One • November 2013 by Belgacom Group

Big data

<< Filip De Ville IT Infrastructure & Production Manager at Crelan, on getting 600 offices up & running in just 3 days

Answering the right question

business magazine for top ICT professionals Q4 / November 2013 • www.onemagazine.be

Put your wealth of data to good use Ada Sekirin on dinosaurs and new species for a new age • Self-managed TV services • Kinepolis promotes online ticketing • Accessing all communication channels with Cisco Jabber

Check Point’s next generation firewall is the most mature and feature complete in its class NSS Labs

THE LEADER IN NEXT GENERATION FIREWALL

editorial

Big data

<< Filip De Ville IT Infrastructure & Production Manager at Crelan, on getting 600 offices up & running in just 3 days

Answering the right question

business magazine for top ICT professionals Q4 / November 2013 • www.onemagazine.be

A publication of Belgacom Year 7 / number 19 / Q4 2013 Publisher: Bart Van Den Meersche Koning Albert II-laan 27, 1030 Brussels Concept and production: Propaganda nv Imperiastraat 16, 1930 Zaventem www.propaganda.be

Coordination: Charline Briot, Markus Eggermont, Robbin Sacré, Jean-Marie Stas, Dirk Van Dijck Contributors: Andrew Beavis, Klaar De Groote, Kristof De Spiegeleer, Robert Doran, Véronique Gilon, Davy Goris, Stef Gyssels, Frederic Petitjean, Anneke Stoffels, Dries Van Damme, Frank Van den Branden, Filip Van Loock For more information, contact: Robbin Sacré robbin.sacre@belgacom.be ISO 9001 certified

A wealth of information Since the 1990s, the Internet and digitization have brought us soaring volumes of data. It’s become nothing short of a data explosion and we find ourselves in the age of big data. This is driven by factors such as the cloud and the variety of mobile and social applications it has given rise to. Your company, too, can potentially access a wealth of data about your own activities, products and employees, customers, partners, suppliers, etc. But the big question now is what you are doing with all that data. Are you using it to improve your company’s performance? To better respond to your customers’ needs? To develop new products and services? And this is not the only challenge in the age of big data. Is your infrastructure designed to safely store and process large volumes of data? This remains the basic prerequisite for deriving added value from your big data. As your company’s partner, Belgacom not only provides infrastructure, but also engages in open dialogue so that, together, we can effectively tap into the real added value of big data. Read all about it in this issue of the magazine.

Envoyez un mail à robbin.sacre@belgacom.be afin d’obtenir un exemplaire de ce magazine en français. Mail naar robbin.sacre@belgacom.be om een exemplaar van dit magazine in het Nederlands te ontvangen. The technical specifications are indicative only. Belgacom reserves the right to make changes without prior notification.

Bart Van Den Meersche, Executive Vice-President Enterprise Business Unit Belgacom

Read One magazine on your tablet. Go to the App Store or Google Play and download the free app or surf to www.onemagazine.be.

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rubriek column

Innovative storage technology for big data success “ To gain a benefit from big data requires processing power and tools to collate and analyze the various sources while meeting the volume, velocity and variety constraints.”

Identikit Kristof De Spiegeleer is a serial entrepreneur in the ICT sector, specializing in the optimization of datacenter technologies. Through Incubaid, De Spiegeleer’s incubation center, the ability to combine new technologies and management know-how has formed the basis for technology start-ups such as Amplidata, Awingu, Dacentec and Racktivity. De Spiegeleer is a pioneer in the shift towards cloud computing in Europe.

The term big data has been around since the turn of the millennium and was initially proposed by analyst firm Gartner to refer to data within three dimensions. These big data parameters are volume, velocity, and variety, but another consideration is whether this data can be processed to deliver enhanced insight and decision-making in a reasonable amount of time. However, just having a lot of available data is not enough. Big data analytics is the process of examining data to determine a useful piece of information or insight. The primary goal is to help companies make better business decisions by enabling data scientists and other users to analyze huge volumes of transaction data as well as other data sources that may be left untapped by conventional business intelligence programs. These other data sources may include web server logs and Internet clickstream data, social media activity reports, mobilephone call records and information captured by sensors. As well as unstructured data of that sort, large transaction processing systems and other highly structured data are valid forms of big data that benefit from big data analytics. So to gain a benefit from big data requires processing power and tools to allow you to collate and analyze the various sources while meeting the volume, velocity and variety constraints. With this in mind, technologies such as virtualization and Hadoop have helped

Q4-2013

organizations build compute clusters that can scale to meet this requirement, but data storage is still an issue. So as organizations start to routinely store over 500 TB, the cost in terms of datacenter space and even energy start to become a massive concern. Even reliability becomes a major issue as a petabyte storage pool consisting of a minimum of a 1,000 individual terabyte hard disks will almost certainly have a hard disk failure each week that will require some form of data recovery activity. New storage technologies, using Erasure encoding, help solve some of these reliability issues. They also allow for hybrid storage models that, in turn, allow the simpler offload of data into public clouds like Amazon S3 or Microsoft Azure. Erasure coding is a smart forward-error-correction technology that replaces RAID by splitting and encoding containers into multiple check blocks that directly encode redundancy. These check blocks are spread widely across the storage back end which, means that multiple devices can fail simultaneously without data loss and without affecting data availability. Considering that − according to IBM − we create around 2,200 petabytes of data every day, the need for innovative storage technologies is essential for big data to live up to its potential.

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contents

business magazine for top ICT professionals round table

Ada Sekirin: “The sector still suffers a bit from its geeky image, but ICT actually has a lot to do with communication and collaboration.”

Big data: answering the right question

news & views

community

column Kristof De Spiegeleer Innovative storage technology 07 cockpit Facts & Figures 26 people & vision Ada Sekirin “Dinosaurs are being replaced by new species” 30 book review ‘The Internet Police: How Crime Went Online, and the Cops Followed’ Fighting crime with questionable tactics

solutions solutions Belgacom m2m factory All about efficiency 12 solutions Belgacom Business TV Self-managed TV services 13 solutions Belgacom Datacenter 22 products Mobile desktops Discover the latest phablets for mobile professionals 23 solutions Belgacom Privilège Exclusive personal VIP service 31 solutions Belgacom Flashlight From technical data to business info 33 solutions Cisco Jabber Easy access to all communication channels

ditorial Bart Van Den Meersche e A wealth of information 08 one on one KBC and OZ 10 questions for 2 CIOs 34 corporate news TV Overal in HD, the changeover to IPv6 and the Proximus figures for 2013 summer festivals

cases 10

Crelan 600 offices up & running in 3 days Filip De Ville, IT Infrastructure & Production Manager Residential care center De Buurt Network supports care and provides comfort Johan Herrebosch and Kristof Janssens, Director and Secretary Kinepolis Planning movie night goes mobile Stephane Jans, CIO, and Jo De Pelsmaeker, ICT-Infrastructure Manager Police zone Hauts-Pays Pictures never lie Mayor of Hensies, Eric Thiébaut, and Police Chief Frédéric Carton

dossier

The quest for added value: big data and the Holy Grail

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solutions

Belgacom m2m factory: new platform-as-a-service for an end-to-end m2m service

All about efficiency Machine-to-machine communication is an excellent way to automate business processes. But many companies are not getting the maximum benefit from m2m because they’re still partially monitoring their devices manually, or because their underlying business software systems are not integrated. That’s why Belgacom is launching m2m factory, a cloud platform that allows companies to manage their m2m devices remotely. Belgacom m2m factory is Belgacom’s first platform-asa-service product for m2m applications. With m2m factory, companies can remotely manage their m2m devices via the cloud, for example to perform upgrades or turn devices on and off. In addition, m2m factory offers the possibility to gather business data from the devices and to integrate the data and link them with business software such as SAP, Microsoft CRM and Oracle. This integration can be done with the help of APIs and certified connectors. Finally, users of m2m factory can also build new m2m applications without complex customized programming. Thanks to the new service, Belgacom is able to meet the needs of a diverse range of business sectors, including industry & automation, asset tracking & telematics, remote monitoring & diagnostics, smart energy & demand response.

Flexible and secure The new m2m platform is a secure, scalable solution for all companies who currently use m2m or plan to do so. Security is a crucial aspect since business-critical information also has to be made available via the cloud, over connections that include both fixed and mobile. The centralized remote management is a cost-effective way of working that allows faster response to potential problems. Moreover, creating and managing your m2m communication via a cloud platform accelerates innovation and lets you seize opportunities presented by existing customers or new ones.

Belgacom m2m factory Connected assets, accelerated business

Business benefits • Flexible • Cost-effective • Secure •S horter time-to-market •F aster innovation

Ready for the Internet-of-Things M2m factory allows efficient management of your assets, high-speed m2m application creation and the use of m2m applications and the Internet-of-Things. Since the platform seamlessly integrates with the Belgacom-products and -services, you can also choose end-to-end management of your Belgacom m2m solutions: the conductivity, your mobile cards (via the Belgacom m2m Cockpit), the m2m devices or sensors, and the creation and management of the m2m applications. We can also advise you on the best choice of hardware.

More info? For more information on Belgacom m2m factory, mail to info.m2m@belgacom.be or contact your Account Manager.

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cockpit

18%

81%

of organizations in Belgium see big data as a priority in the coming year.

improved customer satisfaction

better decision-making

47%

46%

Big data reluctance to invest in the necessary CAPEX

more cross-selling

innovation

Business benefits of big data according to (European) respondents Obstacles to big data according to (European) respondents

33%

lack of storage capacity

45%

32%

other, more urgent issues for the IT department

lack of in-house expertise

In terms of the required technology for big data solutions, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that analytics (55%) and storage (53%) are seen as the biggest challenges.

77%

of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies have an active Twitter account.

8,629,741 5,965,743 3,813,472 3,381,926 1,757,871

Top 5 companies with the most followers

(Big Data â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Beyond the Hype, Vanson Bourne & Interxion Holding NV)

bringing new products and services to market more quickly

of European organizations are already oriented towards big data or are planning to become so. In the Benelux region, 68% of companies are exploring the potential of big data, or planning to do so.

of users of wearable technology, such as Google Glass, report that it makes them feel more intelligent. (Rackspace/Center for Creative and Social Technology)

(Center for Marketing Research, University of Massachusetts Darthmouth, 2013)

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10 questions for 2 CIOs 1

What is your biggest professional achievement? The first genuine Belgian Internet banking application for CERA Bank in 1997. Without any prior knowledge or experience with Internet technology, firewalls, RSA, back then we managed to launch the country’s first Internet bank.

Who would you like to sit next to on an airplane and what would you ask him or her? Next to my late father. I’d like to ask him if he’s proud of what I’ve achieved.

“ I’ve stayed loyal to my mother’s mashed potatoes. They’re still the tastiest!”

I couldn’t name a specific brand that I’ve stayed loyal to. But I can say that I’ll always think my mother’s mashed potatoes are the best. We’ve tried to reproduce them at home, but it’s never quite worked. 4

CIO - Senior General Manager ICT at KBC

Q4-2013

What don’t your employees know about you? Only a few of my coworkers know that as a biologist (botanist) I used to guide a lot of group tours. What most of them probably also don’t know is that since last year I’ve been spending time regularly on a mountain bike and that I like to play squash.

Rudi Peeters Personal: “Happiness doesn’t fall into your lap. If you see happiness, you have to grab it,” according to Rudi Peeters. The inquisitive CIO describes himself as creative, authentic and optimistic. He combines his passion for IT with a healthy dose of commercial sense. Career: Rudi Peeters started his professional career in 1984 in the Botany Department at the KU Leuven. Through an IT job at the infocenter for CERA, he discovered the banking world. In 1997 he launched the first Belgian Internet banking system for which he was voted IT Manager of the Year. After the merger with KBC, he became General Manager IT and later Program Officer Strategic Programs. After a stint as General Manager Marketing Belgium, he became CIO - Senior General Manager ICT for KBC. Company: The KBC Group is a provider of banking and insurance services for retail, private banking, SME and midcap clients. It serves its 9 million customers through 1,648 bank branch offices and 481 insurance agencies. Workforce: The bank-insurer has a workforce of some 37,000 employees. The ICT services are provided by a staff of 3,000 (2,000 developers and 1,000 technicians). There are approximately 1,600 ICT specialists working in Belgium.

What brand has your undying loyalty?

What would you have done if you hadn’t ended up doing this job? I’d probably be working for a non-profit organization: Greenpeace, the WWF, a nature reserve, de Wereldwinkel, Amnesty International. Long ago I opted to do civil service for my military duty. I was actually only planning to work for a bank for one year.

What is your favorite app at the moment? WhatsApp to keep in touch daily with my daughter who’s studying in Milan. On my iPhone I have an app with mountain bike routes. The apps from KBC are the best of course, but this is probably not the place to get into that.

What (IT) book do you think everyone should read? ‘Steve Jobs, the biography’. And ‘Che Guevara: the Economics of Revolution’, a book I discovered this summer in Cuba.

What do you regard as the single most important invention of the past 20 years? The options for transportation. And the Internet, but that’s such a cliché answer. Actually I’m thinking mainly of the medical advances that now allow us to live longer, with better quality of life.

What invention would make your life easier? A way to free up more hours and cut down on time pressure. Life would be easier if we could find an effective way to reduce our consumption.

10 As

a manager, what do you prefer: having your employees telework or work at the office? My employees have the choice, but half of them still prefer to come to the office. I don’t think that 100% teleworking is ideal. I’m a strong believer in the power of interaction. Sharing and discussing ideas is always going to work better if you’re actually all together.

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Each issue of One will feature a look at the person behind the position. Discover the often surprising and inspiring answers. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be next. 1

What is your biggest professional achievement? I’m still working on it. For the ICT applications of the independent mutual health insurance funds, we’re currently working with 90 million lines of code. It can’t go on like this. That’s why we’ve started a project last year to update our ICT based on an Enterprise Resource Planning software package for the insurance sector. The project has been allocated a budget of 50 million euros.

Who would you like to sit next to on an airplane and what would you ask him or her? Next to myself at the age of 65. I’m 43 now and I could ask myself to look back and take stock. That way, I could adjust my future plans accordingly.

What brand has your undying loyalty? I love Makita tools. I’m a real handyman; I’ve been using their professional tools for over 20 years.

What don’t your employees know about you? I started my professional career in 1989 in the agricultural sector. I will never forget those times of friendship. I regularly had to get my hands dirty and work outside in the cold. Every employee should stand outside in the mud for a couple of months.

What would you have done if you hadn’t ended up doing this job? I would probably have become a systems engineer or programmer-analyst.

What is your favorite app at the moment? Facebook for personal use. And Twitter and LinkedIn for professional purposes.

What (IT) book do you think everyone should read? ‘Econoshock: how six economic shocks will fundamentally change your life’ by Geert Noels. I discovered it a year ago and was highly impressed by the very clear presentation of the problems we’re facing now and will face over the next few years.

What do you regard as the single most important invention of the past 20 years? Everything wireless, telephony, networks … That’s why we can communicate with everyone, no matter where we are in the world. Being able to get on the Internet virtually anywhere has radically changed our lives.

What invention would make your life easier? It would be great if a person who sent a message to our mailbox could be notified of whether or not we’re available to respond at that moment - compare it to the busy tone on the phone. Lots of people could then just go ahead and take action themselves to solve the problem they are mailing about.

10 As

a manager, what do you prefer: having your employees telework or work at the office? I’m in favor of teleworking if the job allows it. But right now, that’s not possible for us. In order to make widespread teleworking acceptable, the unions need to understand that both employers and employees can benefit from ‘results-oriented trust’. Unions are still too fixated on the time-clock.

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“ During my first job, I often had to get my hands dirty.”

Steven Slabbinck ICT manager OZ

Personal: Steven Slabbinck calls himself a results-oriented anarchist. He encourages his employees to take their own initiative because this leads to the most fruitful solutions. Career: After his studies in industrial information technology, in 1989 he went to work as a agricultural worker. In early 1990, he became maintenance technician in a West-Flemish technological company. Two years later he made the switch to the IT department at Siemens where he was given responsibility for increasingly large outsourcing projects. Via a stint as COO at the Easypay-group, he landed at the Onafhankelijk Ziekenfonds, where he has held the position of ICT manager since 2011. Company: OZ501 was created from the merger of two health insurance companies in 2001. OZ501 belongs to the group OZ. The different entities are classified into four groups: health, vacation, vitality and comfort. Workforce: The group OZ has 1,450 employees; the ICT-team is made up of 20 employees. OZ is part of the National Union of Mutual Health Insurance Funds (MLOZ). Together with the neutral and liberal mutual health insurance funds, OZ is part of M-team for ICT responsibilities.

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Crelan migrates ICT environment to Explore network

600 offices up & running in 3 days

Company profile Crelan was created through the merger of Landbouwkrediet and Centea. The new organization has a workforce of 3,340 employees - including 150 in the ICT Department and 850 regional offices.

In just three 12-hour sessions, Crelan integrated over 600 former Centea offices into its ICT environment. Belgacom saw to it that the business experienced no disruption whatsoever from the migration.

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Crelan

Mergers and acquisitions generally have a major impact on the ICT of the companies involved. It was no different for the merger between Landbouwkrediet and Centea. Landbouwkrediet took over Centea in 2011. Centea had previously belonged to the KBC Group and had to extricate itself from the KBC ICT infrastructure. At the same time, Landbouwkrediet and Centea had to find a way to form a new whole. “The entire operation opened up significant economies of scale,” recounts Filip De Ville, IT Infrastructure & Production Manager at Crelan. “With the merger, we went from 250 offices to 850, and from 1,200 employees to 3,340. The business of Crelan is three times larger than that of the former Landbouwkrediet.”

All offices on the same page The major challenge was to be able to support all the offices and employees with the IT platform in the short term: network, hardware and data migration all in one fell swoop. They were able to get the job done within a timeframe of three 12-hour sessions. “But it took over a year and a half of preparation ahead of time,” points out Filip De Ville. “As far as I know, the size and speed of the project were unprecedented in the Belgian market. The choice of partner was therefore a crucial one.” We picked Belgacom for the migration of former Centea offices to the Explore network. In addition, for the implementation, Belgacom worked with Es@s as a subcontractor, a company with many years’ experience in the roll-out of IT equipment.

“ The timing of the project was crucial. The migration of the offices coincided with the introduction of the new brand name, logo and house style.” Filip De Ville, IT Infrastructure & Production Manager at Crelan

Data and apps centrally available The timing of the project was crucial. The migration coincided with the rebranding of the new organization: the introduction of Crelan as the brand name, including the new logo and the new house style for the offices. “It was vital that the ICT support would be able to keep pace with this, so that we would be able to serve all customers in the same way, regardless of whether they were in a former Centea office or in one from Landbouwkrediet.” The migration was also essential in order to take full advantage of the economies of scale of the new organization. Over the past two years, the former Landbouwkrediet adapted its systems so that, after the merger with Centea, they would be able to accommodate the full

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support of Crelan. In the new configuration, the employees at the Crelan offices work with thin client computers. They have access to centrally stored data and applications via the Explore network from Belgacom.

Logistical puzzle “We had three Sundays, from eight in the morning to eight at night, to get the entire job done,” continues Filip De Ville. “That’s why we had to thoroughly prepare every step in the process, down to the minute, and effectively test it in 10 offices.” During these tests, the migration to the new environment was done as well as implementation of the retreat scenario - in case, on one of the Sundays, something would go wrong. The preparation also involved the configuration of all hardware. The former head office of Centea in Antwerp received a delivery of 1,726 thin clients with screen, keyboard and mouse, 971 printers and 301 scanners. After configuration, the devices were neatly packed up, ready for each office, in the sequence of the route that the technicians would follow during the migration. In this sense the migration was a logistical challenge as well.

A successful learning curve For three Sundays in a row, 56 technicians worked from six o’clock in the morning - each with their own delivery van - to carry out installations. Per Sunday, each technician migrated 4 to 5 branch offices. At the head office, there were another 10 employees present to supervise everything. “There actually weren’t any problems to speak of,” says Filip De Ville. “The approach and involvement of Belgacom ensured that it all went exactly according to plan. What’s more, with what we’ve learned from the project, I’m convinced that next time we would be able to complete a similar job in a single day.”

Business benefits • Rapid migration of the entire office network • Minimal downtime and impact on the business •M ore efficient ICT management and maintenance thanks to system uniformity • Reliable connection

For more cases, see www.onemagazine.be.

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solutions

Hospitals, nursing homes and hotels can watch TV with Belgacom Business TV

Self-managed TV services Is your organization active in the healthcare or hospitality sector? Then you are probably well aware of how important it is to be able to offer good service and clear communication to your residents or guests. The TV is an excellent tool for this, but in order to manage everything efficiently, it’s a good idea to invest in central control.

In healthcare institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes, the residents inevitably spend a lot of time in front of the TV. And in hotel rooms too, the TV plays an important role. A wide range of TV programming is therefore important in these settings. What’s more, you can now use the TV as a way to communicate with your customers or residents. It’s a handy tool that makes it much easier for you to broadcast your announcements quickly and efficiently. In the meantime, your staff will be free to concentrate on other tasks – taking extra-good care of residents or customers, for example.

Central control software Looking for a way to centrally control the TV channels for your patients? Well, it’s possible, thanks to Belgacom Business TV, a solution specially designed for c ustomers in the healthcare sector and for hotels with a minimum of 50 television sets. You’ll receive over 65 TV channels, many of which are in HD, and over 20 radio stations. Your end-users will certainly appreciate the regional channels and the ease of operation based on simplified menus and just a single, user-friendly remote control for the decoder and the TV. Thanks to the central control software, you can remotely configure and manage the TVs individually, per group or per location. It couldn’t

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be easier, either, to create an internal TV channel to broadcast information locally.

you can get maximum benefit from your infrastructure.

Glass fiber for an unlimited number of TVs

Infrastructure audit

The distribution of the TV and radio channels is provided through an optical glass fiber cable and a router. The glass fiber cabling can easily serve an unlimited number of TV sets, so that the system can flexibly grow along with your organization. What’s more, the network can also be used for other ICT needs such as Internet and Voice-over-IP. That way,

Your own local network is an important precondition for the optimal quality of your TV service. If you like, Belgacom can first perform a thorough audit of your existing infrastructure. You will receive a document explaining any adjustments that need to be made before you can start using your TV services. You can also opt to fully outsource your LAN management.

Business benefits • End-to-end servicing: start-up process, including installation, configuration and helpdesk support • Over 65 TV stations and 20 radio stations • Superior digital picture and sound quality • A customized communication channel for both static and dynamic information • Compliant with licensing fees • Maximum benefits from the glass fiber network

More info? For more information on Belgacom Business TV, please contact your Account Manager, e-mail: bedigital@belgacom.be or visit www.belgacom.be/businessTV.

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Belgacom datacenters

solutions

0.10%

Power : 25,000 KVA

of consumption in Belgium

More info? Surf to www.becloud.be.

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Because the datacenters are reliable, Belgacom also uses them itself. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of storage, and there are lots of servers and many real-time and online activities. All data stays in Belgium. You can use them too, just like countless other companies. Q4-2013

Residential care center De Buurt is thinking about future generations

Network supports care and boosts comfort

Company profile

Residential care center (Woonzorgcentrum) De Buurt provides 72 residential units, 10 places for short-term stays and a center for daytime care. The center has 78 employees.

When a new residential care center was built in Zoersel, the landline and wireless network had a crucial role to play. It offers not only network access for staff, residents and visitors, but also an efficient solution for services such as digital TV and IP telephony.

Some 10 years in the planning, the new residential care center De Buurt opened its daytime care facility just before the summer. The center is an initiative of the non-profit Woonzorgcentrum De Buurt, a collaboration between the Zoersel municipal authorities, the Public Social Welfare Office (OCMW) and the healthcare and wellness group Emmaüs. “The care center is designed for the elderly,” says Katrien Schryvers, Chairman of Woonzorgcentrum De Buurt. “It’s specifically geared towards those needing a high level of care.” The center has been kept small in scale intentionally. It consists of 4 wings of 20 residential units, each of which has a number of communal facilities. Large windows make the architecture bright and airy. “We aim to create a homey atmosphere,” says Johan Herrebosch, Director of the residential care center. “We encourage residents not to stay in their rooms all day long. They eat together at the table in the cozy communal living room. This space plays a key role in the daily life of the center.”

Attention to technology

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In designing the building, a great deal of attention was paid to technology. “We were not only thinking of the telephone but also the ICT needs, for both personnel and residents,” says Kristof Janssens, Secretary of Woonzorgcentrum De Buurt. “Soon, we will have residents living here who are accustomed to using a computer or tablet at home and they will want to be able to continue to do so here.” But there’s more. The care center was also looking for a way to be able to provide digital TV in the

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Residential care center De Buurt

“ The network is an essential part of the new building. It forms the basis for virtually all possible applications – both now and in the future.” Kristof Janssens, Secretary, and Johan Herrebosch, Director of the non-profit Woonzorgcentrum De Buurt

residents’ rooms and the common areas, without having to wire the building with coax cabling. Another need arose from the system for calls for assistance, whereby the residents can press a button in their rooms to get help, and remote communication is also possible.

Single point of contact Woonzorgcentrum De Buurt drew up specifications for the installation of a wired network, WiFi and digital TVs. Three parties submitted a bid, and Belgacom was picked for the job. “Belgacom proposed acting as a single point of contact, even for those aspects that were being provided by other partners for the implementation,” explains Kristof Janssens. “For us, that was a distinct advantage.” Ultimately Belgacom itself provided the installation of the wired and wireless network, in addition to the digital TV system. Partner Geronika (Malle) provided 87 flat screen TVs. “The data network is an essential part of the entire project,” continues Johan Herrebosch. “The original plans called for coax cabling everywhere. We were able to do away with that expenditure which saved us a lot.” Through the network, Belgacom offers a solution for IP telephony, among other things. A convenient benefit is that residents can continue to use their familiar telephone number from home.

TV with a view to the future Moreover, there is a key role to be played by the central system for digital TV. In the common areas and in the residents’ rooms,

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all it takes is a mini decoder — attached to the back of the TV — to receive the signal. Janssens: “In this way, the decoders aren’t visible for the residents and they don’t need a separate subscription for digital TV - with all the accompanying administrative red tape that would involve.” Since the TV broadcast runs over the network, the system will be able to offer an in-house channel in the future as well. Herrebosch: “Residents would be able to view the day’s menu, or we could use the system for digital signage, in the cafeteria for example.” Via the wireless network, Belgacom created an alternative solution for the assistance calls. The center opted for a system that transmits the call to the nurses’ smartphones using the WiFi. The network also supplies residents and visitors with an Internet connection.

Business benefits •C entral system for digital TV: mini decoders in rooms, no separate subscriptions • I P telephony: residents can keep their familiar telephone number •A ccess control •S eparate wireless network •E fficient solution for assistance calls

Q4-2013

The quest for added value

Big data and the Holy Grail

Executive summary The challenge of big data is not the technology. The cloud offers robust solutions for data capture and analysis. But the key question is how and in what fields companies can derive added value from big data today. Successfully handling big data therefore requires not only scientific insight but plenty of creativity as well.

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dossier

Big data can help solve old problems. And it’s forming the basis for new business models. Has your company looked into how big data can generate added value?

When should we speak of ‘big data’ and not just ‘data’? There’s a simple definition, according to which, data becomes big data when the traditional tools for data management are no longer sufficient. The cause of this is not only the larger volumes of data, but also the wide range of data formats and the speed with which the data appears and then disappears again. With a traditional database, you can’t simply search for a certain message on social media, for example, or on video. But although big data is the buzzword of the moment, this evolution is not completely unexpected. In essence, the origin of big data can be traced back to the start of the Internet and the digitization of documents, photos, music, video, etc. The advent of Web 2.0, the cloud and mobile Internet considerably accelerated things. To name just one example, the amount of video on YouTube is expanding by 100 hours every minute.

New ideas The capture and storage of these huge amounts of data is not in itself a problem. And there’s no shortage of tools and computing power either. It’s all there in the cloud. No, the major challenge lies in the area of analyzing the content of big data. Companies are gradually becoming aware of the data they possess. Now it’s a question of being able to answer the right questions on the basis of this data. By analyzing big data, a company can gain insights which can improve the performance of its existing processes. But it gets even more interesting if big data can lead to completely new ideas. That is the Holy Grail: developing new business based on the data that’s currently already available but has so far remained untapped, its intrinsic value yet to be discovered.

The right question Naturally, the key question remains how and in which areas companies can derive value from big data today. Roughly speaking, there are three major areas of application: A company can use big data to make the existing business intelligence faster and more accurate. The more parameters the process can include, the higher the quality of the results. A second area covers everything that has to do with industrial design. Big data can provide input that may lead to new or improved solutions. The third major area of application for big data has to do with marketing and interaction with the consumer. These are solutions for online shopping, mobile advertising, mobile payment, etc. This is an area in which Belgacom is active, with services such as the Mobile Wallet that the company developed jointly with BNP Paribas Fortis. Mobile Wallet is the first ‘in-app commerce’-solution and is comparable to a mobile purse that integrates mobile payments, virtual tickets, e -coupons and loyalty programs into apps. Mobile Wallet ensures both user-friendliness and rigorous security. Belgacom is seeing rapid growth in interest in big data in the professional market. The cloud is an essential element in this trend, because it does away with the limitations in terms of storage and computing power. It is likely therefore that Belgacom will also offer big data tools via the cloud in the future. Currently, Belgacom wants to enter into a dialogue with as many customers as it can in order to gain the clearest possible picture of the kind of added value the data could represent for both parties.

Insight and creativity Handling big data calls for a new approach to the data. It’s a way of working that goes beyond data warehousing and business intelligence. In the context of big data, ‘data scientists’ have a key role to play. These are data specialists with a highly specific profile: mathematicians, statisticians or other scientists who are able to combine their area of expertise with highly specific knowledge, for example, related to gaming or urban mobility. These are people who are looking at data in a whole new way. They manage to combine kinds of data which, at first sight, may appear completely unrelated, such as socio-demographics and network data. But they also need to be creative, precisely because their insight may lead to completely new business models.

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Jan Sonck, Director Solutions Business Development at Belgacom

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round table

Big data Answering the right question Big data is high on the list of the latest ICT buzzwords. And rightly so. Companies are increasingly realizing that they can convert data into valuable information, or even use it as the basis for new business models. One talked to a few companies about their experiences with big data: what are they doing with it, how are they doing it and how do they see the future?

The meeting was held at the Belgacom NetCenter in Evere. And that’s no accident, of course. “We’ve been involved in the analysis of large volumes of data for quite some time,” explains Jan Sonck, Director Solutions Business Development at Belgacom. “On one hand, there’s data on the use of our networks and platforms, and on the other there’s the data on our customers’ profiles. By cross-referencing these two databases, we can obtain information that allows us to significantly improve our services.” Data analysis for the sake of improving existing processes is just one aspect of what big data currently represents. The second aspect goes a lot further: cross-pollination between less obvious data sets and the development of new models.

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“ Combining data sets has allowed us to demonstrably improve our service. That’s using big data in the interests of the customer.” Jan Sonck, Director Solutions Business Development at Belgacom

“Not everyone is aware of all the possibilities of big data. You need to understand what’s possible. Then you can ask the question that big data will be able to answer.” Lea Winkeler, member of the staff of Toerisme Vlaanderen

Taking a look at tourists

The right question

“Right now, we are looking for a way for big data to help us with reporting,” says Lea Winkeler, a member of the staff of Toerisme Vlaanderen. “A whole range of events are planned to commemorate the First World War. We want to research where the visitors come from, what they do, how they travel, what they spend, etc. - even for large-scale events for which you can’t simply count admission tickets.” Big data could probably provide the answers, in collaboration with a partner such as Belgacom, for example. “One potential idea is to work with location data and roaming data, in order to be able to map certain trends.” This would allow Toerisme Vlaanderen to provide better support for facilitating future events.

“Another important element in the context of big data is the speed at which everything is happening,” adds Philippe Haenebalcke, Director Innovation & Strategic Partnerships at Bisnode. “We support advertisers in their data-driven marketing strategy. We do this, for example, by combining direct marketing data and reference data, to which we add intelligence and develop multichannel campaigns that result in cross and upselling.” The analysis of big data makes it possible to respond a lot more quickly. The prerequisite for success, however, is that a company looks for the answer to the right question. What exactly do they want to know? “For many organizations, that is probably an obstacle,” says Lea Winkeler. “Not everyone is aware of all the possibilities of big data. You need to understand what’s possible in order to be in a position to ask the right question.”

Better service “That’s an important observation,” points out Filip Jennen, Director at Tele’Train Belgium. “We help organizations to optimally plan their interaction with customers. It isn’t a question of data or a product. The starting point is always: how can a company improve its customers’ experience?” In this context, the analysis of big data offers an extra way to gain new insights. “True,” agrees Wout Dockx, General Manager Audience Measurement & Insights at GfK Belgium. “We carry out viewing and listening research based on devices that we install in people’s homes. But imagine if providers of digital TV would grant us access to the data sets on audience viewing behavior, then you’d be talking about big data, and a whole new world of possibilities would open up.”

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Broadly applicable Everyone agrees that big data has big potential, but when it comes to concrete-use cases, we often hear that there are not that many examples yet available. Philippe Haenebalcke sees things differently. “In our case, the question is very clear: what does the advertiser want to achieve with his marketing? And also: what does the consumer expect of the advertiser? Big data could provide the advertiser with the possibility to send a highly targeted message to consumers, for example by combining data on viewing behavior with data from CRM-systems and with sociodemographic data.” Of course, the area of application for big data goes a lot further than marketing. Filip Jennen: “You can use big data in very diverse fields. For example, big data could provide

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round table “ In the past, data was used to optimize existing processes. Now, data has become a major business driver.” Philippe Haenebalcke, Director Innovation & Strategic Partnerships at Bisnode

“ One of the potentials of big data: cross-referencing viewing and listening data with other data sets.”

“ It’s never about big data itself. The starting point is always: how can a company improve its customers’ experience?”

Wout Dockx, General Manager Audience Measurement & Insights at GfK Belgium

Filip Jennen, Director at Tele’Train Belgium

insight into the returns on an investment.” This is an important aspect for Toerisme Vlaanderen. Lea Winkeler: “If we could gain insight through big data into the effect of an event on the local economy, then we could later apply the same model elsewhere as well. This would also be a type of public service provided by the government.”

Data within reach Service: in the end, that’s what it’s all about. But how can you improve service based on a set of data? And what data should it be? “That’s another relevant question,” notes Jan Sonck. “A company’s accounts contain quite a lot of data. But what is it worth? Can it be combined with other data?” And if this proves to be possible, who can provide this other data? Wout Dockx: “This is an area where a research bureau could probably play a decisive role. In practice, it’s true that it’s probably not possible to link just any data sets with each other. When there is a chance of crosspollination, it’s a question of working with high-quality samples.” But valuable data can also be easily within reach. In the case of the running apps by Nike and Adidas, for example, it’s the users themselves who - voluntarily - provide the data. These are apps that allow joggers to share info about routes and performance, but which ultimately help the manufacturers to develop new shoes and sell more of them.

driver. We are evolving towards an age in which businesses will communicate with customers in a highly targeted way, depending on the time and the customer’s location.” In the past, advertisers had no choice but to target the average profile of ‘the customer’. Via big data they can respond to the profile of each individual person separately. Wout Dockx: “This offers new potentials. When the entire process takes place digitally, then the company can also track the success of its campaign in real-time.” What’s important then is for the process to be transparent. The consumer should always be given the choice whether or not to participate in the system.

Ethical framework That’s why the government is working on a new legal framework for big data and privacy. After all, it’s clear that in the future, the government itself will become a major user of applications based on big data. The government simply has access to lots of data: on all citizens, on companies, traffic, public health, etc. Naturally, sufficient attention must be paid to the privacy aspect. But the ethical framework for big data doesn’t have to be an obstacle, on the contrary. Filip Jennen: “Of course the question still remains what you want to use big data for. It is a source of information which could potentially improve the functioning of the government. But clearly, for the commercial use of data, a good legal framework is essential.”

From average to individual customer This example shows how big data can change the traditional business model. Philippe Haenebalcke: “In the past, data was used to optimize existing processes. Now, data is a major business

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products

Mobile desktops Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Acer Liquid S1

If you want to be able to not just view documents on the go but to edit them as well, the big screen and the S-Pen for taking notes and making sketches are a plus.

The Acer Liquid S1 is an affordable phablet that delivers all the benefits of a modern OS with a big screen.

A phablet for real productivity

Big screen experience, little price

The new Galaxy Note 3 is a striking new addition to the growing market for phablets, also known as mobile telephones with screens larger than 5 inches (13 cm). Whether you prefer to call them minitablets or extra-large telephones, they have the capabilities and advantages of both. The big, clear AMOLED screen makes it a lot more comfortable to look at business documents for extended periods of time, and the pull-out S-Pen (the signature feature for a Note device) boosts ease-of-use for users who want to be able to generate content on the road instead of simply viewing it. The Galaxy Note 3 is generously equipped with the latest technology, including 4G, NFC and the latest WiFi. It’s compatible with the new smartwatch from Samsung, which allows you to check your appointments and new messages at a glance without taking your smartphone or phablet out of your pocket or briefcase.

The new Acer Liquid S1 is a budget-friendly phablet. Its 5.7” HD screen (720p) is just as big as devices such as the Galaxy Note 3, though it has lower resolution. They have clearly made an effort to keep the device affordable, for example by equipping it with 8 GB of memory (1 GB RAM). Customers looking for more can add SD memory (up to 64 GB) or use the free AcerCloud. The S1 runs on the new Android 4.2.2, can record video at 1080p and the camera has smile recognition and a large F2.0 lens. What’s more, Acer has expanded the possibilities of the Android GUI with a convenient multitasking Float feature which allows applications such as the calculator or camera to be displayed in a window on top of the regular programs.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Acer Liquid S1

Processor: Quad Core 2.3 GHz

Processor: Quad Core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A7

Operating System: Android 4.3

Operating System: Android 4.2.2

Memory: 32 of 64 GB (3 GB RAM)

Memory: 8 GB (1 GB RAM) with microSD slot

Screen type: Super AMOLED 5.7” touchscreen

Screen type: 5.7” TFT capacitive touchscreen

Screen resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels

Screen resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels

Battery: 3,200 mAh

Battery: 2,400 mAh

Dimensions: 151 x 79 x 8.3 mm

Dimensions: 162 x 83 x 8 mm

Weight: 168 g

Weight: 195 g

Connection: GPRS, 2G, 3G, 4G, NFC, 802.11ac

Connection: 2G, 3G, HSPA+, WiFi 802.11n

Bluetooth: 4.0

Bluetooth: 3.0

Camera: 13 MP with Smart Stabilization

Camera: 8 MP with autofocus and LED flash

Extra: S-Pen, Swipe, 50 GB Dropbox

Extra: DTS sound enhancement, Dual SIM (option)

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solutions

Belgacom Privilège

Exclusive, personal VIP service VIP treatment at receptions and concerts is nice. But extra attention when your tablet or smartphone breaks down or when you need extra Internet connectivity is even better.

When you sign up for the Belgacom Privilège service, you’ll be assigned a personal manager who acts as your single point of contact throughout the entire year, for all your personal telecom needs. This person will manage all of your files, both technical and commercial. If there’s ever a problem, you can reach him or her 24 hours a day, seven days a week. What’s more, a technical team is always at the ready, and can be there within two hours of your call, no matter where in Belgium you are located.

Continuous monitoring As a Privilège member, you can rely on an ultrafast response to your questions or requests. Your personal manager will oversee every step of the process for you, from start to finish. After the process is completed, quality checks will be performed to ensure optimal results. Moreover, your manager will also regularly provide a proactive check-up of your infrastructure as well as your subscriptions and rate plans. That way, you can be sure that you’re always getting the most out of your Belgacom products and services, at home as well as on the road.

Be our guest at sporting and musical events Along with VIP treatment for all your questions and problems, we will also treat you to special events. As a sponsor or organizer of many sporting and

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cultural events, Belgacom is happy to share these athletic and musical highlights with you. The event that you are invited to will be based on your personal preferences. This is our Privilège-way of thanking you for choosing Belgacom.

Business benefits •P ersonal, direct contact •2 4/7 availability •R apid response and monitoring from completion through to quality control afterwards •P roactive check-ups •O ur guest at Belgacom events

More info? Would you like to feel like a VIP all year round? Send an e-mail to privilege@belgacom.be or call 02 - 203 01 49. Also check out the website www.belgacom.be/privilege.

Q4-2013

Kinepolis gets scalability with vContainer

Planning movie night goes mobile

Imagine using your smartphone or tablet to reserve movie tickets while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still finishing

Met smartphone of tablet tickets bestellen, dessert at the restaurant. With Kinepolis, terwijl u op restaurant nog aan het dessert zit? you can. To guarantee the availability and Bij Kinepolis kan dat. Om de beschikbaarheid performance of its ticketing system, Kinepolis en performantie van het bestelsysteem te on the virtual datacenter solution relies garanderen, rekent Kinepolis op de virtuele vContainer from Belgacom. datacenteroplossing vContainer van Belgacom.

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Kinepolis The Kinepolis Group was created in 1997, but had already built up extensive experience in movie theatres by that time. The company’s roots can be traced back to the 1960s. Innovation has always been an important focus for Kinepolis. Early on, the group saw potential in the online sales of movie tickets. In 2007, Kinepolis was the first to launch the option to reserve seats at the same time as purchasing tickets online. “Selling tickets online gives us two advantages,” says Stephane Jans, CIO at Kinepolis. “First of all, we can offer greater comfort for our visitors. They can take their time buying tickets and reserve their seats from home. That makes a night out at the movies a completely relaxing experience. What’s more, we sell fewer tickets onsite at the movie theatres, which frees up our staff’s time to concentrate on activities with more added value.”

“For us, it was a big advantage that Explore and vContainer can be seamlessly integrated.” With vContainer at its disposal, Kinepolis doesn’t have to worry if mobile movie ticket sales suddenly take off in a big way. “We fully believe that this is going to happen,” concludes Stephane Jans. “The maturity of the mobile devices makes it possible. It adds an extra element to the cinema experience for moviegoers.”

Mobile reservations Currently, Kinepolis sells some 30% of its movie tickets online. This is a share that’s bound to grow further in the near future. “The use of mobile devices plays a big role here,” notes Stephane Jans. “We developed a webapp that lets visitors buy their tickets with their smartphones and tablets as well. This way, we expect to see not only an increase in the number of users of our systems, but also in terms of the timing of the purchase.” The traditional peak in the online sales is around 6 p.m., when people decide to go out to the cinema that night. Being able to access the ordering system mobilely will increase that peak, but will also shift it in time. “One potential scenario is that more visitors will buy mobile tickets just before the start of the film,” points out Stephane Jans. “These visitors may already have arrived at the theatre, but this way they can skip the lines at the cash register.”

Covering unpredictable capacity The online sale of tickets is on the rise. The company wants to be able to serve its customers any time, regardless of how and when the online sales may increase. “In order to be able to handle unexpected and hard-to-predict peak traffic, we need our capacity to be elastic,” says Jo De Pelsmaeker, ICT-Infrastructure Manager at Kinepolis. This realization presented Kinepolis with a classic IT problem. How can you invest in infrastructure if you don’t know how much capacity you will need in advance? The solution will turn out either too small, with all the consequences this will bring for the quality of service during peak periods, or it will be big enough to handle peak demand, but a large portion of the capacity will remain underused the rest of the time.

Handling peaks with vContainer Kinepolis found the answer they were looking for in the vContainer solution from Belgacom. This is a cloud service that allows Kinepolis to access its own flexible virtual datacenter through Belgacom. “What counts for us is the scalability of the solution,” continues Jo De Pelsmaeker. “It offers us a very easy way to handle peak periods. If the traffic on the ticketing system is low, then we can temporarily switch off vContainer.” The solution does not require any upfront investment in excessive capacity. Kinepolis pays for the service according to consumption. An additional advantage is that the solution was easy to fit within the broader IT environment at Kinepolis. “Our theatre complexes are connected via Belgacom Explore,” explains Jo De Pelsmaeker.

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“ With vContainer we can keep unexpected peak traffic on the online ticketing system under control, with no upfront investment in extra peak infrastructure.” Jo De Pelsmaeker, ICT-Infrastructure Manager, and Stephane Jans, CIO, at Kinepolis

Company profile Kinepolis Group provides an innovative, cuttingedge cinema concept in 23 movie theaters throughout Europe. The group is also active in film distribution, events organization, onscreen advertising and real estate management, as well as in the sale and installation of movie theater equipment. Its workforce of 1,800 employees serves 20 million moviegoers each year.

Business benefits •N o upfront investment in peak infrastructure • Scalability •A vailable, high-performance system

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Companies are aware that their big data contains valuable information. But many remain uncertain about how to tap into it. “It’s not a matter of technology,” asserts Ada Sekirin of Business & Decision. “With big data it’s about strategy: who has what it takes to survive?”

“ Dinosaurs will make room for new species to evolve” Ada Sekirin, Vice-President Business & Decision

Identikit Ada Sekirin was born in Russia. She came to Belgium when she was 17, in the late 1970s. She studied information technology at the ULB. After her studies, Sekirin worked for a while as a consultant in the financial sector. In 1994 she started her own company, Flux Consultancy, which focused primarily on business intelligence.

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In late 2001 the company was taken over by Business & Decision. Sekirin stayed onboard and is currently in charge of the activities of Business & Decision in the Benelux and eastern Europe. Sekirin is married and has four daughters. In early 2013 the ICT trade journal ‘Data News’ voted her ‘ICT Woman of the Year’.

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people & vision Business & Decision is the best-kept secret of the Belgian ICT sector. Since its launch in 1994, the Belgian branch of the company has grown into a major player. In Belgium, 350 employees currently work for Business & Decision Consult and Business & Decision Life Science. The company’s activities are chiefly focused on consultancy related to business intelligence, CRM and e-business, for clients including financial institutions, retailers and government authorities. “In ICT there is an Armageddon on the way,” observes Ada Sekirin. “Actually, it’s already here. Some of the dinosaurs are not going to survive. It’s inevitable.” The major change can be attributed to a dramatic shift in the ICT world: the advent of the cloud. All the major trends that the sector is undergoing have to do with this. “I’m thinking of the ‘digital natives’ who are entering the business world now. They have a different approach to ICT, and different expectations.”

“ Big data confronts us with a new challenge. It’s no longer the internal processes that matter most, but the customer experience.” Ada Sekirin, Vice-President at Business & Decision

Closer to the business The cloud is leading to the creation of ecosystems that vastly simplify the use of ICT. “In the cloud, with just a few mouse clicks, you can install a new server, whereas in the past, you had to wait weeks for the delivery of a physical machine. Companies are still not sufficiently aware that the new generation regards the speed and simplicity of cloud solutions as the standard.” All too often, these companies still take a somewhat suspicious stance. However, according to Sekirin, they are being faced with a simple choice: adapt or perish. “Although I do notice that in ICT there’s a growing awareness that they need to position themselves closer to the business and to provide concrete added value. ICT has to be truly geared towards improving the business.”

Evolution of standardization For now, there are still two factors that are holding ICT back. “The capacity of the networks and the speed at which we can send large amounts of data remains an open question. Ultimately, a solution will surely be found. The same applies to standardization of the data exchange.” What the financial world is doing with the XBRL standard is a step in the right direction. “But it can’t possibly be the goal for each sector to have its own standard. There has to be a single overarching standard above all the others.” The fact that security risks are keeping companies from getting on board with the cloud is a poor excuse, in Sekirin’s eyes. “When the will and the commitment are there, data (or IT) security will not form a significant obstacle. We are seeing that very clearly now with banks opting for the cloud.”

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New experience The challenges currently associated with the cloud are just as applicable to big data. “Here, too, there is a lack of general standards,” says Sekirin. “However, the biggest problem is finding a good business case.” Companies are gradually understanding the kind of data that they possess, but do not yet see how they can capitalize on it. “Of course, there are already quite a few successful concepts for big data projects but, currently, the practice remains largely restricted to fairly small ‘use cases’. But the idea that big data can provide added value is gradually becoming generally accepted.” In Sekirin’s view, the c hallenge is in the fact that big data requires a different approach. “Companies have always used information for improving their internal processes. Later, they also used external information from the Internet, for example - for the same purpose. With big data, the challenge lies elsewhere. It’s no longer the internal processes that matter most, but the customer experience. This is the field on which the battle of big data will be fought.”

Strategic battle The question that a company needs to ask itself is clear enough, then: what will lead to differentiation? Big data can certainly play a decisive role here. “It’s not the technological side we should be focusing on. It’s about a strategic battle. As a company, when you have insight into what you want to achieve, then the technical side will naturally follow. Big data calls the business model into question and this leads to change. That’s the biggest challenge, because change is something that people have a natural resistance to.”

Tips for the CIO Ask the right question What should we do about big data? This is the question that many companies are asking themselves, but it’s the wrong one. “The way companies in the past suddenly decided they wanted a data warehouse — it doesn’t work that way anymore. You have to start from the business. What do you want to achieve? Once you know that, you can start working on an appropriate ICT solution.”

Dare to change, want to change “The economic crisis is not necessarily negative. It can also bring opportunities and open doors that would otherwise have remained closed. And yes, some dinosaurs will become extinct, but new species will evolve in their place.”

Female capacities Ada Sekirin was surprised when ‘Data News’ selected her as ‘ICT Woman of the Year’. And she was equally pleased. “It’s a great initiative to encourage women to pursue careers in ICT. The sector still suffers a bit from its geeky image, but ICT also has a lot to do with communication and collaboration: skills that women tend to be strong in.”

Q4-2013

Police zone Hauts-Pays deploys camera surveillance

Pictures never lie Camera footage has successfully identified the perpetrators of illegal dumping, burglary and assault. Thanks to 36 fixed and 6 mobile cameras, police zone Hauts-Pays has suddenly gained an impressive arsenal of extra eyes.

“ Using modern technology to fight crime.” Police Chief Frédéric Carton, of police zone Hauts-Pays and Mayor of Hensies, Eric Thiébaut

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Police zone Hauts-Pays

We generally associate camera surveillance with large cities, or with locations and events where many people gather together. At first sight, this may seem to be in dramatic contrast with the peaceful, rural setting of the police zone Hauts-Pays. But appearances can be deceiving. “The police zone shares a 55 kilometer border with France,” points out Police Chief Frédéric Carton. “We have what is known as border-related crime. We also see that criminals are increasingly using modern technology. So it is up to the police and the local authorities to stay one step ahead of them.” The local authorities of Dour, Hensies, Honnelles and Quiévrain - which together make up the territory of the police zone - allocated a budget to provide the local police with a camera surveillance system. After considering various proposals, the solution offered by Belgacom was chosen.

A watchful eye Police zone Hauts-Pays has 6 mobile cameras, which are regularly rotated through some 40 locations in the zone. “The battery-powered devices have a battery life of 72 hours,” notes Frédéric Carton. “We export the images and charge the battery and then send the camera to a new location.” The nerve center for the camera surveillance is at the police station in Dour. They recruited three new employees for it. “They quickly scan the images from the mobile cameras,” says Eric Thiébaut, the mayor of Hensies. “They also search for images at the request of the police. The images remain available for one month. Naturally, if the courts request certain images, we keep them for longer.” In addition, the police are also able to perform surveillance in real-time. This is done via a network of

Company profile Police zone Hauts-Pays is one of the 195 police zones in Belgium. The zone encompasses the towns of Dour, Hensies, Honnelles and Quiévrain in Henegouwen.

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36 fixed cameras. Belgacom was responsible for the complete installation of cameras and viewing monitors. Belgacom also manages the connections. The fixed cameras are connected via the Explore network. The mobile cameras use a wireless connection.

Unmasked The fact that the system is contributing to safety in the police zone is demonstrated by the statistics kept by the police. “Sometimes it’s just little things,” reflects Carton. “A member of the surveillance staff notices someone littering, or an illegally parked car. Then all it takes is a message to a police officer to go issue the necessary infringement notices.” Sometimes it’s a question of more serious crime. In that case, the cameras can provide important evidence. “There was a case, recently, involving a serious fight, but the perpetrator denied his involvement,” reports Mayor Thiébaut. “However, he was clearly recognizable on the camera footage. Thanks to the camera images we’ve also been able to solve burglaries and a hit-and-run incident.” “The system provides us with an extra tool for fighting crime,” according to Chief Carton. “The mobile cameras give us the necessary flexibility, for large-scale events, for example, such as the music festival in Dour.” In any case, the police zone is very open about their use of the cameras. “We communicate to the community about the cases we’ve been able to solve thanks to the cameras,” concludes Thiébaut. “We clearly demonstrate what we’re using them for and explain this to the town’s residents. Moreover, residents ask proactively to place mobile cameras on specific places. There is a close collaboration between the community, the police and the inhabitants.”

Business benefits • Flexibility • Cameras via wireless connection • Real-time control

Q4-2013

book review

The police and virtual criminals

Questionable tactics for fighting cybercrime Ah, the good old days, when bank robbers actually had to walk into a bank to rob it. Nowadays, the theft can be done from behind a PC, perhaps thousands of miles away. The ‘bad guys’ have discovered the Internet, that much is clear. The ‘good guys’ too, but their crime-fighting tactics raise certain questions.

The Internet has changed so much in our lives. How we shop, how we consume media, how we interact with other people … things that would have been unimaginable 15 or 20 years ago. But it has also thoroughly revolutionized the way criminals commit crimes, and the type of crimes they engage in. This shift and its implications are the subject of ‘The Internet Police: How Crime Went Online, and the Cops Followed’ by Nate Anderson. As a journalist, Anderson is Deputy Editor at the popular technology blog Ars Technica where he writes mainly about the Internet and law and legal issues. His articles have also appeared in magazines such as Wired, The Economist and Foreign Policy.

Wild West For a long time, the Internet was viewed as a sort of legal no-man’s-land, a virtual version of the Wild West, where pretty much anything goes. Those days are over, according to Anderson. It’s no longer the preserve of the hackers and cybercriminals alone. Nowadays, the police have a heavy presence on the Net as well. This is hardly surprising. Since the advent of the Internet in the mid-1990s, there has been a marked increase in malicious activities online which also have an impact in the real world. Issues such as identity theft, virtual bank robbery, cyberbullying are all reasons why the law enforcement authorities have inevitably taken an interest in the Internet.

Nate Anderson

The Internet: the Wild West where anything goes? Those days are over.

Privacy Still, the author is not always impressed by the methods police departments are using to try to catch criminals. There are plenty of success stories (such as dismantling an international child pornography network, which the Belgian police helped make possible), but there are quite a few other types of cybercrime (spam, music piracy) that elude their grasp. What’s more, the way in which many such crimes are being tackled is often worse than the crime itself, claims Anderson. He is particularly concerned about the unrestricted use of techniques for the digital surveillance of citizens and the consequences this has for our privacy. “We need the Internet police,” writes Anderson, “but we also need to monitor them and keep an eye on their methods.” The author expands upon this warning in each of the nine chapters of the book.

Q4-2013

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solutions

24/7 analysis of security data

From technical data to business info

Are you too at risk of drowning in the huge amounts of data generated by your security systems? Having this data analyzed by experts can provide useful information for making the right investments in these systems.

A wealth of information is being churned out by your security systems such as firewalls, proxy servers, and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). Out of this constant flow of data – logs – you can derive information for the reports that you are legally required to file. But that’s not all. The right tools can also help you to promptly detect threats and make the right analyses.

Security services, locally or via the cloud You can turn to Belgacom for an extensive range of security services under the heading ‘Flashlight’. These Managed Security Services encompass aspects such as a service desk, diagnostics & repair, monitoring, reporting, s ecurity analysis & configuration management. A fixed c omponent of Flashlight is the SIEM (Security Information and Events Management) solution and the technology for log management. You can opt to either install the system locally or use it from the cloud.

Setting priorities A SIEM platform can quickly analyze and correlate any events that occur within your company related to ICT security. This makes it possible to set clear priorities regarding security risks and breaches, which allows you, as a company, to make more targeted investments in the security areas that matter most to you.

Monitoring 24/7 SIEM and log management are used to store logs and events, and to interpret, correlate and report on them. From a mass of data, your company can filter precisely the information that is crucial for your activities. The SIEM console ensures that only genuine security incidents are filtered from the logs and prioritizes them according to their severity. The incidents and logs are also analyzed and monitored 24/7 by a team of security analysts at the Belgacom ROC (Remote Operations Center). So you can rest assured that the monitoring for your security systems is in good hands.

Business benefits • Fixed operating costs (OPEX) instead of major investments (CAPEX) • Better overview of the security of your ICT infrastructure •T ranslates/converts/distills large amounts of technical data into business information • External monitoring and management 24/7

More info? For more information on Belgacom Flashlight, please contact your Account Manager or surf to www.belgacom.be/security.

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Q4-2013

Together we fulfill your ICT vision Collaboration

The Persgroep opted for Unified Communications at more than 20 sites

Datacenters

Pietercil increases reliability and efficiency with Belgacom Matrix Cube

Luc Verbist, CIO, De Persgroep

Jan Christiaens, CFO, Pietercil

Networks

The National Pensions Office masters IT with endto-end monitoring

Digital media

Renmans manages promotional screens of 376 butchers from the cloud Thomas Bovy, IT Manager, Quality Meat Renmans

Luc Coppens, Adviseur-Generaal, RVP

Security

ATS Groep finalized disaster recovery plan with security solutions Korstiaan Schipper, ICT Manager, ATS Groep

Belgacom Explore seamlessly connects all your offices and prepares you to work in the cloud. However your ICT strategy will of course go a step further: from security to big data, the new way of working, unified communications, focus on your core business, etc. Together we build innovative and reliable solutions for the most diverse ICT challenges. Check our realizations and discover how Belgacom can deliver also your ICT vision.

More info? Surf to www.belgacom.be/ict

Each day more opportunities

solutions

Cisco Jabber

Easy access to all communication channels Whether they’re working from home or from another location, your employees need to be able to work just as efficiently as at the office. This lets them be more productive and respond more flexibly to questions from customers.

Despite the large number of communication options, efficient collaboration is often anything but easy. A lot of time gets lost searching for e-mails, playing phone tag and leaving voicemails. Unified Communication can put an end to these problems by coordinating all the communication channels, through Cisco Jabber, for instance, available through Belgacom. Installing this single application on a device instantly equips it with all communication options. In addition to the classic telephone functions you’ll get presence information, instant messaging, desktop sharing, teleconferencing and videoconferencing. And it makes no difference whether your employees are using a PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone. Plus, you can rest assured that these mobile devices, which are often used for personal purposes as well, are securely connected to your company network.

Satisfied customers Jabber offers employees a simple way to quickly and easily reach the right people, to see whether they are available and on which device, and to let them collaborate in the most efficient way possible. This means faster answers to questions and, therefore, faster decisionmaking. Since all communication functions are integrated, it is extremely easy to switch from one to another. A user may, for example, first send a question to a colleague via instant messaging, and after a couple of messages back and forth, they may initiate a telephone call, at which point they may decide to involve another colleague to jointly review a document via videoconferencing. Thanks to this smooth teamwork, customers will receive better, more efficient service. The result: customer satisfaction and, therefore, customer loyalty.

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Business benefits •M ore effective communication and collaboration •H igher productivity • Better customer service •W ork-life balance •W ork securely with any mobile device

All in one Belgacom can offer a full service package built around Cisco Unified Collaboration – ranging from connectivity, LAN and security to IP telephony and managed services. That way, you can always count on an optimal, convergent communication flow. For a progressive journey to Unified Communications, you can associate the Cisco ‘Jabber For Everyone’ to your more traditional Cisco IP telephony infrastructure. This gives you presence information and instant messaging on any device, without extra licensing costs. Do your needs go beyond an ad hoc videoconference on a tablet, laptop or desktop PC? Then you can also use a conference room with a large screen display, thanks to Cisco TelePresence. Would you like to see how it works? You’re welcome to book a demo at Belgacom.

More info? For more information on Cisco Jabber, please contact your Account Manager, send an e-mail to videoconferencing@belgacom.be or visit www.belgacom.be/cisco.

Q4-2013

corporate info

Festival season 2013: sun, music and text messaging Music lovers are also dedicated callers, SMS-senders and mobile surfers. That much is clear from the figures on telephone traffic during last summer’s festivals. Across more than 40 festivals throughout Belgium, nearly 81,000 calling hours were logged on the Proximus network. There were also 18 million SMS messages sent, and consumption of mobile data is rising fast as well. The most ‘data-hungry’ festival is Tomorrowland, where some 30,000 Proximus subscribers collectively consumed 696 GB in mobile data, or 7.74 MB per user, more than double last year’s amount. Pukkelpop and Rock Werchter came next with 5.75 MB and 4.3 MB per person per day. To accommodate these peaks, Proximus sends out specialized on-site teams each year to reinforce the network with extra antennas.

Belgacom switches to IPv6 Starting in November, Belgacom will introduce the Internet protocol IPv6 for all residential customers and SMEs with a B-box 3 modem and an Internet Overal- or Internet Office & Go-subscription. For 12,000 of these customers, the switch has already been made and, among major business customers, the roll-out has been underway since early 2013. The IP address is the unique number assigned to every device on the Internet. IPv6 will replace the older IPv4 standard. Due to the tremendous growth, the supply of available IPv4 addresses was nearly exhausted. With IPv6, a virtually infinite range of numbers will be available.

Q4-2013

TV Overal now also in HD From now on, you’ll be able to watch 13 channels in HD q uality via TV Overal, including: Eén, Canvas, VTM, 2BE, Vier and Vijf. TV Overal is the app that lets you watch TV on your PC, tablet or smartphone via WiFi or via the Proximus 3G/4G network.

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