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Belgium 21-4-26 Invitation Only Physical english

From Victim to Victor: Cyber resilience is a means, providing Business Continuity the goal

In an era where every outage, audit, and cyberattack is a test of organisational survival, resilience has become the new currency of trust. While traditional perimeter security with: firewalls, intrusion detection, and scanners, remains essential, it is no longer a sufficient guarantee against modern threats that bypass these layers to penetrate your core systems. Today, enterprises require security and continuity that are built-in, not bolted-on. This CIONET roundtable focuses on the shift from reactive disaster recovery to proactive Business Continuity. Together with experts from HPE Zerto, we will explore how organisations can transform their recovery strategies into seamless continuity models.

Belgium 23-4-26 Country Members Physical & Virtual english

CIOFEST BELGIUM: Leadership in the Agentic Era

AI is no longer confined to supporting human tasks. We are entering the agentic era, where autonomous systems act on behalf of people and organisations. These agents can gather information, make decisions, negotiate terms, and even complete transactions. The implications extend well beyond technology; they touch the very foundations of business models, governance, and leadership. For CIOs and their peers, the rise of “machine customers” and autonomous partners poses new questions: Market impact: How do you compete and create value when some customers and suppliers are machines? Governance: What trust, compliance, and accountability structures are needed when AI acts independently in financial, procurement, or customer-facing processes? Leadership: How should CIOs guide their organisations in redefining roles, responsibilities, and decision-making when agents take over parts of the value chain?Business strategy: What opportunities emerge for new revenue models, platforms, and ecosystems shaped by autonomous interaction? This session shifts the focus from the mechanics of AI agents to the decisions that will shape leadership in the next decade. It is a call for CIOs to prepare for a future where relationships, markets, and strategies are no longer limited to human-to-human interactions, but also extend to human-to-machine and machine-to-machine interactions.

Belgium 29-4-26 Invitation Only Physical english

Building Future-Ready Application Ecosystems in the Age of Intelligent Automation

This CIONET workshop is a collaborative deep-dive into the practicalities of"rewiring the building" while it’s still occupied. Drawing onKyndryl’s deep heritage in mission-critical infrastructure and their latestresearch, we will dismantle the "hidden costs" of legacyenvironments. The conversation will focus on the transition from static,monolithic structures to composable architectures that allow intelligent agentsto operate seamlessly across hybrid landscapes.

April 2, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Virtual english

Taming the SaaS Sprawl: Tracking spend, ownership, and usage before it slips out of control

SaaS gave business units freedom: quick onboarding, no infrastructure, and instant results. But over time, that freedom turned into fragmentation. Each team now buys, renews, and configures its own stack. HR has one platform, finance has another, and marketing probably has ten. The invoices keep coming, usage keeps dropping, and no one is sure who’s accountable for what.

May 12, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Physical english

Product-Centric IT 2.0: Blending product and project thinking

Everyone says they’ve gone product-centric. In reality, most organisations live in a hybrid world where projects, products, and platforms overlap. Teams manage releases while still chasing deadlines, and governance still thinks in milestones rather than outcomes. The shift is underway, but the mindset hasn’t caught up.

May 19, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Physical english

AI vs AI in Cybersecurity: When defenders and attackers both use AI

The game has changed, clearly. Attackers have AI, defenders have AI, and both sides are learning faster than anyone expected, or maybe the attackers are just a bit faster. What used to take hours now happens in seconds, and detection windows close before alerts even appear. It’s adaptation beyond automation, and no one gets to sit still.

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DealerSocket protects sensitive customer data in a hybrid cloud environment

Protects sensitive customer data in a hybrid cloud environment

OVERVIEW

DealerSocket is a leading provider of software solutions for the automotive industry, offering a suite of seamlessly integrated products to help dealers sell and service vehicles more profitably. Since 2001, more than 100 million vehicles have been sold through the company’s software platforms. DealerSocket’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) products include advanced customer relationship management (CRM), digital marketing and websites, vehicle inventory management, analytics reporting, dealer management systems for independent dealers, and solutions that streamline dealer operations.

Based in Dallas, Texas, DealerSocket also has offices throughout the U.S. and internationally. The company employs more than 1,000 team members, serving 300,000 active users at more than 9,000 dealerships. DealerSocket’s hybrid cloud environment combines Amazon Web Services (AWS) and VMware® data centers. The organization also uses containers for its growing DevOps practice.

CHALLENGES

DealerSocket’s top priority is protecting the credit data for more than 100 million auto sales for its customers. The company’s IT security team must protect this information on AWS and in its data centers to maintain compliance with regulations in the U.S. and worldwide. The effort was complicated by the acquisition of several new companies, which introduced a variety of tools into the mix.

“We needed to consolidate our security tools on a platform that was scalable, easy to deploy and use, as well as protect our cloud and virtual environments,” said Greg Tatum, director of DealerSocket’s network and security operations.

In addition to the need for broader and stronger security, DealerSocket wanted a solution that would support its DevOps operation. “DevOps presents unique security challenges,” said Tatum. “The move to DevOps requires security tools that our engineers and infrastructure teams can easily embed in applications, in real time as they are built.”

"We needed to consolidate our security tools on a platform that was scalable, easy to deploy and use, as well as protect our cloud and virtual environments."

Greg Tatum - Director of Network and Security Operations, DealerSocket

WHY TREND

When DealerSocket began its search for a new security solution, they wanted comprehensive reporting capabilities to support compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other regulations. The solution had to be application programming interface (API)-driven, scalable, and easy to manage, install, and use. Finally, the solution would have to work seamlessly across Linux®, Microsoft® Windows®, Mac®, and virtual platforms.

Based on the results of the proof of concept, and on its reputation for innovative and effective solutions, Trend Micro was chosen among three vendors to provide the company’s security solution. “With a trusted partner like Trend Micro and its leadership in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, our customers know their data is protected by one of the best companies in the business,” said Tatum.

"At DealerSocket, DevOps starts with engineering, infrastructure, and security leadership. We meet weekly to discuss the cultural changes required to make DevOps and security part of our culture."

Greg Tatum - Director of Network and Security Operations, DealerSocket

SOLUTION

DealerSocket selected Trend Micro™ Deep Security™ to use across all of its hosted infrastructure, including every endpoint within the AWS environment and in the data centers. “Deep Security is required as part of our security policy,” said Tatum. “A machine won’t go into the field unless Deep Security is installed.”

DealerSocket uses Deep Security’s antivirus, file integrity monitoring, and network intrusion detection and prevention features to protect its environment and support compliance. The solution’s reporting capabilities are instrumental in keeping the company secure across its entire infrastructure. “In addition to daily reviews, Deep Security reports are shared once a month with other teams that support our IT environments as part of our vulnerability and threat management review,” said Tatum.

RESULTS

With Deep Security protecting its AWS and data center environments, DealerSocket’s security team can quickly detect incidents and efficiently manage investigations, allowing them to provide vastly improved protection for the company’s data. Deep Security also met DealerSocket’s ease-of-use requirements from the start. In just 30 days, the solution was easily installed on 2,000 machines and the previous product was removed. The product supports DealerSocket’s DevOps goals with its full API enablement and scalability. Finally, Deep Security’s tools and reports have significantly simplified its compliance requirements. For example, the company’s last PCI DSS audit took only two and a half weeks.

WHAT'S NEXT

Looking ahead, DealerSocket plans to continue expanding its DevOps practice. Trend Micro is working with Tatum and his team to secure containers and is currently testing container security in its AWS environment. “At DealerSocket, DevOps starts with engineering, infrastructure, and security leadership. We meet weekly to discuss the cultural changes required to make DevOps and security part of our culture,” said Tatum.

Technologies

Trend Micro™ Deep Security™

CIONET Business Circles

Cyber Circle

CIONET’s Cyber Circle: a new three-event programme exclusively focusing on the most urgent, complex, and high-impact challenges in cybersecurity today. Launched in 2026, this initiative brings together CISOs, CIOs, and senior IT executives with a strong interest in cybersecurity for three curated gatherings each year. As part of CIONET’s trusted executive community, the Cyber Circle provides a confidential, peer-driven environment to exchange insights, share real-world experiences, and address evolving cyber threats. Each session is designed to foster strategic dialogue, strengthen resilience, and elevate cybersecurity as a core driver of business value.

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.