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Welcome to CIONET Belgium

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Upcoming Events

 
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Belgium 23-9-25 Squad Only Virtual english

Cybersecurity Without the Burnout ; Refocusing effort when alerts, threats, and pressure won’t stop

Security teams are overwhelmed. Too many tools. Too many alerts. Too few people. And now, increasing pressure from the board to protect everything, everywhere, all the time. Expect honest reflection, shared strategies, and a conversation that cuts through compliance noise and focuses on what to do when your team is stretched and your risk is rising.

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Belgium 23-9-25 Invitation Only Physical english

Reclaim the cloud : Powering Belgian Finance with Sovereignty

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the financial services industry in Belgium faces a critical juncture regarding its cloud adoption strategy. While the allure of cloud computing – with its promise of scalability, agility, and innovation – is undeniable, the unique regulatory demands and paramount need for data sovereignty present significant challenges. This CIONET roundtable, aims to bring together Digital Leaders from the Belgian financial sector to discuss how to navigate these complexities. We will explore how financial institutions can leverage cloud technologies while ensuring complete control over their data, maintaining compliance with stringent European regulations like GDPR and DORA, and mitigating geopolitical risks.

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Belgium 24-9-25 Invitation Only Physical english

Bridging the Unbridgeable: IT Meets M(i)OT ; Converged infrastructures demand converged security

As smart devices proliferate across operational environments — from sensors on factory lines and GPS trackers in logistics fleets to wearables in healthcare and connected systems in smart cities — the integration of Managed IoT (MiOT) is accelerating. But with it comes a surge in cybersecurity risks. No longer isolated or air-gapped, OT systems are becoming fully networked, remotely accessible, and deeply entwined with IT. This creates a vulnerable, highly complex digital mesh, one where a single compromised device can trigger physical, financial, and reputational consequences.

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Upcoming TRIBE Events

 
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September 23, 2025 Squad Session Squad Only Virtual english

Cybersecurity Without the Burnout ; Refocusing effort when alerts, threats, and pressure won’t stop

Security teams are overwhelmed. Too many tools. Too many alerts. Too few people. And now, increasing pressure from the board to protect everything, everywhere, all the time. Expect honest reflection, shared strategies, and a conversation that cuts through compliance noise and focuses on what to do when your team is stretched and your risk is rising.

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September 30, 2025 Squad Session Squad Only Virtual english

Technical Debt: When to Pay It and When to Walk Away ; Making smart trade-offs between progress, maintenance, and risk

Everyone has technical debt. The question is what to do with it. Refactor now? Wait for the next feature? Build on it and hope it holds? If you’re tired of debating whether to clean up or move on, this session helps you frame the debt conversation in a way that supports both speed and stability.

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October 2, 2025 Squad Session Squad Only Virtual english

The Career Path of the Architect ;Great architecture begins with great architects

Architecture doesn’t happen in diagrams. It happens in minds, seasoned, curious, sharp minds that understand how the pieces fit. But who’s shaping these minds? Who’s growing the next generation of digital architects? If you’re responsible for complex systems, and for the people designing them, this session is for you.

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CIONET Partner Updates

CIONET Partner Updates

Recent Cases

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Fluxys: Embracing hybrid working through next-generation collaboration tools

As a critical energy infrastructure company, Fluxys needs to operate 24/7 and collaborate effectively with its teams across Europe. The company continues to grow internationally and has recognised the value that hybrid working can offer. In 2019, the company began a project to implement Microsoft collaboration tools.

 
 

 

“Don’t assume people will think a new tool is great just because it looks nice. If you don't properly show them what the tool can do and how it adds value to daily life – it will never be a success.”

Jérôme Van der Meerschen, Digital Workplace Manager at Belgian energy infrastructure group Fluxys, is talking about the importance of proper change management when introducing new technologies and how Microsoft collaboration tools are facilitating hybrid working across the organization.

“For a long time we did not have much need for extended collaboration tools,” he says. “If you needed to see someone it would be in person – whether that’s meeting in the office to travelling to where a colleague is based. But then COVID-19 lockdowns were brought in and everything had to change.”

As a critical energy infrastructure company, many Fluxys employees still had to come into the office or be in the field during government lockdowns while others worked from home under new restrictions. Suddenly the organization needed to find a way to safely keep its essential services going and collaboration between employees wherever they were working.

“Our company introduced new internal policies around home working that forced us to rethink how we collaborate and what technologies could help make this a successful transition,” continues Jérôme Van der Meerschen. “None of us knew how long COVID would be around for, but it was clear that hybrid working would become more of a standard for Fluxys – and that meant thinking beyond everyday tools to facilitate remote working.”

Creating a digital workplace for a global organization

Headquartered in Belgium, Fluxys is a fully independent energy infrastructure group with 1,300 employees active across three key areas. Managing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Belgium, France and Greece, operating 12,000km of gas transmission pipelines across Europe and Brazil, and storing natural gas in Fluxys’ facilities in Belgium.

“I'm responsible for the digital workplace at Fluxys and managing all aspects that come into contact with our end users,” explains Jérôme Van der Meerschen. “From the laptops and telephone systems we use to collaboration tools and equipment in our meeting rooms – all making sure everyone can work efficiently from anywhere in the world.”  

With the larger part of Fluxys employees based in Belgium, the company’s focus for workplace technologies had primarily been on office-based solutions. But as the organization continued to expand globally, Fluxys saw a potential for hybrid working and began a pilot project in 2019 to digitally transform the company for a more flexible working model.

“We had already introduced Microsoft 365 as standardized tools to use across our Belgium offices. But the company was growing beyond Europe with new offices opening in Singapore and Brazil, which provided a greater need for everyone to start using collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams,” he says.

“Transforming meeting rooms was also part of our digital workplace roadmap. We were looking for new technologies that could add more value than a simple projector or PC and, after seeing a Surface Hub in use, we wanted to explore the user benefits of these devices and how easily they could integrate with our IT infrastructure. 

“That’s when we decided to start a Proof Of Concept (POC) to let some of our users in the office get hands-on with the Surface Hub 2.”

Rapidly embracing a hybrid-working model

When COVID-19 restrictions came into effect in March 2020, many Fluxys employees suddenly transitioned to remote working with a small number of key workers still in the office or in the field to maintain its critical infrastructure operation. With Microsoft collaboration tools already in place, the company was able to fully migrate all its users over to Microsoft Teams in just three days with minimal disruption.

“The fact that our users were already familiar with the Microsoft suite was a big advantage. But collaborating when everyone’s at home or everyone’s in the office is easy – it's when you have a mix of both that working productively gets more tricky.”

Following a successful POC, Fluxys decided to enhance the collaboration between users based in its offices and at home by implementing a mix of Surface Hub 2 devices and dedicated Microsoft Teams meeting rooms. “Everything integrated smoothly with our IT ecosystem and it quickly made having meetings really easy for people still in the office,” he says. 

“Someone could just enter a room and start a Teams meeting in one click. Then the Surface Hub 2 provided a dedicated device to access OneDrive files or collaborate over SharePoint documents – all features that make holding meetings more efficient whether in person or virtually.”

To help users quickly adopt these new collaboration tools, Fluxys decided to develop a digital coaching service together with their Microsoft partner. This offered training through Microsoft Teams that explored how to get the most out of the Surface Hub 2 devices, as well as self-help content and change management training to help everyone embrace a hybrid-workplace environment.

“We wanted to show that Surface Hubs were more than just a whiteboard for the meeting room and how they could help make everyday life easier,” he adds . “Once we demonstrated what these devices could do, the majority of people were sold immediately and now everyone is using Teams and these tools on a daily basis.”

Establishing a new normal

Now as Fluxys enters 2022, the company’s workplace has been transformed into a dedicated hybrid-working environment.

“We've now upgraded every meeting room to these Microsoft systems and also created new spaces where Surface Hubs can be used as collaboration screens to help us work in a more agile way,” says Jérôme Van der Meerschen. 

“We recently ran a survey to see what our users thought of these changes and the results were really positive. Some people are favoring the dedicated Microsoft Teams rooms if they want to just have a meeting without any fuss. Others like the Surface Hubs for the extra collaboration tools they offer, which is why it’s great we have this balance to suit all of our users’ needs.” 

Part of the organization’s successful adoption was its approach to standardization – making sure the same equipment was integrated into every room so users only had to be onboarded on one new technology to use going forward. “Simplification was key to our digital workplace roadmap and having the same user interface in each room really helped in that way,” he explains. 

“Both the Surface Hubs and Microsoft Teams room systems integrate perfectly with the Microsoft tools everyone is used to, which takes away that technological barrier for ‘how do I turn this on’ or ‘where do I find this program’. Both helping people get more out of their meetings and also removing any frustrations when trying to host a meeting with people outside the office.”

Helping employees see the value of new technology

With everyone now using Microsoft Teams and Surface Hub 2 devices daily across Fluxys, the company has seen a positive change to its meeting culture across the organization. A refreshed mindset that is removing negative stigma towards solving problems virtually and helping employees find a better work-life balance.

“We do more online now than we ever used to and that requires a seamless integration with the technology people are using both in and outside the office,” says Jérôme Van der Meerschen. 

“Now that we've standardized the meeting rooms in every office, collaboration can happen virtually from anywhere. Even our technicians have access to Teams on their field devices, which allows them to attend company meetings and improves communication between the technicians themselves. All helping reduce the travel needs for everyone across Fluxys and making our company more sustainable in the way we work.”

With over 1,000 employees now successfully collaborating in a hybrid-working model, Jérôme Van der Meerschen is confident that the key to his company’s transformation has been keeping people at the center of every decision. Ensuring that Fluxys isn’t just providing them with new technology to do their job, but making sure they understand exactly how it brings value to what they do day after day.

“Bringing new technology to people is easy. But making sure that they use it in the best way possible is something completely different,” he says in summary. “You need to focus on the people, on the adoption, and on the change that these tools will bring – and that's something that people sometimes forget when introducing new technologies.”

Technologies

Microsoft Teams

CIONET Circles

CIONET Business Circles

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Healthcare Circle

Digital Transformation is redefining the future of health care and health delivery. All stakeholders are convinced that these innovations will create value for patients, healthcare practitioners, hospitals, and governments along the patient pathway. The benefits are starting from prevention and awareness to diagnosis, treatment, short- and long-term follow-up, and ultimately survival. But how do you make sure that your working towards an architecturally sound, secure and interoperable health IT ecosystem for your hospital and avoid implementing a hodgepodge of spot solutions? How does your IT department work together with the other stakeholders, such as the doctors and other healthcare practitioners, Life Sciences companies, Tech companies, regulators and your internal governance and administrative bodies?

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Telenet Business Leadership Circle

The Telenet Business Leadership Circle powered by CIONET, offers a platform where IT executives and thought leaders can meet to inspire each other and share best practices. We want to be a facilitator who helps you optimise the performance of your IT function and your business by embracing the endless opportunities that digital change brings.

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Les Rencontres

Découvrez la dynamique du leadership numérique aux Rencontres de CIONET, le programme francophone exclusif de CIONET pour les leaders numériques en Belgique, rendu possible grâce au soutien et à l'engagement de nos partenaires de programme : Deloitte, Denodo et Red Hat. Rejoignez trois événements inspirants par an à Liège, Namur et en Brabant Wallon, où des CIOs et des experts numériques francophones de premier plan partagent leurs perspectives et expériences sur des thèmes d'affaires et de IT actuels. Laissez-vous inspirer et apprenez des meilleurs du secteur lors de sessions captivantes conçues spécialement pour soutenir et enrichir votre rôle en tant que CIO pair. Ne manquez pas cette opportunité de faire partie d'un réseau exceptionnel d'innovateurs numériques !

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Female Leadership Circle

CIONET is committed to highlighting and celebrating female role models in IT, Tech & Digital, creating a leadership programme that empowers and elevates women within the tech industry. This initiative is dedicated to showcasing the achievements and successes of leading women, fostering an environment where female role models are recognised, and their contributions can ignite progress and inspire the next generation of women in IT. Our mission is to shine the spotlight a little brighter on female role models in IT, Tech & Digital, and to empower each other through this inner network community.

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Testimonials

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Contact us

Would you like to know more about CIONET Belgium, membership or partnership opportunities? Do you have feedback or any other question? Send us a message!