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Belgium 19-3-26 Country Members Physical french

Vendor Detox: La consolidation vaut-elle le risque ?

Moins de Partenaires : La consolidation vaut-elle le risque ? Le problème est la prolifération des fournisseurs : trop d'outils causant de la complexité, une taxe d'intégration paralysante et de la redondance. La Taxe d'Intégration est le coût caché (en temps, en échecs et en ressources) d'essayer de faire fonctionner ensemble des systèmes disparates. Cet échange se concentre sur des stratégies éprouvées pour simplifier de manière agressive le parc technologique, consolider les fournisseurs et élever certains fournisseurs clés au rang de partenaires stratégiques.

Belgium 24-3-26 Invitation Only Physical english

Killing Zombie Projects: Knowing when to stop, restart, or quietly let go

Every organisation has them, projects that keep running long after their purpose has faded. No one remembers who asked for them, but shutting them down feels riskier than keeping them alive. And eventually, people stay assigned, budgets stay allocated, and energy drains into work that no longer matters. Inertia at its finest. Ending a project is rarely a technical decision. It’s emotional, political, and often tied to past promises or personal reputation. The longer something runs, the harder it becomes to admit it’s time to stop. Yet clearing that backlog of half-dead initiatives is often the only way to make room for new ones. So how do you decide when to pull the plug? What signals show that value is gone, and who gets to say so? How can governance encourage honest calls without punishing those who make them? Let’s discuss how to end gracefully, refocus teams, and turn closure into confidence rather than blame. Bullet in the head? Is that how you kill a zombie, or was it a silver bullet in the heart? A closed conversation on how to make progress by learning to stop.

Belgium 26-3-26 Invitation Only Virtual english

Measuring Value in AI Initiatives: Defining ROI, accountability, and measurable outcomes in complex environments

AI projects continue to multiply, but proving their value remains difficult. Most organisations can track activity, not impact. Dashboards count pilots and models, yet few translate to measurable business outcomes. The result is familiar: success stories without clarity on what they actually delivered. The real issue is measurement. Traditional ROI metrics fail when AI changes decisions more than results. Financial indicators miss the operational gains, while qualitative benefits often sound too vague to defend. Without clear evidence, budgets come under scrutiny and confidence erodes. This session focuses on how to connect AI work with business outcomes through structured metrics, governance, and accountability. We’ll explore how value tracking evolves from experimentation to scale, which indicators earn trust at board level, and where measurement stops being meaningful. A closed exchange for comparing methods, tools, and lessons learned in defining, proving, and sustaining AI impact.

March 24, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Physical english

Killing Zombie Projects: Knowing when to stop, restart, or quietly let go

March 26, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Physical english

Measuring Value in AI Initiatives: Defining ROI, accountability, and measurable outcomes in complex environments

March 31, 2026 Squad Session Invitation Only Physical english

Composability in Practice: Building modular systems that stay coherent as they grow

Composability sounds elegant in theory: small, independent parts that come together to form something greater, but in practice, it’s messy. What happens when modules overlap, APIs evolve differently across domains, and governance struggles to keep pace? What was meant to simplify architecture sometimes ends up multiplying it.

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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™

Partners

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Healthcare Circle

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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.