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Belgium 13-1-26 Squad Only Virtual english

Moving Legacy Systems to the Cloud Efficiently : Balancing cost, risk, and continuity in complex migrations

Migrating legacy systems to the cloud remains one of the toughest balancing acts in IT. Every choice affects stability, cost, and trust at once, and what starts as a modernisation effort quickly turns into a negotiation between ambition and reality. Suddenly budgets rise, dependencies appear late, and timelines tighten as old architectures collide with new expectations. In the end, success depends on sequencing, ownership, and aligning business priorities with infrastructure limits, and not only on technical readiness. Making it work requires more than a plan on paper. Knowing which systems genuinely belong in the cloud, which can wait, and which should stay put shapes the entire roadmap and defines its success. Each refactoring decision sets the level of future flexibility, but it also drives cost and risk. The trade-offs between speed, sustainability, and resilience only become clear once migration begins and pressure builds. Let’s discuss how to plan migrations that stay on track, manage hidden dependencies, and handle downtime with confidence. Let’s also discuss how governance, testing, and vendor coordination keep progress visible and credible. Are you in? A closed conversation for those who turn cloud migration from a disruption into a long-term advantage.

Belgium 20-1-26 All Members Physical english

The CIO as Investor - CIONET Belgium Annual Event

CIOs today are being judged less as technology leaders and more as portfolio managers. Every euro is under scrutiny. Boards and CFOs demand lower run costs, higher efficiency, and clear ROI from every digital initiative. Yet, they also expect CIOs to place bets on disruptive technologies that will keep the enterprise competitive in five years. This constant tension is redefining the role. In this session, we go beyond FinOps and cost reporting to tackle the strategic financial dilemmas CIOs face.

Belgium 22-1-26 Invitation Only Virtual english

AI-Driven Development: Redesigning workflows, responsibilities, and trust in the age of automation

AI coding assistants entered development teams quietly, but their impact grows by the day. What started as autocomplete now shapes architecture decisions, documentation, and testing. And when productivity gains are visible, so are new risks: security blind spots, uneven quality, and the slow erosion of shared standards. Teams move faster, but not always in the same direction. The challenge has become integration rather than adoption. And new questions have risen: how do you blend automation into established practices without losing oversight? When is human review still essential, and what should the rules of collaboration between developer and machine look like? As AI tools learn from proprietary code, where do responsibility and accountability sit? Let’s talk about how to redefine those workflows, balancing creativity with control, and protecting code quality in a hybrid human-AI environment. A closed conversation on where AI accelerates progress, where it introduces new debt, and how development culture must evolve to stay credible.

January 13, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Virtual english

Moving Legacy Systems to the Cloud Efficiently : Balancing cost, risk, and continuity in complex migrations

January 22, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Virtual english

AI-Driven Development: Redesigning workflows, responsibilities, and trust in the age of automation

January 27, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Physical english

Zero Trust in Reality : Making segmentation, identity, and access work in complex environments

Zero Trust sounds simple on paper: trust no one, verify everything. But once you start implementing it, the fun begins. Legacy systems, hybrid networks, and human habits don’t read the manual. The idea is solid; the execution, not so much.

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Zurich Builds Omnichannel Agent Experience and Increase Policy Sales

Using OutSystems, Zurich Insurance Group created a digital platform (online portal + iOS and Android app for tablets and smartphones) for agents, replacing a system that agents found difficult to use. Agents get more done, thanks to the portal’s streamlined functions, sharp new designs, the new app, and its mobile notifications.

"It’s not just about speed – it’s a matter of quality. We’ve had limited resources to do this, but it’s more important to have a quality product than to have a so-so product that the agents won’t use at all." Marco NavegaProgram Director at Zurich Insurance Group

Challenge

User Experience Challenges Agent Engagement

Zurich Insurance Group is a leading multi-line insurer that serves its customers in global and local markets. With about 53,000 employees, it provides a wide range of property and casualty and life insurance products and services in more than 210 countries and territories. Zurich’s customers include individuals, small businesses, and mid-sized and large companies, as well as multinational corporations.

"Zurich’s senior management wanted a digital platform because the reconfigured quoting tool’s website along with the screen scraping solution for policy administration, claims handling, and receipt collection was difficult to use. The initial plan was to buy a software product, but the team opted to try OutSystems instead. When the first releases went live, the trust for OutSystems quickly followed." - Marco NavegaProgram Director at Zurich Insurance Group

In Portugal, the company partners with more than 1,000 agents to offer policies to individuals and small-to-medium enterprise customers. For years, agents had online access to Zurich’s business information and processes. The goal was to eliminate paperwork so they could get more done. But the system, which was a screen scraping solution for the back-end AS/400 system, had had its time.

Because the system was initially built for internal use only, it did not provide the best user experience for agents and had a difficult learning curve, especially for a web-based population. Also, information was scattered throughout the solution and the user interface was outdated, given today’s design user expectations. As a result of all these factors, recruiting new agents was an uphill battle.

“We thought it was important to have a user-friendly solution, and the current solution at the time wasn’t doing the job,” said Marco Navega, Program Director at Zurich. “We were using old technology to convert black and green screens to create a web-like feeling. It was easy and fast to do so, but it was tough to bring new agents in to use the platform. We needed something new.”

Why Zurich chose OutSystems:

Increase professional developer productivity
Speed-up development and improve agility
Deliver omnichannel CX solutions

Solution

A Dedicated Agent Portal, Accessible on Any Device

Zurich decided to create a comprehensive omnichannel agent experience, starting with a dedicated online portal, an app for tablets, and an app for smartphones, that would be easier and more fun for agents to use while handling all their business. One of the objectives was to have it up and running quickly. Using conventional development methods would have taken well over a year.

So, Zurich opted for something different. The IT team had used OutSystems before, so they knew it would save development time and deliver a modern user experience. Buy-in on the platform from the business side took more time since they had different plans.

“The business was open to change. They felt it was needed, but in the beginning, there was hesitation, as they were planning to buy a software product instead,” Navega said. “But, when the first releases went live, the trust quickly followed.”

"If you don’t have buy-in from the top, you won’t have the business resources available to do these kinds of projects. Because they’re not just IT projects, they’re business projects." Marco NavegaProgram Director at Zurich Insurance Group

Results

Happier Agents Increase Policy Business

In just 4 months, the new portal made its debut. After that, the team rolled out a new release each month.

Agents immediately took to the new platform and reacted positively to a long list of new features. For example, a quick search gets them a 360-degree view of customer activity. They can log in to the app using a fingerprint reader. And, they get mobile notifications on the fly.

“The feedback has been great, and we’re seeing a real increase in users. More agents work directly with us because of the new platform. The old platform was very difficult to use, and it was difficult to bring new agents in. Now, they’re excited to use our application.” - Marco NavegaProgram Director at Zurich Insurance Group

Senior management is also pleased with the speed of the rollout and the quality of the releases. “Overall, the business side is very happy with the results,” Navega said. “It’s not just about speed – it’s a matter of quality. We’ve had limited resources to do this, but it’s more important to have a quality product than to have a so-so product that the agents won’t use at all.”

The platform includes:

First notification of loss
A management dashboard
Universal search
A 360-degree view of customers, policies, claims, and receipts
20 non-life quoting tools
Workflow authorization process for out-of-autonomy quotes
iOS and Android app for tablets and smartphones with all functionalities
Ability to edit customer data
Receipt collection
Social Security file management for workers’ compensation policies

Navega said the most important lesson he learned about following an agile methodology in a traditional environment is to get support from the top.

“You need to have buy-in from senior managers. Only then can you negotiate with the line managers about the availability and commitment of their resources to the project. If you don’t have buy-in from the top, you won’t have the business resources available to do these kinds of projects,” he said. “Because they’re not just IT projects, they’re business projects.”

Results:

The new digital platform has contributed to a sharp increase in policy business
Agents find new systems easier to use
Zurich able to build new system in 12 weeks
Functions can be easily updated with weekly changes

Technologies

Outsystems

CIONET Business Circles

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?

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.

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 !

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.