Proximus One • November 2015

November 2015 Business magazine for IT professionals | ictnews.be/one

Take care of your staff

Dossier Digital services: efficient and transparent

Does digital government put an end to queues?

The pressure on cities and communes is growing: more challenges, fewer resources. Technology can make the difference. Digitization makes cities smart. The aim: to promote prosperity, well-being and sustainability.

Vision “A Belgian tends to view a failed project in a negative light, an American considers it an extra experience. We lack that mentality in our country.�

Joke Dehond, CEO Inventive Designers

PLEASE TAKE A NUMBER

Unlock your office

Defense-Grade Security | Ultimate Productivity | Enterprise Ready

Welcome

“Data is the raw material for the development of services for the digital government.”

The digitization process is constantly gaining speed. We see that in the way in which digital communication and cooperation have developed to become a permanent feature in our daily lives. We also see it in the rapid growth of digital services, for both businesses and the consumer.

The government, too, is an essential player in this digital world.

Citizens and businesses rely on digital communication and services from the government. In this issue of One magazine, various local and regional authorities talk about their vision of the digital world, the expectations of the public and of businesses, and the way they fulfill these expectations.

The continued success of digitization is closely linked to the extent to which all the parties involved – the general public, businesses and the authorities – manage to embrace a new data culture.

Data is the raw material for the development of new services. The importance of open data is set to increase.

Anonymous location data from smartphones, for instance, indicate the busiest times in a shopping street or the level of public travel when major events are taking place. This is data that can help the authorities, for example, when planning their tourism services or security policy. Equally, however, partners in our ecosystem are developing new applications on the basis of this open data. Find out more about digitization and the digital government in this issue.

Happy reading!

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

Trends

Video increases IP traffic in the business world

Mobile telephony in Belgium: smallest companies ahead

Businesses are increasingly using advanced communication solutions via video to stay in contact with colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners. According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index 20142019, business IP traffic will record combined annual growth of 20% from 2014 to 2019 as a result.

A Computer Prof ile sur vey conducted among 4,074 Belgian companies with 50 employees or more indicates that the smallest companies make most u se of mobile phones. 37% of staff in the smallest companies (50 to 100 employees) have a company mobile phone, compared with 16% of public companies and 11% of large businesses (over 1,000 e m p loye es). T h e su r vey wa s commissioned by DataNews.

ictnews.be/one

75% of mobile apps would fail security tests E m p l o y e r s a r e i n c r e a s i n g ly using smart mobile devices to do their work on the go. Attention needs to focus on their security, particularly given that according to Gartner, in 2015 75% of all mobile applications would not pass simple security tests. Some thought should be given to the dangers of mobile working, both for apps developed by internal IT departments and those created externally.

3

SPOTTED | Interaction in the virtual and real world

‘Hide And Seek’ Interaction in the virtual and real world In his series ‘Hide And Seek’, photographer Kamil Kotarba captures daily scenes showing only arms, no bodies, attached to mobile phones. “A virtual world always competes with a real world. The real life happening around just eludes us. We are somewhere ‘in between’ but don’t bother. We choose the lack of participation. At the same time we are online – still in touch with our friends. We hide behind mobile screens. We play hide and seek,” he explains. >K amil Kotarba: Instagram @kamilkotarba, fb.com/kotarbakamil

4

November 2015

In this issue TALKING HEADS

IN PRACTICE

10 Q+A

8

Facil “Stable, secure and scalable connectivity via fiber is essential.”

DOSSIER

19-26

Filip Michiels, CIO Western Region, TUI Group 11 Vision Joke Dehond, CEO Inventive Designers 30 Interview Peter Hinssen talks about his book 34 In team Eric Wilmot and his team at Brussels Airlines 38 Q+A Philippe Niesten, CIO Herstal Group SOLUTION 07 Life Cycle Services 14 Employee Solutions 17 Secure Hybrid Cloud 28 Mobile Coverage Extender 39 Roaming and Wi-Fi Hotspots

VISION

11 “Always keep in touch with the market” Joke Dehond, CEO Inventive Designers

The digital government 5 managers on the digitization of services to the citizen, Prof. Nathalie Crutzen and Alex Lorette on smart cities and the Smart City Institute and Pascal Poty on embracing the culture of open data.

IN PRACTICE Facil Network without borders 16 Sint-Truiden Fruit city plucks the fruit of digitization 31 Fedict Belgium prepares for e-invoicing 32 Roularta Paper or digital invoice: 2% vs 98% 36 HeLics General public notice on extra capacity and speed 08

SCOOP 18 Devices

A publication of Proximus public limited company of Belgian Public Law / Year 9 / Number 25 / Q4 2015 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

ictnews.be/one

in the spotlight iPhone 6s and Apple Watch 27 Read for you ‘The Network Always Wins’ 29 Useful apps Timely and Braintoss ALSO INTERESTING …

06 Technology

Wearables 40 Proximus

News

42 Trigger

Wearables at the office 5

TECHNOLOGY | Wearable technology: how does it work?

The age of the

wearable Jean-Marie Stas, Marketing Manager at Proximus

Thanks to the Apple Watch, these days a computer is no bigger than a wristwatch. Is that the limit?

Not at all. We are at the dawn of the age of wearable technology, when computers will soon literally be woven into our daily lives. Jean-Marie Stas, Marketing Manager at Proximus, looks ahead.

The first computer – the mainframe – consisted of a sizable room full of equipment. These days we use smartphones and smartwatches that are not only much smaller, but at the same time more powerful and offer far more possibilities. What’s more, the end of this evolution is not yet in sight.

Chip miniaturization now makes it possible to integrate sensors, cameras and processors into objects the size of a coin, such as a ring, an earring or a button. And it can get smaller still. In the future, sensors will be part of the very fabric of our clothes. With Project Jacquard, Google is examining the possibility of weaving threads. Levi’s is working with them to develop clothes using this thread. In the meantime, Ralph Lauren has launched a smart sports shirt. Silver fibers in the fabric measure the heartbeat and breathing, and forward this biometric data to the iPhone belonging to the sportsman or -woman in question.

6

New industrial revolution Graphene is the key to even smaller applications. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms and replaces the silicon we use to build computer chips today. With graphene, it is possible to build computing capacity on a layer the thickness of a single atom. This is no less than a hundred times smaller than current technology. What’s more, graphene is two hundred times stronger than steel, and yet it is pliable.

The material conducts electrons around a hundred times faster than silicon. So it’s hardly surprising that graphene is seen as the source material for a new industrial revolution. Science fiction? Far from it. Applications will soon appear. Smart clothing – with built-in computing capacity, storage, batte­ries, cameras, microphones, sensors and wireless communication – opens the way to a completely new use of technology. Is your body temperature too low or too high? Then the fabric of your clothes takes on a different density. The movement of the body can generate power, etc.

Unprecedented service provision Above all, smart clothes offer a new vision of service provision. Just think about the health sector. From now on, patients can be followed up and their treatment adjusted without heavy equipment, and often without the need for a face-to-face consultation.

Maintenance technicians take their manuals along with them in their clothes and have a permanent connection with their employer’s head office, which can send them their schedules, among other things. Smart clothes can also be used to record conversations with clients, so as to avoid misunderstandings afterwards.

The possibilities are endless. At the same time, the world of wearable technology gives rise to a whole host of questions. How far can a company go in equipping its staff with wearables?

Can it collect biometric data from its staff just like that? What about data storage? Privacy and security? Here too, with wearables we are the start of a new era …

November 2015

SOLUTION | Proximus Life Cycle Services

Your IT infrastructure always up to date A drill doesn’t need updates and is, even after 20 years, compatible with the twist drills.

By contrast, your IT infrastructure needs ongoing maintenance and updates in order to keep performing well. Proximus keeps you informed on what updates are necessary.

Y

ou always want to have the latest hard- and software without spending time looking for the necessary updates and information from vendors. You can count on Proximus for a comprehensive range of services that relieve you of all concerns to do with the maintenance of your IT infrastructure: Proximus Life Cycle Services. That way, your investment carries on yielding returns long after its purchase.

Customized advice Proximus uses advanced tools to update your IT infrastructure inventory on a regular basis. Our experts look at whether your Cisco equipment is covered by the right maintenance contracts and whether there are any new manufacturer’s notifications. Based on this information, you will receive a report containing recommendations about hardware, software and security for your specific environment. Naturally you also want to have the right IT resources

at all times. This is why it is important for the inventory to be updated regularly. You can choose the frequency depending on your needs: annually, quarterly or monthly, for example. The recommendations are thus provided in a very flexible way that is tailored to your organization’s needs.

Immediate intervention Because IT becomes obsolete so fast, you can rely on Proximus to monitor new developments closely to ensure that your IT infrastructure is always up to date. If the IT environment changes, if a security update is available or bugs are resolved, Proximus will inform you immediately and intervene where necessary.

Moreover, we will also let you know if part of your IT infrastructure will cease to be supported by the supplier, so that you can prepare to migrate to new hardware.

As a result, you will always be working with IT infrastructure that functions optimally and is properly protected, ready for the future and the challenges of your business.

Business benefits • IT always up to date • T ime savings, no need to take the time to go through info from vendors • Fixed monthly fee • Advice focuses on your environment • You choose the reporting frequency yourself

ictnews.be/one

More info Contact your account manager or e-mail proximus.lifecycle.services@proximus.com

7

IN PRACTICE | F acil connects sites via fiber

Network without borders Step by step, Facil is expanding across various continents. The company supports its service provision with centrally managed IT systems. The staff are given access to data and applications via the Proximus fiber network.

F

acil took its first steps in the automotive world in the year 2000, supplying attachments to the Ford plant in Genk. When the company began supplying Ford sites in Germany and Spain as well, the need for connectivity arose for the first time. “We work with an ERP system that we manage centrally in Belgium,” says VP-ICT Danny Steukers. “Staff at the various sites have access to our systems via the network.” Initially this was done using traditional ISDN lines and later on Facil switched to Explore.

Steady growth In 2006, a new contract was started in the truck business, taking the number of sites to eight. “The growth in our activities led to an increased need for bandwidth on Explore. Because even than we already had to have capacity of between 10 and 20 Mbit, we decided to switch to the Proximus fiber network, available on Explore.” The advantage of glass fiber is that the network offers virtually unlimited bandwidth. The company can easily arrange for the available capacity to evolve in line with 8

About Facil

Facil supplies attachments for car and truck manufacturers. From its beginnings in Genk in the year 2000, the company has become an international player with sites in Europe, America and Asia.

November 2015

Danny Steukers studied IT at the VUB, the Flemish university of Brussels. He worked as an analyst-developer at Velda (beds), Keramo (pipes) and the Belgische Fruitveiling, the Belgian fruit growers’ association. Since 2002, he has been VP-ICT at Facil.

“ The high level of the services we provide is based on a reliable IT environment.

Stable, secure and scalable connectivity via fiber is essential.”

its actual needs. “The situation at the remote sites has changed considerably.

We started with a single 64-Kbit line.

Thanks to the fiber network, there are no longer any restrictions.” In the past few years, the need for connectivity at Facil has continued to grow significantly. The company has now started up activities in the US, Mexico, China and Thailand. This growth has increased the total number of sites to 16. “Of course, staff at these sites need access to ERP and other office applications, as well,” says Danny Steukers. Via the glass fiber network, they can work with the applications and data that Facil has placed with Proximus.

To guarantee good system availability, the company opted for a duplicated set-up at two datacenters.

Scalable bandwidth “We use the fiber network on Explore for communication between the various sites, for both audio and video connections. Because we operate on various continents, it’s not really that easy to keep traveling between the sites any longer. So we make the best possible use of applications for unified collaboration, including video conferencing.” Of course, that requires enough bandwidth, as does the use of cloud applications. “Thanks to the fiber network, we don’t have to worry about that. We can easily gear the bandwidth to suit our needs.” Facil staff use glass fiber to access the Internet, as well. “Our staff are connected to the Proximus datacenter via Explore so as to access the Internet. Here again, the network offers constant, sufficient bandwidth.” ictnews.be/one

Strong partner supports service provision The car and truck manufacturing sector is characterized by tight processes and short deadlines. “We present ourselves as an innovative, high-performance fullservice partner,” says Danny Steukers.

“We strive to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction. To be able to provide the best possible services, our staff need to be able to count on a reliable IT environment. Stable, secure and scalable connectivity via the Proximus fiber network is essential here.”

Business benefits • IT systems and data accessible from all sites • Unlimited network capacity • New sites connected via plug-andplay

More info Go to www.proximus.be/fiber or contact your account manager.

9

TALKING HEADS | 7 questions for Filip Michiels, CIO of Western Region, TUI Group

“ Big Brother from George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’ is now very close at hand. He can see and know everything.

I wonder whether we Filip Michiels should be glad about that.”

CIO Western Region, TUI Group

What has been your main professional achievement?

In the mid 2000s, as the youngest junior manager at Estée Lauder, I was given the opportunity to manage an international group of peers. I reported directly to the headquarters in the US on the activities of this international group of colleagues made up of people from the US, the UK, Switzerland, Denmark and Belgium. This fruitful cooperation was an enriching experience.

Personal At work Filip Michiels encourages his staff and gives them full scope to develop their talents. “Just act as though I wasn’t there, but keep it simple,” is his motto. In his free time he trains with a view to participating in the occasional triathlon, so he often goes running and cycling with his wife. Career Filip Michiels has held management positions for international companies, with experience in distribution (online and offline), logistics, sales, marketing, finance and HR. In 1994 he joined Estée Lauder as senior analyst programmer and subsequently climbed to the post of Executive Manager of International Information Systems. He ended up in the travel business in 2012 via Gateway, and a year later became CIO of Jetair. Since 2014 Filip has been leading the digital transformation of TUI for Belgium and the Netherlands. Company In Belgium TUI consists of Jetair, Jetairfly, Jetaircenter and Tec4Jets, which together ensure that the various aspects of the holiday process dovetail perfectly with each other. Coworkers Inter­nationally TUI Western Region forms part of TUI Group, the largest travel group in the world, with 77,000 employees. In Belgium more than 2,000 employees see to it that more than two million customers have a pleasant holiday every year. In total more than 250 people work in the IT services department for Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

10

Who would you like to sit next to on an airplane, and what would you ask that person?

The American musician Lenny Kravitz is my idol, and has been ever since I first saw him in concert at the end of the eighties. Since then, I haven’t missed any of his Belgian concerts. I wouldn’t ask him any major questions of substance, but would simply listen to what he had to say.

For me that in itself would be just fantastic.

What do your staff not know about you?

I’m a big fan of new-wave music. I even organize a new-wave party every year and on that occasion I myself am the DJ. What would you do if you were not in this job?

I might well be in the classroom, working as an enthusiastic maths teacher. Mathematics was my first great passion. My parents urged me to embark on an engineering course. I was soon under the spell of computers.

You can’t go a day without…?

Workwise I can’t really go without e-mail, whilst at home I particularly look forward to the pre-dinner drink with my wife: over a relaxing glass of red wine we tell each other about the day we’ve had.

What would you like to invent to make life easier?

I’d want to clone myself, so that I could get more done!

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

We will have to make the right technological choices and mainly have to challenge employees to create added value for the company, considering the oversupply of technological innovation. The CIO will always have to focus on the differences between employees to ensure that they collaborate optimally and help the company move forward.

November 2015

VISION | Joke Dehond, CEO at Inventive Designers

“ Always keep in touch with the market” Digitization is clearing the way for completely new corporate models. “And yet the success of Uber or Airbnb cannot be put down to technology alone,” says Joke Dehond. “First and foremost it’s about people working together.” According to the CEO of Inventive Designers, examples such as these show us how mobile and social can bring about change in every industry.

Joke Dehond wrote her first computer program when she was 11. She went on to study computer science in Antwerp and was taken on as a programmer at her father’s company, Inventive Designers. This was followed by stints in the marketing and business development departments.

She has held the post of CEO jointly with her husband Klaas Bals for the last two years. DataNews voted Joke Dehond ‘ICT Woman of the Year 2015’.

ictnews.be/one

11

VISION | Joke Dehond, CEO at Inventive Designers

I

nventive Designers is the company behind Scriptura Engage, a platform for customer engagement. With this software companies can create and manage all their communication channels with customers (post, sms, e-mail and social media) on a single platform and thereby enhance the way in which they engage with customers.

Proximus has been using Scriptura Engage for a number of years now, in the context of the One Communication Tool project. Inventive Designers started up in 1994 on the initiative of entrepreneur Guy Dehond. Twenty years on, the company based in Hoboken has 45 employees and customers in Europe, North America and Australia. “Mobile and social are today’s great challenges for a company,” says CEO Joke Dehond. “New technology gives us many new ways of communicating with the customer. That yields a lot of data ­– data with huge potential. The trick is to extract useful information from that data.”

“ In the IT sector men and women have the same drive: to be creative.

Whether you’re a man or a woman isn’t that important.”

More than just technology The digital world makes new corporate models possible, and yet Joke Dehond sees technology primarily as an enabler and less as a driver. Companies such as Uber and Airbnb appeared on the market in a very unexpected way. The basic idea consists of people working together in a network, with technology as the supporting factor. Big established names – in the tourist industry, for example – failed to react to this quickly enough, with all the consequences that that entailed. Could it also happen to Inventive Designers? “Of course,” says Joke Dehond. “Everything’s changing in our market, too. Customers want to be 12

November 2015

“ A Belgian tends to view a failed project in a negative light, whilst an American considers it as extra experience he’s notched up. We lack that mentality in our country.” able to use our platform with a tablet, or want the solution to run partly on premise and partly in the cloud. We think it’s very important to be in touch with what’s happening in the market. We have young employees keeping a close track of all these trends.”

Outsourcing or not?

When we talk about the key functions of IT, Joke Dehond is unequivocal.

“I see IT in the first instance as something that enables a company to operate and do business. The main condition governing IT is that it must be available at all times and everywhere.” Technology leaves all options open when it comes to the physical location where the actual IT activities have to take place. “We did the exercise just recently,” says Joke Dehond. “We asked ourselves whether it was advisable to have all development carried out internally, here in Antwerp, or to have part of it outsourced to, say, Poland or India. We talked about it with a good many fellow professionals in the sector. I have come to the conclusion that outsourcing can only be really successful when the company can genuinely get those external staff involved in its activities. Those staff members must really belong, too. But we haven’t yet worked out how we want to set about that within Inventive Designers.”

Everyone uses IT At the beginning of this year the IT trade journal DataNews voted Joke Dehond ‘ICT Woman of the Year’. “That came as a complete surprise to me,” she laughs.

The panel was full of praise for Dehond’s entrepreneurship within a relatively small company, together with her technical background. “In hindsight the course of study I chose proved to be the right one,” Dehond goes on. The fact that she was a woman coming into a man’s world didn’t bother her. “The cliché of the male nerd is out of date. Men and women basically have the same drive. In the IT sector it’s ictnews.be/one

all about being creative. Whether you’re a man or a woman isn’t that important.”

For the first time in many years the new academic year started with a marked increase in the number of science and IT students, with rising numbers of female students in these disciplines as well. “Smartphones and tablets mean that IT is all around us in our everyday lives,” she says. “That may go some way towards explaining the growing interest.

So things are certainly heading in the right direction, although we could do with a few more role models – and obviously they don’t all have to resemble the geeks in ‘The Big Bang Theory’.”

2 tips for the CIO

1

Put your shoulder to the wheel

“Don’t delude yourself and use your common sense,” says Joke Dehond. “We have the advantage that in Belgium we are accustomed to dealing with different cultures, speaking more than one language and working hard.” At the same time, as an entrepreneur you have to dare to do things. “You shouldn’t shy away from enterprise and experimentation. You can also learn a lot from a failure. A Belgian tends to view a failed project in a negative light, whilst an American considers it as extra experience he’s notched up.” We lack that mentality in our country. “Personally I feel that as an entrepreneur you also have to dare to be honest. If at some point things aren’t going so well, you should be bold enough to say so. There’s a lot to be learnt from that, too.”

However, that attitude is scarcely apparent in Belgian corporate culture. Even when his head is still only just above water, the average Belgian entrepreneur will still be maintaining that all is well.

2

Make sure you have a foothold in society

As ‘ICT Woman of the Year’ Joke Dehond chose to devote herself to the ‘Boost for Talented People’ project run by the King Baudouin Foundation. As an entrepreneur she regards it as important to have a firm foothold in society. “The project supports young people from underprivileged families who achieve good results at school.

They receive support – such as a PC and an Internet connection, compulsory monthly workshops on social skills, choice of course, learning presentation skills, and so on – and get to know their own potential.” Boost aims to make young people see that by studying and working hard they can leave the world of the underprivileged behind. “The project teaches the young people to step out of the role of victim, to assume responsibility, and to grasp their future with both hands – with the support of people from the business world. As it happens these are often young people who subsequently decide to follow an IT or science course.”

13

SOLUTION | Proximus Employee Solutions

Taking care of

your staff Finding the right balance between the interests of your organization and the aspirations of your staff is no easy task. Plus you know that involved workers are more productive. So the challenge is to motivate and reward their commitment with benefits that are attractive but realistic for the company.

14

November 2015

HR

managers have to appeal to talented people and gain their loyalty with the help of a salary package that is both attractive and realistic. They also have to promote a culture that values involvement, flexibility and results. One feature of this culture is a better work-life balance by means of good software and devices as well as flexible working hours and places adapted to the needs of staff. This is why Proximus has created Employee Solutions – Packs for Employees, Budget Manager, Device for Employees and the Affinity Program, which are ideal for creating a beneficial financial situation for both your organization and your workforce. This is a futureoriented offering that satisfies everyone, promotes the new ways of working and improves collaboration within your company.

Unbeatable Internet conditions With the Packs for Employees, you provide your staff with a fixed and mobile Internet connection in their home and you pay all or part of the subscription costs. Use of this connection for private purposes is a taxable benefit in kind which is set by law at €60 per year and which you have to indicate on their individual tax sheet. You can therefore deduct the amount that you pay for the connection in full. As for your staff, they will be able to add up to six mobile subscriptions in Packs, with substantial reductions, as well as Proximus TV and landline telephone, which they can obtain for just a few extra euros.

A single mobile subscription for private and professional purposes With Budget Manager, your employees can use their business mobile phone for work, but also for their personal needs. You simply have to determine the amount that you are prepared to pay; your employees settle the rest or the services for which you do not contribute.

And they benefit from the business rates negotiated by your company for their private calls. ictnews.be/one

The latest devices Thanks to the Device for Employees solution, your staff can also benefit from the latest technological advances.

The system could not be easier: you draw up a list of mobile devices on offer – tablets, smartphones and phablets – and you decide on the amount of your contribution. Your staff member chooses and just has to pay the difference.

Reductions for all the family As well as these benefits, there is also an Affinity Program. As long as your staff stay with your company, they benefit from preferential rates, offered

by Proximus directly on its services for private individuals: Internet packs, landline, Proximus TV and mobile subscriptions for members of their family.

Benefits for the employer • Less expensive than a conventional salary rise • Attractive for hiring talent and gaining loyalty • Combinable according to your employee profiles • Easy to manage via an online tool • Key facilitator of a new, collaborative and flexible way of working

Benefits for staff • Improved purchasing power • Satisfaction and loyalty to the company • Compatible with certain packages and special offers for private individuals • Flexibility in work-life combination

More info Contact your account manager, send an e-mail to employeesolutions@proximus.com or go to www.proximus.be/employeesolutions

15

IN PRACTICE | Smart city policy in Sint-Truiden

Fruit city plucks the fruit of digitization In Sint-Truiden, digitization is a cornerstone of policy. The city that is known as the epicenter of the flower and fruit-growing region is now seeking to pluck the fruit of a smart policy intended to provide a state-ofthe-art service to residents and businesses.

Mayor and member of the federal parliament, Veerle Heeren (CD&V) became a city councillor back in 1995. For the past two years, she had headed up a council of eight aldermen.

40,000 residents

24/7

document request service

Business benefits • Better service provision to citizens • Better communication with citizens • Administrative simplification • M ore efficient city services • Lower environmental footprint • Image of technological pioneer

16

The city of Sint-Truiden The downtown is the largest in the province in terms of surface area and counts almost 40,000 residents.

It’s known as a city of fruit, and has a soccer team, the Kanaries, in the top division. What’s more, the city boasts important historical monuments.

Digitization as an objective 19 policy objectives focus on digitization; one of these is the digitization of citizen services.

The first step was an investment in the basic infrastructure, with new servers, equipment and optic fiber for all municipal buildings.

The first result was free Wi-Fi on the Market Square.

Another implementation was Shop & The City, a digital customer card for anyone who comes to shop in the city.

MyDigipass Sint-Truiden is developing the citizen registration system called MyDigipass, which will give citizens access to online applications of the city using their mobile phone.

MyDigipass will operate using a new technology developed by its partner Vasco.

The citizen can, via mobile devices, access online applications from the government.

The MyDigipass authentication solution is recognized by Fedict. Citizens only need to upload their ID details on their smartphone once.

Sint-Truiden will soon be the first city in Belgium where citizens can identify themselves with a mobile device and file documents via the website or app of the city.

The city will thus find out about the policy interests of its residents and can send them carefully targeted information.

E-counter Requests for certificates, registration for music academies or sports camps, the city lending library and the security of city workers’ laptops will be made possible by the mobile ID card.

Everything is being implemented via a test group. Its members are the ambassadors who will then pass the message on to the public as whole.

Citizens can request documents 24/7 and can thus spend less time waiting at the counter. Their satisfaction improves, and the city departments can work more efficiently.

Proximus can help in various ways: monitoring energy use, business TV, SMS parking, safe shopping, etc.

More info Please contact your account manager or go to www.proximus.be

November 2015

SOLUTION | Proximus Secure Hybrid Cloud

The bridge between private and public The cloud has become a permanent feature for many businesses.

But not every company wants to store its data there for security reasons.

The alternative? The Secure Hybrid Cloud. Nicolas Viane, Head of Enterprise Cloud at Proximus, on the strengths of the hybrid cloud.

W

ith Secure Hybrid Cloud, a company establishes a bridge between the applications that run on its own network (private cloud) and the applications in the public cloud. The company decides where to put which applications. Secure Hybrid Cloud has three advantages: you are assured of a totally secure, high-performance solution, the cost structure is transparent and you can work more flexibly with your IT resources, depending on your capacity,” says Nicolas Viane.

the ideal solution if certain applications and data have to stay within the company environment for security reasons.

Security, accessibility and bandwidth are central.

Secure mobile working Hybrid cloud is becoming far more important as a concept because more and more companies are using applications on mobile devices. But this also means that data is taken out of the company’s own network and sent via the Internet. Secure Hybrid Cloud overcomes

“ Secure Hybrid Cloud combines the best of public and private clouds in a high-performance, secure connection.”

Using capacity flexibly Thanks to the Secure Hybrid Cloud, capacity is always perfectly divided between the cloud and the company’s own infrastructure. If you need more capacity on a temporary basis, then you quite simply use more. It also provides a secure private connection between a company network and the cloud. It is ictnews.be/one

that. “Staff have to be able to work with accounting applications or CRM applications on the go or at home. Accessibility and security take priority; the company’s own network does not always offer these, but a private connection does,” Nicolas Viane explains. “We work entirely in line with the ISO 27001 standard and meet the most stringent information

Nicolas Viane, Head of Enterprise Cloud at Proximus

security requirements.

We have end-to-end SLAs ensuring maximum connectivity and guaranteeing that the data in the cloud remains in Belgium. Our clients can reach us by telephone round the clock, with professional service in their own language.”

Cost savings Proximus Secure Hybrid Cloud also enables you to divide capacity flexibly between your own network and the infrastructure in the cloud. “This scalability means that the costs are totally transparent. A fee is charged per user.

If there are more users at peak times, you know in advance what the extra costs will be. What’s more, you always work with the latest versions, so you remain ahead technologically. There’s another advantage: you don’t have any investment costs and you’re up to speed immediately.”

More info Contact your account manager or go to www.proximus.be/securehybridcloud

17

SCOOP | Devices in the spotlight iPhone 6s

Touch technology for efficient browsing

The aluminum casing combined with the reinforced glass make the phone sturdier.

It is available in four versions (silver, gold, space grey and rose gold) with storage capacity of 16, 64 or 128 GB. Thanks to Live Photos, you can also see the moment just before and just after you took a photo. The 12 megapixel camera films in HD with support for 4K and no less than 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. iOS 9 also offers better search results and optimal functioning of the digital assistant, Siri.

Processor: 64 bit A9 Operating system: iOS 9 Memory: 2 GB RAM; 16/64/128 GB storage Screen type: 4.7� Retina HD touch screen

Screen resolution: 750 x 1,334 pixels Stand-by time: up to 240 hours (3G) Dimensions: 138 x 67 x 7 mm Weight: 143 g Connection: LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11ac

138 mm

Like its bigger brother, the 6s Plus, the new iPhone 6s is equipped with 3D Touch technology so that the interface reacts in context depending on how much pressure you exert on the screen. A gentle touch gives you a quick look; pressing harder opens the file. Quick Actions takes you to the actions you use most frequently in a flash.

Bluetooth: 4.2 Camera: 12 MP autofocus, dual-LED flash and 5 MP FaceTime HD camera Extra: Finger pressure sensor in start button, Apple Pay, Siri

67 mm

iPhone 6s eye-catchers are the high-quality camera and the 12-cm touch screen that now reacts to pressure, making browsing particularly efficient.

Apple Watch

A smart wrist device The Apple Watch helps you get even more out of your iPhone. The new WatchOS 2 operating system can now run apps autonomously. In total, there are over 10,000 apps that are suitable for the smartwatch, including FaceTime Messenger and Apple Pay. The number of dials has been substantially increased. As well as the time, they show all sorts of useful information such as news reports, your next appointment or journey times. A wide range of fitness apps and step-counters is also available, because the watch includes the sensors needed for such purposes.

You have the choice of three different models: Apple Watch, Watch Sport (with aluminum casing and reinforced glass) or Watch Edition (finished in 18-carat gold).

They are suitable for men and women, with 38 or 42 mm versions and a good selection of straps in leather, plastic or metal.

Processor: Apple S1 Operating system: WatchOS 2 Memory: 8 GB storage space, including 2 GB for music Screen type: Touch screen

Screen resolution: 272 x 340 Stand-by time: 48 hours Dimensions: 38 or 42 mm versions Weight: 55 g Connection: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n

Bluetooth: 4.0 Extra: heartbeat sensor, light sensor

The Apple Watch is an extension of your iPhone but can also run apps autonomously.

+

See p.29 to find out which two smart apps you can use on your Apple Watch.

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

18

November 2015

Dossier

The digital government 90 minutes

Local authorities are looking for digital services for the citizen.

20 By 2020 Belgium would like to evolve to a digital government.

Interview

Prof. Nathalie Crutzen and Alex Lorette on smart cities and the Smart City Institute.

24 Technology can make the difference. Digitization turns cities into smart cities that stimulate prosperity, well-being and sustainability.

Over to the expert

Pascal Poty at the Digital Agency: “We have entered the age of open data.�

26 ictnews.be/one

19

DOSSIER | 5 managers round the table

90 minutes

on digital services for the general public When we talk about the digital world, we are no longer referring to a sort of parallel universe where digital and analog exist side by side.

Today, businesses and the general public rely on digital communication and services, and that includes the government.

20

November 2015

have to focus less on the technical aspect and mainly consider how it can further streamline the processes behind the services it provides.”

T

he range of digital services available from government authorities – federal, regional and local – is constantly increasing. But this transformation will still take time.

“All authorities have a wide range of applications,” says Eddy Van der Stock, ICT manager for the city of Lokeren and chairman of the Flemish ICT organization V-ICT-OR. “The size of the IT team of a city is usually comparable with that of an SME, but the IT environment is far more complex.” What’s more, computerization in local authorities has grown historically, from the introduction of PCs and printers.

“That’s still noticeable today,” says Jef Rayen, ICT coordinator of the city of SintTruiden, “whereas the IT department of a city or a commune should in principle

ictnews.be/one

Internal and external One way that Sint-Truiden is supporting digitization is by providing free Wi-Fi in the city. Projects are underway involving an e-desk and a reporting system for the general public. This system is to gather together all reports and process them more smoothly. Greater efficiency is also the big advantage of digital communication between the public social welfare center and the federal government. “Internally, digital is standard now, and paper is the exception,” says Guido Verschaeren, secretary of the Arendonk public welfare center. “But externally, it’s different. We can’t afford to lose touch with our target group. Among other things, the public welfare center provides services for the low-skilled and the over-65s. With these target groups, the digital divide is still very real.” But even in that context, digitization is an advantage. Thanks to the efficiency that the public welfare center achieves internally and externally, there is time to provide extra support for target groups that are less likely to use digital channels.

First back end, then front end Local authorities wishing to digitize their services face a radical change process. Maldegem has opted to start by establishing a firm foundation. “First we are building a back end,” says Christine Blondeel, ICT manager in the commune of Maldegem. “We are collecting all the data together in a CRM environment.”

This central database will serve as a basis on which the commune can develop

Participants

One magazine invited 5 managers of local authorities to discuss the digital government.

Eddy Van der Stock

ICT manager for the city of Lokeren and chairman of the Flemish ICT organization V-ICT-OR “The public expect services to be available day and night. With digital services, we can exclude manual operations as much as possible.”

Jef Rayen

ICT coordinator of the town of Sint-Truiden “The introduction of digital services involves far-reaching changes. You have to bring not only the general public but also your own staff on board.”

Guido Verschaeren

secretary of the Arendonk public welfare center “All communication with the authorities is digital. That makes everything far more efficient.”

Christine Blondeel

ICT manager in the commune of Maldegem “Switching to digital services takes a huge effort. First we have to thoroughly update the data involved, and then we can really benefit from it.”

Cédric Charron

AWIPH CIO “Digital services mean we can simplify the administrative processes for citizens and cooperate better internally.”

21

DOSSIER | 5 managers round the table

digital services. The first concrete project is the digital building permit, scheduled for the end of this year. Lokeren adopted a similar approach. With the electronic ID card, members of the public can log in to the city’s portal. About 15 deeds and certificates are now available there in digital form – and fully computerized.

Impetus from the public The projects and plans set up by cities and communes show that in the first place we need to see the public as the driver behind digitization. They can rely on the digital services of their bank in the evening or at weekends, but have to take half a day off – and stand in a queue – to ask for documents from the commune. Members of the public and businesses are no longer satisfied with that. They expect a more flexible, digital service from the authorities. “We are in a transitional phase,” says Jef Rayen.

“Future generations will think it goes without saying that this type of service is digital.” In addition, government services themselves want more digitization.

“We are starting to work on an e-notary project,” says Christine Blondeel.

“Notaries will be able to request data from our systems, connected to a database with geographic information.

That will save a great deal of time for notaries and for our own services.”

Setting priorities Saving time and increasing efficiency are also the reasons why the AWIPH, the Walloon Agency for the Integration of People with a Disability, is starting to digitize its services. “We examine systematically the digitization in the context of our priorities,” says Cédric Charron, CIO at the AWIPH. “Clearly, using web services has a lot of advantages: the digitization simplifies and speeds up the administrative processes for the citizen. Also our staff can work together better and exchange information with other authorities more easily via the social security central database. Digitization therefore contributes towards achieving the organization’s end goal: to help people with a disability faster and better.”

22

“ With digital applications, the necessary monitoring can be carried out from a distance.”

– Guido Verschaeren, secretary of the Arendonk Public Welfare Center

Download the app One magazine and read the digital version of this magazine. Go to the App Store, Google Play or ictnews.be/one

Managing data about those concerned is essential here. Cédric Charron: “Ultimately, we are growing into an authentic source of information that other government services will be able to use, as well. This avoids the public having to keep on giving personal details over and over again.”

Closer to the people Digitization offers another advantage.

Government services that save time and increase efficiency thanks to digital processes can concentrate more on other core tasks. This means they can have more people working in the field. So cities or communes can further develop the social aspect of their services. Although there is a perception that digitization reduces contact between the authorities and the people – because the people have to go to their local authority less - in fact the increased efficiency can reduce the distance from the public. “Let me give you a practical example,” says Guido Verschaeren. “Older people prefer to remain in their own homes as long as possible. With digital applications, the necessary monitoring can be carried out from a distance. We can use the time we save to go along and see these people regularly.”

Central database The key to more digital service provision by the authorities lies in the management of data on people and businesses. Local authorities – and their internal services – are still too isolated, each with their own data sources and applications. “You could November 2015

Perspective

make huge progress by collecting all the data from these systems, managing it centrally and opening it up,” says Eddy Van der Stock. “What’s more, you can then build up an applicative layer. That would resolve many of the current issues, on data exchange, the use of data formats, etc.” The public welfare centers have made more progress here, partly because their data has to dovetail with the social security central database.

But in practice many questions remain, including about the legal framework as regards security and privacy. To be continued, no doubt...

What’s the status of smart cities in Belgium?

The Smart City Institute, connected to Liege University, has carried out some qualitative research into 11 Belgian projects on the subject of smart cities.

Smart People

Smart Economy

Smart Living

Smart Mobility

Smart Environment

Smart Governance

Smart city projects in Belgium are mainly linked to a local strategy.

The majority of projects are related to the environment, mobility and the economy.

The majority of political projects are top-down. The bottom-up projects are more common in the world of business.

Technology played a key role in those projects researched.

Conclusion Federal, regional and local government services alike are starting to deploy digital services for the citizenry – a farreaching transformation that will take time but will above all lead to enhanced efficiency. Citizens and the authorities themselves are calling for greater flexibility and automation in these processes of change. The key to more digital services lies in data management, but in practice security and privacy are still raising questions.

Your opinion matters!

Would you like to respond to this round-table discussion? Go to www.ictnews.be/one or tweet @ProximusEnt

ictnews.be/one

3 global recommendations from the Smart City Institute

1

In view of Belgium’s size and the way in which local authorities are organized it is considered essential for cities to work together, in order to create smart city projects on a larger scale.

Belgium could consider working with smart regions. Such partnerships could be helpful in keeping the costs down.

2

Open data and big data represent big challenges for the government. These can create big opportunities for companies and individuals.

3

Creativity and innovation are essential, both when it comes to technology and in social and legal matters. Smart cities really require the development of new business models and plans, new methods of finance as well as new legal resources.

More info?

Send an e-mail to eb.ca.glu@ics.ac.be for more details on the research.

23

DOSSIER | Interview with Prof. Nathalie Crutzen and Alex Lorette

Using digitization to create the

smart city

The smart city is not some distant notion: step by step, the use of new technologies is bringing us closer and closer to the advent of smart cities. Prof. Nathalie Crutzen of the Smart City Institute and Alex Lorette, Director Enterprise Telco Solutions at Proximus, tell us more.

24

November 2015

“The Smart City Institute was created within the HEC-School of Management at the University of Liège, in partnership with Proximus, Accenture and Belfius,” says Prof. Crutzen. “I would stress that we are integrated in a business school; we do not approach the smart city concept purely from a technological standpoint.

The smart city requires the reinvention of entire processes, with technology as a facilitator. In addition to our research and training activities, we also play a role as an incubator. We develop concrete solutions with our partners. There are currently six projects in progress.”

The pursuit of sustainable development “In the smart city, all the partners involved – governments, businesses and citizens – make use of new technologies in the joint pursuit of a goal of sustainable development that combines prosperity for the region, collective welfare and appropriate use of available resources,” continues Prof. Crutzen.

“The smart city concept is above all an ideal vision of the future that consists of progressive initiatives in various areas: mobility, governance, the economy, the environment (waste management and water), training and culture, innovative construction and so on.”

“Technology is developing rapidly. Big data and the Internet of Things make concrete applications possible for the smart city.”

– Alex Lorette, Proximus ictnews.be/one

use, adjusting lighting and heating to actual requirements. An infinite number of applications are possible.”

“In the smart city, governments, businesses and citizens use new technologies in the joint pursuit of sustainable development.

This development takes place step by step, in line with the city’s priorities.”

– Prof. Crutzen, Smart City Institute

Challenges for local authorities “The city is confronted with numerous challenges,” states Alex Lorette, Director Enterprise Telco Solutions. “In terms of mobility and the environment, in particular, with the issue of CO2 emissions. Constant population growth is putting the city under ever-increasing pressure and raising new questions.

What use should be made of the available urban space? There is a need for additional areas for housing, space to develop economic activities, and so on. This creates tensions. Economic resources are limited, yet at the same time we want do more with less.”

The role of the new technologies “Much has changed in recent years,” continues Alex Lorette. “Big data and the Internet of Things offer many possibilities in terms of smart solutions.

Technology is developing rapidly.

Sensors are financially affordable and easy to implement. The means of communication are there. A variety of solutions can therefore be envisaged for the smart city. Cameras that recognize license plates for the management of pedestrian zones, for example; sensors on the public roads for improved synchronization of traffic lights, or for dynamic allocation of parking spaces; sensors in buildings for smarter energy

The forerunners “London, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Hamburg in particular are establishing profiles as smart cities,” says Prof.

Crutzen. “However, European cities have a historical background that is not easy to discard, and this is why the move towards the smart city is taking place step by step. The situation is very different in somewhere like China, where entirely new cities spring up in next to no time.

When you don’t have to take the existing urban fabric into account, it is obviously far easier to create a smart city.”

Smartly managed Belgian cities “The most emblematic example is probably smart parking, with payment by sms or by mobile application on smartphone. In this area, technology can be used to create completely new models, for example an application that guides the motorist to a parking place available in the neighborhood,” says Alex Lorette. “All cities are different and have varying needs. It is important for each city to perform an accurate diagnosis and identify its priorities correctly,” adds Prof. Crutzen. “Some cities want to address mobility first, while the emphasis for others is on safety. In any case, we are seeing lots of initiatives that are highly innovative in terms of both the use of technologies and impact on business models,” she concludes.

Prof. Dr. Nathalie Crutzen is director of the Smart City Institute and assistant professor attached to the Accenture Chair in Sustainable Strategy at the HECSchool of Management at the University of Liège.

Alex Lorette is Director Enterprise Telco Solutions at Proximus.

25

DOSSIER | O ver to the expert: Pascal Poty, expert in charge of the Technology and Legal Watch unit at the Digital Agency

Instilling the data culture The Digital Agency supports the Walloon region’s digital transformation. “The agency is contributing towards the emergence of a new data culture,” says Pascal Poty, “underpinned by a new digital platform: Digital Wallonia.”

“T

he Digital Agency succeeded the Walloon Telecommunications Agency. This new name is linked to our new missions. We observe the way digital technologies are used by households and businesses, detect the birth of new technologies, advise the authorities and support the digital transformation of organizations. Our objective: to combine and enrich as much of the data available as possible – from various public bodies and organizations – in order to create a trend chart at the service of a smart region.”

A laboratory for digital services “The ultimate aim is to compile data on a dedicated digital platform: Digital Wallonia. Along with our partners, we gather together information from the various digital ecosystems in Wallonia and circulate them via the platform. Eventually, Digital Wallonia will also be the brand at the service of the digital sector. So all services will be accessible via this gateway.

Above all, Digital Wallonia is a platform characterized by open governance. We aim to become a laboratory of digital services where the institution takes a back seat in favor of an open platform. This is a real paradigm shift.”

Open data, open innovation “With Digital Wallonia, we want to introduce a real data culture. The digital revolution of access is behind us. We have entered the age of data.

This data culture must, among other 26

things, make it possible to speed up the digital transformation of the Walloon administration. This is why we identify data pools and then make them accessible to everyone so that they can be (re-)used. We encourage open innovation, a concept that is closely linked to this data culture. To achieve this, in particular, the administration can call upon data laboratories and thus provide support for start-ups in the field of datarelated applications. The Digital Agency provides the necessary support for this.”

“ With Digital Wallonia, we are developing a new culture centering on data.”

Pascal Poty is the expert in charge of

the Technology and Legal Watch unit of the Digital Agency. The Walloon agency is a public limited company, a subsidiary of the Agency for Enterprise and Innovation.

The key role of APIs “Data inevitably means problems with different formats, with structured and unstructured data, etc. This is precisely why, above all, Digital Wallonia aims to be very open. APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) will play a vital role here, because they can be used to share and exchange data. At the same time, by monitoring the situation, we share the latest developments with the public services and organizations to enable innovative use of data at the service of public action. This is the case, for instance, with new opportunities available to enhance the value of regions (smart cities, e-tourism, etc.) by collecting and using mobile data. It’s always exciting to see that local and regional public services can learn from one another in this way to innovate more. This sharing approach forms the basis of the M-Forum, a joint initiative of the Digital Agency and Proximus. The next forum, to be held on 9 December 2015, is to be devoted to big data and all things mobile.”

November 2015

SCOOP | Read for you

Why should you read it?

Author Peter Hinssen seeks the formula for surviving as a company in the coming years.

Most companies are not ready to deal with a society where everything is computerized, digitized and networked.

What is it about?

You thought we’d seen just about everything with regard to ‘disruption’? Forget it; we’re just beginning. Now that digitization is almost complete, everything is becoming a network: customers, markets, and the new players in those markets.

Companies that don’t make the transition probably won’t live to tell about it.

The Network Always Wins: how to survive in an age of uncertainty

What do you do when the digital world knocks at your door?

About the author

About the book

Serial entrepreneur, digital guru, teacher, writer and consultant… Peter Hinssen (°1969) is an expert in many areas, but is probably best known as a thought leader on everything related to digital innovation and changing business models. He has already written three books on this: ‘Business/IT Fusion’ (2008), ‘Digital Is the New Normal’ (2010) and now ‘The Network Always Wins’.

In almost 250 pages punctuated with countless anecdotes and stories about scientists, inventors and businesses, Peter Hinssen examines the next step in the disruptive process in more depth. The digitization that was heralded in ‘Digital Is the New Normal’ is now being progressively achieved, but businesses still make decisions based on the speed of innovation that was valid 50 years ago. And with that you won’t make it.

nyone who wants to remain relevant in the coming decades will have to A completely reinvent himself.

Read the interview with Peter Hinssen on page 30. ictnews.be/one

he future is characterized by VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, T Ambiguity. he antidote to survive is VACINE: Velocity, Agility, Creativity, Innovation, T Network and Experimentation.

27

SOLUTION | Mobile Coverage Extender

In increasingly well-insulated homes and office buildings, mobile coverage is sometimes lacking or inadequate. So you risk missed calls or poor quality on your mobile phone. The newly available Mobile Coverage Extender makes sure you can be reached at all times.

Mobile coverage everywhere

28

In October, Proximus launched the Mobile Coverage Extender, a device that is connected to the fixed Internet line (ADSL and VDSL). It is a small 3G base station, a ‘plug and play’ device that you simply attach to the Proximus BBOX so that mobile traffic is directed via the broadband network. This means you bypass any problems with the 3G network when the signal is not strong enough or is hampered by the robust insulation or construction of your building or home. The result is an optimal connection for mobile telephony and mobile data transmission with all your mobile devices that support 3G. It also has a positive effect on the lifespan of the batteries in your mobile devices: they last longer as you don’t use extra power having to search for a network over and over again.

and at the office. This second version emits a powerful mobile signal that covers larger areas – up to 1,000 m², so that greater distances between modem and workplace can be bridged.

The MCE for home use is capable of taking four simultaneous connections, while the professional MCE can easily transfer 16 calls and data sessions at the same time. So you benefit from all the advantages of working flexibly, wherever you are, inside or outside the company building.

At home or at the office The Mobile Coverage Extender (MCE) is available in two versions: for home use

Please contact your account manager or go to www.proximus.be/mobilecoverageextender

Business benefits • Better connection and call quality • Easy to install yourself • Longer battery life • Can be flexibly extended when necessary • Budget friendly

More info

November 2015

SCOOP | Useful apps Timely

Time management for advanced users If you are the lucky owner of an Apple Watch, then you are probably in search of useful apps to make the best possible use of your digital timepiece. The time management app Timely is definitely worth recommending.

Timely works on the basis of two simple buttons. The left-hand button keeps you informed of how you are spending your time and that takes just three clicks. With the right-hand button, you can start the timer for the task you are working on. Timely enables you to use your smartwatch to quickly open or start tasks, or to postpone them until tomorrow. What’s more, you can see at a glance what you have already done today and what jobs you still have to deal with.

Timely on Apple Watch works with the app for iPhone and the web-based software, with real-time synchronization between all versions.

Keep up with how much time you spend on certain tasks in a few clicks using Timely.

An overview provides useful information about your time management.

Braintoss

Empty your head During an average working day, we collect heaps of jobs that need to be done soon and things that we mustn’t forget. Writing them down somewhere helps empty your head, sets your mind at rest and leaves you to concentrate better on other things.

The Braintoss app works like a new generation of memo recorder. The iPhone version of this app enables you to leave a voice message, take a photo or type in a message in a single click. This is then automatically sent to your inbox and hence your to-do list. Braintoss is also compatible with Apple Watch, which means that you don’t even need to pick up your phone to note something down quickly. At the same time, the app tries to convert the spoken words and the letters on a photo into text automatically so that you can find messages quickly and easily. Right now, a version of the app for Android is being created.

David Allen, author of the management bestseller ‘Getting Things Done’, tweeted about Braintoss: “Just got best capture tool I’ve found for iPhone.

Braintoss.com, smartly simple design by 10yr GTDer.”

With Braintoss on your Apple Watch, you can quickly record a voice message, type in a written message or take a photo of something you mustn’t forget. The app sends the information to your mailbox.

ictnews.be/one

29

TALKING HEADS | Interview with Peter Hinssen

A The digital native is dead, long live the network native Life is hard in the digital world. Barely four years after Peter Hinssen wrote ‘Digital Is the New Normal’, it was time for an update: ‘The Network Always Wins’. The book takes a look at a future where digitization is done and dusted and the smart ones are already concentrating on the next phase.

Read the book review on page 27.

30

nyone who even vaguely follows the digital shift that is shaking up our economic landscape will most probably have come across the name Peter Hinssen. He has already launched various start-ups, is a consultant and a teacher, gives lectures around the world and has even written columns for our very own One magazine. In between all this, he has found time to write a number of books on this subject.

‘Digital Is the New Normal’ sold several tens of thousands of copies.

Can ‘The Network Always Wins’ be considered a sequel? “I think so,” says Hinssen, “A couple of things that I predicted in ‘The New Normal’ evolved differently than I thought they would. I certainly underestimated the network effects and above all the speed at which they are spreading. So in that sense, this book is indeed an update.”

Technology with a darker side “The notorious network effect is making itself felt in various areas,” Hinssen says. “Virtually every entrepreneur will be confronted with it sooner or later. Markets are becoming networks, consumers are fed from every direction and that’s the approach that businesses have to take to them, otherwise they’ll lose them. At the same time, businesses have to set up as a network themselves; they have to work and reason differently, in a very fluid way. There is still not enough of this. Thirdly, these networks mean that business models are spreading far more quickly than they did. When ‘The New Normal’ was written, established businesses saw the advantages of what was happening; now it frightens them off, too. And rightly so: for the first time, technology has acquired a darker side.”

World conquerors The prime example of this latter position is, of course, Uber. “In fact, Uber didn’t do anything new, but it integrates three things in one network: the existing cars infrastructure, the existing smartphones infrastructure and the existing Google Maps infrastructure. Add these three things together and you get an impressive leverage effect.

Do you want to conquer the world like McDonald’s or Walmart, with conventional stores? Fine, but it will take you 20 years. Uber did the same thing in three and a half years. This idea has penetrated Silicon Valley, too. Start-ups no longer want to become the new Apple or Google, but the new Uber or Airbnb. “Do you know InstaCart? It’s an online shopping service that works with existing stores. ‘People Are the New Infrastructure’ is their motto. You can indicate what you need on their website and then a student goes shopping for you. And this website has grown unbelievably.”

Eyes open, please “Europe really isn’t keeping up with this revolution,” says Hinssen, and that’s worrying. “Europe runs the risk of becoming a sort of flyover zone between the US and Asia. We’re just an outlet and we aren’t standing up for ourselves. This is the main idea in the book that I want to get across: business people and politicians are still thinking too much along traditional lines. All too often, I hear business leaders say: there’s nothing for us in that. Forget it, the coming generation, the 20-somethings, they are no longer digital natives, they are network natives. Take a look at the world from their point of view: it’s an incredible eye-opener.”

November 2015

IN PRACTICE | Fedict: towards widespread e-invoicing

In the paperless age, the age of administrative simplification and the dematerialization of services, the Belgian public authorities are acquiring the tools needed to process digital invoices from the private sector.

Belgium prepares for e-invoicing Electronic vs paper E-invoicing involves more than simply sending PDF files by e-mail. It enables advanced computerization: transfer of invoices from one invoicing system to another, data synchronization on both sides, etc.

Paper is expensive, both to produce and to store.

Added to that is the time it takes to encode, process, send or print an invoice. Not to mention the risk of error and the environmental impact.

In Europe, €240 billion could be saved in six years if the public authorities and businesses adopted e-invoicing. The European Commission wants e-invoices to account for over close up 50% of the total by the year 2020.

In Belgium,€3.5 billion would be saved annually, or €3.50 per invoice.

Belgian mercurius platform To simplify the task for companies that deal with different levels of authority, the Belgian government has deployed the Mercurius centralized e-invoicing platform.

This is based on the European e-Prior platform, which suppliers can use to invoice public bodies electronically.

Pilot project Mercurius is operated by the federal public IT service, Fedict.

Since July 2014, Serge Libert and his team have been running a pilot phase to adapt e-Prior to the realities of the Belgian situation and test the solution.

The electronic invoices had to be integrated automatically into Fedcom, the federal public services accounting system.

Several suppliers sent electronic invoices to the Federal Public Service of the Budget, to Fedict and to the Federal Public Service of the Prime Minister’s office. A total of 17,000 invoices, credit notes, attachments, reminders, etc. ictnews.be/one

In Belgium

€3.5 billion in savings per year Serge Libert is Project

Manager at Fedict in charge of electronic invoicing and the e-desk, the platform used for the dematerialization of administrative transactions.

or

€3.50

per invoice

Tested by proximus Thanks to its active participation and experience in the field, Proximus helped to develop Mercurius and pilot the solution.

This pilot phase revealed excessively cumbersome loading procedures for those issuing invoices. The activation model for new issuers had to be simplified. The solution? PEPPOL, a tried and tested model based on standards that can be used to eliminate the preparatory stages required in the current model.

Fedict is to continue its efforts to adopt the system within the federal, regional and local public authorities and bring about its widespread use in the private sector.

Business benefits • Single access point • Administrative simplification and computerization • T ime savings: shorter processing time, faster payments • Reduced margin of error • Reduced storage space • Economies of scale • Limited carbon footprint (dematerialization) • Better expenditure follow-up and monitoring • Competitive advantage for Belgium

31

IN PRACTICE | R oularta and ‘My green bill’:

working together to reduce the paper

Paper or digital invoice:

2% vs 98% Digital invoices are not just easier to manage, they’re also better for the environment. No wonder then that more and more companies are taking advantage of the opportunity. The media group Roularta is certainly convinced.

F

or years Roularta has been operating a system of split billing using the Proximus Budget Manager. The company reimburses a certain part of its staff’s telecom bill. “The split occurs at two levels,” says Project Manager Paul Demuynck. “There’s a split based on the amount and a split based on the employee’s profile. Some employees are just reimbursed for the costs of voice calls and sms, while others are also reimbursed for their use of data. The process is entirely automated and the employee receives a bill each month for the amount he or she still needs to pay.”

didn’t have a copy. Before I could answer their questions the paper bill first had to be scanned and sent through by e-mail.

Now they just send me an electronic copy and I can help them right away. It’s difficult to say just how much it saves, but the system is certainly much easier and more efficient.”

You owe zero euros “Another cause for annoyance in the past were the bills for zero euros,” explains Demuynck. “You just wouldn’t believe how confusing it is for people receiving an invoice for zero euros, simply because they didn’t use up their

“ It’s quite inconceivable that costs should be incurred for something that people no longer even want: an invoice on paper.”

About Roularta Green invoice Over the last few months invoices have no longer been issued on paper but have been sent digitally, via ‘My green bill’ by Proximus. “When Proximus came forward with the idea my reaction was: at long last!” laughs Demuynck.

“We were immediately really keen on implementing the digital bill. When people used to call with questions about their bills I struggled to help, because I 32

allocated credit. With ‘My green bill’ this is just briefly viewed and forgotten about.

We receive far fewer questions on the subject.” The last big bonus mentioned by the project manager is the reduction in paper. “We make everyone aware of using unnecessary paper and do what we can for the environment. It’s quite inconceivable that costs should be incurred for something that people no longer even want: an invoice on paper.”

The media group Roularta publishes magazines such as Knack, DataNews and Trends, but is also involved in free press (incl. De Streekkrant) and radio and television (VTM, Kanaal Z, JoeFM …). The company employs around 1,500 staff across 10 sites.

November 2015

Project Manager Paul Demuynck has been working at Roularta for 28 years and his responsibilities include the technical management of telephone solutions and contact with suppliers. He is also responsible for the printer and copier park.

Still 2% on paper Shortly before the summer holidays, prior to rolling the project out in full, Proximus carried out a test on three phone numbers over a number of months. “One of the numbers involved gave us some problems when linked to a specific e-mail address,” explains Demuynck. “In the meantime we have succeeded in resolving this issue. The new system now works perfectly and is utilized on around 700 staff mobile phone numbers.” Only 2% of the employees indicated the desire to continue receiving a paper bill. In addition, the system is also being used for many family members, who are able to call at comparable rates thanks to an Employee Privilege program. “We informed everyone that their bill would be sent electronically from now on, unless they objected. It was also quite clear among family members: at least 85% to 90% opted for the electronic invoice. So there is a real demand.”

Tacit agreement When new employees come on board they are not even asked the question.

“I just tell them that we’ll take over their mobile phone number and that they’ll receive an electronic invoice,” says Demuynck. “I’ve not yet received a complaint.”

Business benefits • Easy to manage • Better for the environment • Trendsetting and green image for the company • T ime-saving • Satisfied colleagues

More info Get in touch with your Customer Support Officer via www.proximus.be/mycontacts or go to www.proximus.be/greenbill

ictnews.be/one

33

IN TEAM | Eric Wilmot, CIO of Brussels Airlines

IT

at the heart of our profession Computers, IT and the networks aren’t only used to fly the planes.

They are also excellent means of providing our passengers with quality service capable of making the difference compared with our competitors, says Eric Wilmot, CIO of Brussels Airlines.

Eric Wilmot studied applied economic sciences in Louvainla-Neuve. He then worked at the Walloon Region Informatics Centre before joining Sabena.

In January 1994, he became one of the first members of staff at Proximus – Mobile network.

He joined Brussels Airlines in May 2007.

34

November 2015

W

e met Eric Wilmot in the Loft, the brand new lounge area opened

by Brussels Airlines at Zaventem Airport a few months ago. Heading a team of around 60 people in the airline, the CIO has a clear, precise view of their mission: “Our job is to integrate solutions that make the difference in terms of customer service,” he says. We’re not interested in maintaining old systems that form a back office identical to the one in every other company. That’s not how you stand out. We need to make the best possible use of the resources at our disposal and bank on innovation to stay ahead of the competition.”

Eric Wilmot explains. “For us, hiring all these specialists would represent an unjustifiable cost.”

Applications that bring happiness Wilmot describes his own style of management as a skilful mix of giving people responsibility and keeping an eye on things. “The people in my team are autonomous and responsible, but at the same time I try to stay close to them to intervene if necessary. For important strategic projects, I supervise the project leaders directly. Our very horizontal organization, with few levels, allows this way of working. In fact, we are a big SME. That’s the spirit that prevails here.”

After more than eight years at Brussels

“Each new application that we develop makes me happy. I’m talking about applications that mainly benefit our passengers.”

The prevalence of subcontracting Eric Wilmot takes the example of Scan & Fly, the system whereby passengers check in their luggage, introduced by Brussels Airlines a few years ago. “It’s an example that shows how technology can be used in the service of passengers, giving them the freedom to check in their luggage when it suits them, but also to buy extra luggage. People can check in online, and even by smartphone.

Here, in the Loft, passengers have a mobile application that they can use, for instance, to book a shower or a bed, or to consult their flight details. We have meeting rooms fitted with ultra-modern equipment for videoconferences. We also use computerized solutions inside our cockpits. Our pilots now have their thick paper manuals on tablets. IT is at the heart of our profession.” But Brussels Airlines does not do everything itself. About 80% of the IT budget goes on subcontracting. “These days, IT is evolving so quickly and the level of specialization is such that it is extremely difficult to do everything in house,” ictnews.be/one

Airlines, Eric is convinced of one thing: the best is yet to come. “We are heading for some great times, I’m sure of it. For that matter, we’ve already seen so many really good things. Each new application that my team helps provide makes me proud and happy. I’m talking about applications that benefit our passengers in particular. Apologies to my colleagues in accounts (laughter).”

About Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines is the biggest airline flying out of Brussels, with over 90 destinations in Europe, Africa and the United States. The company is part of the Lufthansa group and employs around 3,500 people.

Brussels Airlines records a turnover of about €1 billion and will carry over seven million passengers in 2015.

35

IN PRACTICE | Leuven and Hasselt overhaul datacenter environment

General public notice on extra capacity and speed Leuven and Hasselt are bringing their new datacenters into use for smooth service provision to citizens. A creative solution was needed, offering the right balance between functionality and value for money.

L

euven and Hasselt have combined their IT activities in HeLics – an intermunicipal body responsible for IT infrastructure, application management, helpdesk services, procurement and purchasing in the field of IT. “We are combining services for Hasselt and Leuven as much as we can,” says Sven Kluppels, director of HeLics in Leuven.

“In practice, though, we have two teams, each of which looks after IT services in its own town.” Hasselt and Leuven have also joined forces via HeLics for the purchase of a new datacenter environment. “The environment was outdated,” Kluppels explained. “There was insufficient capacity and performance, and no further room for expansion.” HeLics began looking for a solution that would provide more breathing space and that would also be easy to integrate into the existing backup environment.

Storage and disaster recovery in one After a thorough analysis of the proposals received, the Proximus solution was chosen, based on HP (hardware) and EMC (storage). “The new environment will serve us for at least five years,” says Kluppels. “Our storage needs will continue to grow in the years ahead, but the new solution is easily expandable, and also enables different storage types to be combined.” What is more, the whole solution runs on new, more powerful machines. “The lack of internal memory was beginning to cause us problems, but that’s a thing of the past now.” The servers of the Leuven Public Center for Social Welfare (OCMW) have now also been virtualized on VMware, as were the city’s servers earlier on. This now represents a combined total of around 250 virtual servers. More specifically,

About HeLics

HeLics is the contractual intermunicipal body for IT for the cities of Leuven and Hasselt. It has about 20 employees.

36

November 2015

Sven Kluppels has a degree in business administration. He worked for the service providers Berox and Unisys before joining HeLics in 2007.

Since 2013, he has been director of HeLics for the city of Leuven.

the OCMW datacenter serves as a disaster recovery solution, in case anything goes wrong with the city’s datacenter.

“ We now respond to new needs more quickly by deploying new applications.

Thanks to the virtualization, energy consumption has also dropped significantly.”

Creative partner “To achieve the best possible solution with the available budget, Proximus came up with a lot of creative proposals.

The result was a viable and affordable solution, with maximum functionality,” says Kluppels. Ultimately, Proximus was responsible not just for the virtualization process, all the hardware (servers, SAN, switches …) and the disaster recovery solution, but also for training and support, integration with the existing backup and the actual migration. “It’s a big investment,” Kluppels concluded.

“The added value lies, among other things, in a better and faster service to the public. We now respond to new needs more quickly by deploying new applications. At the same time, we are making considerable savings. The management of the new environment requires less time, so that space is freed up for other tasks. Thanks to the virtualization, energy consumption has also dropped significantly.”

Business benefits • Expandable in terms of capacity and performance • Improved service to the public through faster deployment of new applications • Cost savings: more efficient management, lower energy costs • Operational security thanks to a disaster recovery site within an active/passive set-up

More info Please contact your account manager or go to www.proximus.be

ictnews.be/one

37

TALKING HEADS | 7 questions for Philippe Niesten, CIO of the Herstal Group

“ Let’s avoid depending entirely on technology, let us reverse the trend before it’s too late.”

Philippe Niesten CIO Herstal Group

What has been your main professional achievement?

The role of IT is to improve the profitability of the company. My finest achievement is yet to come, as I plan to keep improving the added value I bring to the information system. But I am proud of having been able, 8 years ago now, to make Internet at home available to all Herstal Group employees.

Who would you like to sit next to on an airplane, and what would you ask that person?

I’d rather sit next to a 17-year-old student than a renowned IT expert. I would like to know the expectations of teenagers in our digital world. We have to take this into account and companies have to think about surrounding themselves with young executives in order to take those ideas on board.

Personal Philippe Niesten is a manager whose feet are firmly planted on the ground. He gives his staff freedom, but realizes that no two people are alike. “The manager must be able to evaluate each person’s abilities,” he says.

Career After studying civil engineering at the University of Liège, Philippe Niesten earned his spurs in the copper and zinc industries of Liège, and then took charge of information technology on an interim basis at a number of companies before joining Cap Gemini in 1994. In 1999, he became CIO of the Herstal Group. From 2011 to February 2015, he was president of the Association of Francophone Information Systems Directors. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of HEC- ULg, the management school of the University of Liège, for 15 years. Company Thanks to its policy of intensive innovation, the ongoing development of its product range and its high standards in terms of quality, the Herstal Group, having just celebrated its 125th birthday, is a global leader in its two sectors: Defense & Security and Hunting and Shooting, thanks to its internationally renowned brands FN Herstal, Browning and Winchester Firearms*. Coworkers The Herstal Group, the head office of which is in Herstal, near Liège, employs more than 2,500 people spread across various subsidiaries in Belgium, the United States, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Japan and Finland. Philippe Niesten supervises the 50 ICT staff who draw up the strategy for the entire Group.

How would you describe your job?

The CIO defines strategy, puts in place the rules of IT governance, supervises the major IT applications and ensures that added value is created for all users. Those users may become more demanding.

Nowadays we often invest in applications that do not have added value. That’s not being responsible.

What would you do if you were not in this job?

I would be doing consulting, advising companies on how to enable young creators to reduce their risks. Companies need advice and support in all areas. I could also have worked as an engineer at a construction firm.

What book (on IT or anything else) would you recommend?

‘La transformation digitale, un guide didactique et pratique’ by Pascal Delorme and Jilani Djellalil. This guide helps marketing managers take good decisions. And ‘Pratiques de la conduite du changement’ by David Autissier and Jean-Michel Moutot, which offers companies perspectives to help them take measures in line with their needs and to understand the transformations going on at both organizational and procedural levels.

What do you consider the most important innovation of the last 20 years?

The smartphone, and more specifically miniaturization, thanks to which residents of countries which just a few decades ago were still behind in the use of IT applications can now catch up with us.

I should also mention IoT, which is already revolutionizing our daily lives.

What would you like to invent to make life easier?

A truly private box, an environment where I could do and leave whatever I want without being disturbed. Private life is disappearing, and that’s unhealthy. We need to have a spot where we can withdraw in all serenity.

* W inchester Firearms is a brand registered by Olin Corporation

38

November 2015

SOLUTION | Cross-border mobile data: roaming and Wi-Fi Hotspots

24/7 online, also abroad

How many hours a day do you spend online?

Almost 24/7? Even when you are out of the country? Roaming at affordable rates and with transparent costs is hardly an excessive luxury, with the 17 million free Wi-Fi Hotspots as a nice little extra.

Business benefits • Continuous mobile online access, including abroad • Your budget is perfectly under control • M ore efficient and flexible working at every location

ictnews.be/one

Customized roaming plan You can choose the most suitable customized rate formulas and data volumes from the various Proximus roaming plans. This allows you to adjust the plan to the number of staff who regularly travel abroad, the frequency of their trips, their destinations and their usage. You can either opt for individual formulas or shared packs, where you share a data volume of your choice among the users.

Your budget under control As an employer, you can also tie in your roaming plans to the Budget Manager, so that you always have an overview of your employees’ mobile data traffic. You can determine the amount up to which you will cover the cost, and the percentage that each user will have to contribute to the roaming costs. Your communication costs become predictable and you gain in flexibility. Your staff will also find this approach to their advantage, as they can use the same device and the same business rates for both professional and personal purposes.

Access to more than 17 million Wi-Fi Hotspots around the world Thanks to the optional ‘Mobile access to Proximus & Fon Wi-Fi Hotspots’, you will enjoy access to Fon Wi-Fi Hotspots.

The service offers Wi-Fi Internet access using a SIM card both within Belgium and abroad, so that your staff can do their work online in places where there is no 3G/4G connection, e.g. technicians or sales staff visiting clients at home or at work. There is no charge for this service, only a monthly flat rate.

More info Please contact your account manager or surf to www.proximus.be

39

PROXIMUS | News ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

!

BELTUG!Paper!

Aanbevelingen!voor!een!Corporate!

Policy!!

Inzake!smartphone,!tablet,!BYOD,!laptop!en! pc!gebruik! !

! !

Mei!!2015! ! !

Guidelines for a corporate policy on the use of smartphones, tablets and BYOD Beltug, the association of IT managers, recently published an update of its recommendations concerning the use of e-mail, Internet, tablets, smartphones and bring your own device. The organization provides tips on the way in which companies can draft clear guidelines with a view to avoiding misunderstandings with employees.

Monitoring of telecom costs and the importance of good security in the context of the new way of working are also covered. Beltug members can download the 100page document from the website www.beltug.be. > If you are not a member of Beltug, send an e-mail without delay to info@beltug.be.

The first 10 readers of One magazine will receive the document in their mailbox, free of charge.

Proximus launches its LoRa network Proximus is launching its LoRa network to enable the Internet of Things and make the connected world a reality. Connected things lead to a greater and better understanding of the situation of the ‘things’ to be managed, and this leads to increased efficiency, better cost control and new business models. Some of our customers are already using the Low power long Range (LoRa) network to monitor the atmosphere in warehouses, keep track of rolling equipment or measure utilization.

The LoRa network offers wide coverage and is energy friendly (with a battery life of over five years). GSM networks also provide good coverage, but are characterized by high energy consumption (battery life of a few days). LoRa is therefore well suited for the connection of a lot of remote things. Through the combination of networks (Wi-Fi, GSM, LoRa), Proximus is ideally placed to enable vehicle track and trace, sensor-based measurement, event counting, telemetry, proactive maintenance, alarm systems, smart metering, etc. The LoRa network is activated in 10 cities, and is approaching nationwide coverage. LoRa technology allows you to implement solutions that were previously too costly, too complex, or just technologically unfeasible.

Experience@Work seeks participants Experience@Work is looking for new members for its senior recruitment platform. Organizations with a lot of experienced employees can keep those members of staff motivated in their work in the long term by granting them a second wind in a different sector. They often opt for a job in a socially committed organization without a large budget. This organization only pays the part of the salary that a younger employee with the same profile would receive, whilst the employer – who keeps the employee in its employ – pays the difference. This is a fine example of socially responsible enterprise, with considerable benefits for all those concerned. Any organization can take part in Experience@Work; an assignment can be entered free of charge and on line. > Looking for an employee with experience?

Or do you want to offer your employees alternative career prospects in other organizations as well? www.experienceatwork.be 40

November 2015

Proximus Cyber Security Convention According to a survey by PWC, among 300 Belgian companies, 80% of company managers believe that their company’s IT security works. PWC presented the results of the survey to the technical IT employees of those same companies. Nobody - 0% - agreed with the management’s position. What is clear is that security is a burning issue. So on 8 October Proximus organized the second Cyber Security Convention.

The convention in Groot Bijgaarden served as a platform for the 250 customers and experts to exchange experiences and share expertise with each other. The main subjects covered in the plenary sessions and workshops were the regulations governing cyber security, Advanced Persistent Threats and security of the cloud and mobile devices. During the plenary session Bart Preneel, professor at the Catholic University of Leuven, said that “we are best advised to give preference to small local data rather than big data. Big data leads to big hacks. If you bring together big data in large, centrally managed databases, you’ve got a bigger risk of incidents. When the data is kept locally with the users, the risk is smaller.” Members of the Cyber Security Coalition – a partnership formed by CERT.be, VBO, B-CCENTRE, Solvay Brussels School and Proximus, among others – also stressed the need for awareness raising in respect of cyber security. “Almost half – 46% – of Belgians use a password of less than eight characters.

People share passwords and use a single password for different applications, both private and professional. There is clearly a lot of work still to be done,” said Jeroen Gobin of CERT.be. These and other interesting standpoints were discussed during lunch.

In the partner zone participants also had the chance to familiarize themselves with the solutions offered by Proximus and its partners. > More information at www.proximus.be/cybersecurity ictnews.be/one

41

TRIGGER | Wearables at the office

Life as it is: wearable technology

My smartphone and my smartwatch talk to each other, but neither of them wants to talk to me

7

o’clock, it’s morning again. I seem to have forgotten to charge my shirt. I pull it over my head and do a short, quick sprint round the kitchen table. There, the battery will keep going for a bit. It’s getting cold outside.

Luckily, my coat thinks so, too. It quickly warms up a couple of degrees. I cycle to the station. While my undershirt measures my heartbeat, I see on my smartphone that it goes up immediately. I prefer not to think too much about my fitness.

On the train, I find my colleagues easily thanks to specific location software. The train journey is enjoyable.

Without any fixed computers, wearable technology is already the order of the day in our office. I ask my smartwatch to call my colleague. Straight afterwards, I dictate an e-mail to my client at random. Handy and efficient, but sometimes a bit chaotic if everyone talks out loud at the same time to send e-mails. But

42

the question is how many understandable messages go out with all that added noise.

Our flex desks are clearly very useful at the office. Because my waistcoat has a solar panel panel, I’ve chosen a place at the window. My colleague with the pullover that generates power has got a place with a little extra space for stretching exercises. I stare out of the window for a while, until suddenly my trousers begin to vibrate. I jump up and start looking round questioningly. From behind his desk, I see my boss chuckle. My smartwatch passes on the following message: “Come along, stop dreaming, work. Our deliveries don’t (yet) go out by themselves.” Whoops, my boss seems to have discovered how to follow our activity levels remotely. What did he say at our last team meeting? “I will be keeping a personal eye on the business continuity of our company and our staff.”

November 2015

THINK AGAIN!

Homeworking?

“It’s great for skivers and amateur chefs.”

“Pay my people a full-time wage so they can work half-time and spend the rest of their day making soup? I don’t think so! And meetings are they no longer necessary? ”

“It’s great!

It saves office space and time.”

“Wasting time in traffic jams is so yesterday.

It’s a cost I’d rather avoid. If I can save something somewhere, I’m up for it. And the added bonus? We can meet outside the office and truly think ‘out of the box’.”

Time for a #NewPerspective Find inspiration at proximus.be/NewPerspective. Discover how IT and telecoms, with our homeworking solutions, let your employees meet together and work as efficiently as if they were in the office.