.”

Tim Vanderbruggen

European Marketing Manager at Watkins Europe “ We use Skype for Business. It works without a hitch and offers good audio and video quality.”

Jean-François Potelle

CEO at Dapesco “ T he web application that clients can use to follow their energy consumption has to be constantly available, everywhere, even at peak times.”

Frank Boeckaerts

Sales Assistant at AMMCO “ S ometimes hundreds of users log on to our platform, all at the same time, in search of their content. We can cope with that now.”

39

PROXIMUS | News

Audi connect: the car as a mobile hotspot From now on, you can take the term mobile Internet literally, because together, Proximus and Audi Belgium are providing an Internet connection in Audi cars. It enables an improved navigation system and an optimal surfing experience.

Visitors to the Motor Show had the chance to try out the new system at the Proximus stand.

According to market research agency Machina Research, 90% of all cars sold will have an integrated Internet connection by 2020. So Proximus and Audi are installing a specific data SIM card for use in new cars fitted with Audi connect. This means that Proximus can guarantee fast mobile Internet connections via 3G and 4G/4G+.

Audi connect Audi connect covers all applications that connect the car, its occupants and the rest of the world with one another: Online traffic information with realtime display of traffic flows on the navigation map via Google Earth™ and Google Street View™, and proactive journey planning on the MyAudi portal V ia Online Media Streaming, access to the resources of music website Napster and Internet radio AUPEO! ‘Fuel info’ to find the nearest and the cheapest filling station

‘ Train info’ or ‘Flight info’ for bus and train timetables or real-time flight departure and arrival times respectively ‘ Weather’ and ‘City events’ to check what the weather is like at your destination and what’s on there V ia the Wi-Fi hotspot, all passengers can also access the Internet with their laptop, tablet or smartphone

Investing in the network Proximus promises Audi connect users the best user experience for mobile Internet. Coverage via the 3G network is virtually total, while the 4G network already has 98.7% coverage and 4G+ is being rolled out rapidly. New Audi owners can use Audi connect free of charge via the Proximus network for the first three months. After that, they pay € 20 per month for 3 GB in Belgium.

Weekly magazine Tendances names Leroy Manager of the Year

Dominique Leroy is Manager of the Year On Wednesday 6 January, Dominique Leroy was presented with the Manager of the Year award by Prime Minister Michel in recognition of her work as CEO at Proximus.

40

This annual award is presented to the manager of a company that makes a valuable contribution to the Belgian economy. Leroy guided Proximus through a tricky period and, in the name change, worked on the positive image of the company. In the course of 2015, Proximus returned to growth. According to Leroy, this recognition is proof that the new name and strategy are working. She earlier dedicated her nomination to all Proximus staff.

In winning this award, Leroy follows Louis-Marie Piron, CEO of the Walloon construction company Thomas & Piron.

On the Flemish side, Chris Van Doorslaer was chosen as Manager of the Year 2015. He is the CEO of playing card manufacturer Cartamundi. Van Doorslaer has developed the family business into the market leader in its sector.

March 2016

Audi connect in partnership with Proximus. » 3 months free* 3 GB of data/month for each new Audi with the Audi connect option.

Take full advantage of the Audi connect services and offer Wi-Fi to your passengers. * Offer valid on every new Audi fitted with the Audi connect service, optional on all Audi models bought between 15/12/2015 and 30/06/2016. Proximus Car Connect subscription free for 3 months throughout Belgium, for a volume of 3 GB/month, from activation of the SIM card. The SIM card must be activated within a maximum period of one month after delivery of the vehicle. After your three free months, your Proximus Car Connect service will be suspended automatically. To continue to enjoy the service after the promotion ends, you will need to extend your subscription via 0800 12 034. You will then pay € 20 per month including VAT for 3 GB. For more information, go to www.proximus.be/carconnect or audi.be.

4,4 - 7,6 L/100 KM ◆ 114 - 176 G CO2 /KM Environmental information (RD 19/03/2004) : www.audi.be

TRIGGER | Warmth, work and no flu

Mazout as a Service

“I didn’t order mazout, did I?”

I

subscribe to Mazout as a Service. Using a sensor on my tank, my heating oil supplier knows exactly when he needs to come and make a delivery. So there are no more panicstricken phone calls because we are about to run out. They deliver automatically within two days when we’re down to 300 liters.

Today’s a day like that. I’ve just had an e-mail to say that the tanker is on its way. At the same time, I got a text from the hospital. I’m a heart specialist and a patient with a heart problem is on the way in. Strange, first an e-mail from the heating oil supplier, then just a little later a text from the hospital. Is there a connection?

Apparently there is. On the way to my house, the heating oil supplier goes past the weekly market in the village. Despite the fact that it says on digital screens that lorries can’t go through the center at the moment. An ANPR (automatic number-plate

42

recognition) camera locates him and a report comes in to the police. An officer goes along and stops the lorry. Just behind the lorry, a car has to brake sharply. The driver collides with the lorry and falls unconscious. Thanks to an eCall, the emergency services are informed automatically. The nearest ambulance is sent along via track-and-trace and gets there within two minutes.

The doctors discover that the driver has a heart condition.

They inform the A&E department, and I’m called. The circle is complete; that’s the way it is with all this new technology now.

In the past, the situation would probably have unfolded like this.

No heating oil left. So it’s cold at home. I call the supplier several times. He promises that he’ll come next week, because it’s market day today. Two weeks later, he comes along safe and sound. In the meantime, we’re ill with colds. So I’m not at work today.

In short, thanks to all these new technologies, I have heating oil on time, an extra patient and no flu!

March 2016

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