Information technology (IT) in Benelux

Read the latest tech news and trends in Benelux. Find articles and resources on IT security, data storage, backup and recovery, networking, data centre, cloud computing, mobile technology, virtualisation, big data, virtual machines and more.

News 15 Jan 2024
Santander bank added 4,500 tech staff last year

Santander added thousands of IT staff to its global operation last year, as part of its digital transformation Continue Reading
E-Zine 07 Dec 2023
CW EMEA: Prepare for cyber war

When the war between Hamas and Israel began in October, cyber security professionals and major government and private organisations braced for an inevitable accompanying online war. In this issue of CW EMEA, we outline cyber war, patterns of threat activity, and find out what security teams can do to protect their organisations. We also look at Finland’s advances in quantum computing, how Belgian researchers have developed technology to help datacentres process data faster, and the secrets of KPN’s successful business transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

News 06 Mar 2017

3D printing gets serious in the Netherlands

3D projects abound in the Netherlands, with the technology being applied to canal bridges, bicycles, ship components and buildings Continue Reading
News 17 Feb 2017

HPE services and CSC to become DXC Technology

The merger between HP's services division and CSC will launch in April 2017 and is expected to save the companies billions Continue Reading
E-Zine 09 Feb 2017

CW Benelux: Is there a Dutch digital delusion?

On government and business levels, the Netherlands aspires to be a digital leader in Europe, but it may be losing ground because of a lack of research and development investment. Also in this issue, IT decision makers based in the Benelux region are less confident than their European neighbours that IT budgets will increase in 2017, and Dutch bank ING, which used digital technology to reinvent itself after the financial crash, is about to reinvent itself again. Continue Reading
News 08 Feb 2017

How a Dublin court case could derail EU-US data privacy agreements

The Irish Commercial Court will consider whether privacy protection offered by standard contractual clauses for data transfers to the US from Europe is legally valid Continue Reading
News 01 Feb 2017

European Union reaches final agreement on mobile roaming charges

Mobile roaming charges in the European Union will end by 15 June 2017 after final agreement was reached on the regulation of wholesale prices Continue Reading
News 29 Jan 2017

Artificial intelligence will increase productivity by sharpening human mind

The combination of AI and humans will triple productivity if businesses get the balance right for different roles Continue Reading
News 26 Jan 2017

Human-centric technologies will dominate next three years

Accenture says businesses will develop technology and services to match human behaviour in the next few years Continue Reading
News 04 Jan 2017

Customer-first approach will make 2017 a challenge for Dutch CIOs

CIOs in the Netherlands could see their strategies lead to thousands of jobs being cut as businesses automate Continue Reading
E-Zine 15 Dec 2016

European law enforcement seeking smart ways to fight cyber crime

Cyber criminals are always likely to be better resourced than law enforcement. Now, national and regional police forces in Europe are switching tactics to even the odds. Under-resourced law enforcement needs a smarter approach as cyber crime becomes increasingly prevalent and sophisticated, backed by the money and expertise of organised crime groups set up and run as well-resourced and efficient professional business organisations. Cyber crime operations typically have teams dedicated to looking at open source intelligence, targets’ physical environments, weaknesses in supply chains, and potential collaborators inside target organisations to enable sophisticated, blended attacks that involve a combination of actions against a range of vulnerabilities, making them difficult to detect and defend against. Continue Reading
News 25 Nov 2016

CBRE: Cloud drives Q3 demand for colocation space in Frankfurt and London

CBRE’s third-quarter datacentre market tracker highlights soaring demand for colocation capacity in Frankfurt and London, as cloud providers court European enterprises Continue Reading
News 22 Nov 2016

Dutch IT ministry needed to take digital lead

Whenever the media covers a failed Dutch government IT project, the question is always asked whether the government should have a ministry of IT Continue Reading
E-Zine 17 Nov 2016

CW Benelux: Mobile payments boom

In this quarter’s CW Benelux, we look at how a combination of the right technology and consumer acceptance is driving mobile commerce in the Netherlands. We also hear from the CIO of Brussels Airlines, which is transforming its business digitally through a strategy that links traditional IT with its customers through a digital skin, and the CIO of HR services provider Randstand Group Netherlands, for which technology is becoming crucial in its communication with clients and candidates. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
E-Zine 09 Nov 2016

CW Nordics: Finns turn IT layoffs to their advantage

In this quarter’s CW Nordics, we look at the impact of Nokia layoffs on Finland, and in particular the city of Espoo which is home to both Nokia and Microsoft’s Finnish headquarters. We also look at how Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen is taking control of sales data with cloud-based software. We also hear from Google cloud chief Diane Greene, as well as the CIOs of Norwegian bank DNB, Scandinavian Airlines and Swedish municipality Vara. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 13 Oct 2016

IT startups suffer from strict, out-of-date Dutch laws

The Netherlands government needs to ensure that legislation enables disruptive technology to flourish Continue Reading
News 03 Oct 2016

Dutch government uses Microsoft Dynamics to improve recruitment

Government recruitment and career management of senior civil servants in the Netherlands has been improved through a Microsoft Dynamics implementation Continue Reading
News 08 Sep 2016

Bank IT spending to hit $241bn across four major global regions

IT spending across four major economic regions will increase by around 4% in 2016, but Europe is the least certain Continue Reading
News 24 Aug 2016

London datacentre market enjoys pre-Brexit surge in demand for colocation space

CBRE's pre-Brexit look at the European datacentre market sees London reap the benefits of a surge in demand for colocation space during the second quarter Continue Reading
E-Zine 18 Aug 2016

CW Benelux: Painting by numbers

In this issue of CW Benelux, we describe how data scientists in the Netherlands have applied technology to art. The Dutch are renowned for being creative with technology and the country has a deep history in art, boasting some of the most celebrated painters. It is therefore apt that the combined tech brains of ING, Microsoft, the Technical University of Delft and other contributors have created The Next Rembrandt, which serves as a visual showcase for big data. The new portrait in the style of Rembrandt van Rijn was put together by a combination of big data technology and 3D printing. All of Rembrandt’s 346 paintings were analysed using data analytics, making it possible to create a seemingly genuine Rembrandt image, while a 3D printer made accurate emulation of his paint patterns and textures a reality. Also in the Netherlands, we feature a case study about how The Hague is solving a bike parking headache with a mobile app. Continue Reading
News 29 Jul 2016

German digital bank Fidor acquired by French banking giant

Fidor CEO says merger with BPCE will allow challenger to continue its international expansion Continue Reading
Opinion 28 Jul 2016

Six essential processes for keeping data secure

Data security is increasingly vital for organisations as the countdown begins for compliance with new rules imposed by the EU’s general data protection regulation Continue Reading
News 26 Jul 2016

Date set for landmark hearing into EU-US data transfers

Irish court hearing triggered by Austrian law student Max Schrems could have huge implications for EU-US trade and the data privacy rights of millions of EU citizens Continue Reading
News 20 Jul 2016

Benelux CIO interview: Paul Elich, CIO at KLM

Paul Elich, CIO at Dutch airline KLM, tells Computer Weekly about building innovation into IT departments and the ongoing de-duplication of internal systems since its merger with Air France Continue Reading
Feature 08 Jul 2016

CW@50: A history of IT outsourcing

Computer Weekly looks at where and when IT outsourcing was invented and considers the changes the sector has gone through since Continue Reading
News 29 Jun 2016

Brexit: Datacentre investments set to slow as economic stability concerns hit CIOs

As the economic uncertainty around Brexit continues, CIOs may put new datacentre investments on hiatus, warns analyst Continue Reading
News 27 Jun 2016

Banking IT community faces uncertain Brexit future

The financial services IT community faces a period of uncertainty as finance firms reassess plans following the EU referendum result Continue Reading
News 13 Jun 2016

EU firms slow in detecting cyber attacks, study shows

European firms take an average of 469 days to discover a compromise, compared with an average of 146 days globally, according to Mandiant Continue Reading
News 01 Jun 2016

MPs’ private emails are routinely accessed by GCHQ

Computer Weekly investigation reveals the extent of interception of MPs’ and peers’ email communications and data Continue Reading
News 13 May 2016

10 key facts businesses need to note about the GDPR

With less than two years before the new EU data protection rules come into force, there are key areas businesses need to focus on to ensure they will be compliant Continue Reading
News 29 Apr 2016

Cyber security in Belgium will gain prominence after terror attacks

Belgium’s physical security has been branded inadequate, so how does the country’s cyber security measure up? Continue Reading
News 18 Apr 2016

CIO interview: Gerard Spans, Arcadis

The CIO of the Netherlands-based global design and consulting company tells Computer Weekly how he manages the three responsibilities which he sees as the future of his role Continue Reading
News 07 Apr 2016

CIO interview: Jean-Christophe Lalanne, CIO, Air France-KLM, on why WANs win business

Operating at locations around the world, the WAN is key to business success for airline Air France-KLM, says its global CIO, Jean-Christophe Lalanne Continue Reading
News 22 Mar 2016

Akamai report raises questions over UK broadband stats

Akamai’s latest 'State of the internet' report claims UK average broadband speeds may not be rising as fast as hoped or claimed Continue Reading
News 18 Mar 2016

What does the IT sector think of the UK potentially leaving the EU?

The referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union is fast approaching and the country’s IT sector is taking sides Continue Reading
News 17 Mar 2016

Which IT services suppliers are European businesses most satisfied with?

TCS has won top spot for European customer satisfaction for the third year running, according to Whitelane Research Continue Reading
News 22 Feb 2016

Dutch water wants to move beyond dipping its toes into big data pool

Dutch water company Brabant Water wants to use data to improve the service it provides to customers, as well as identify problems on its distribution network Continue Reading
News 16 Feb 2016

Mobile apps could put an end to ‘hated’ staff appraisals

Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, reveals the top HR technology trends for 2016 Continue Reading
News 16 Feb 2016

EU managers need to up cyber security collaboration, study finds

There is still much work to be done in the area of collaboration and sharing responsibility when it comes to preventing data breaches, a study has found Continue Reading
News 16 Feb 2016

Vodafone and Liberty Global to merge in Netherlands

Vodafone and Liberty Global confirm that they are to merge their Dutch businesses Continue Reading
News 11 Feb 2016

Social engineering is top hacking method, survey shows

Social engineering tops the list of popular hacking methods, underlining the need for continuous monitoring, according to security firm Balabit Continue Reading
News 11 Feb 2016

TechUK calls on government to take reports on spy laws seriously

Government must address the fundamental concerns raised by expert witnesses, MPs and Lords about the draft Investigatory Powers Bill, says TechUK Continue Reading
News 08 Feb 2016

Bulk data collection unnecessary for surveillance, says cyber expert

Opting for bulk data collection and other intrusive surveillance overlooks other means available that do not involve collateral damage to businesses and innocent people, says cyber expert Continue Reading
News 04 Feb 2016

Insurance giant RSA outsources to Wipro

Insurance group takes on infrastructure as a service from Indian supplier Wipro in a bid to consolidate its European IT Continue Reading
News 28 Jan 2016

Business urged to take action on data privacy

Security professionals use Data Protection Day to encourage businesses to do more to protect personal data Continue Reading
E-Zine 21 Jan 2016

CW Europe - January 2016

This month, CW Europe looks in-depth at an issue that is set to affect people across all 28 European Union member states – the abolition of mobile roaming charges, set for mid-2017. Continue Reading
News 20 Jan 2016

PwC acquires Polish cloud consultancy for European operation

PwC is buying Poland-based IT services firm Outbox to build its cloud skills and resources across Europe Continue Reading
News 13 Jan 2016

Firms can monitor employees’ online chats, EU court rules

Human rights court says it is not unreasonable for employers to want to verify that staff are completing their professional tasks during working hours Continue Reading
News 07 Jan 2016

Mixed prospects for IT spending in Europe

Europe’s economies have varying expectations for IT spending over the next couple of years as the global market sees moderate growth Continue Reading
Feature 05 Jan 2016

Interview: James Bamford on surveillance, Snowden and technology companies

Investigative journalist and documentary maker James Bamford was among the first to uncover the secrets of the US National Security Agency and its global surveillance Continue Reading
News 05 Jan 2016

Fears of software skills shortage in Germany and the Netherlands

Organisations in Germany and the Netherlands are struggling to fill positions for software developers as they digitise Continue Reading
E-Zine 17 Dec 2015

CW Europe – December 2015

In this issue we study the meteoric rise of flash storage in Europe. Initially perceived as an expensive and high risk investment, flash has become mainstream and by the end of the decade will be present in the vast majority of the continent's datacentres. Continue Reading
News 11 Dec 2015

Eight startups selected for Cyber London security accelerator programme

Cyber London has selected startups from the UK, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Brazil and South Africa for its second cyber security accelerator programme Continue Reading
News 10 Dec 2015

HPE goes live with Europe-wide cloud service catalogue

HPE’s Cloud 28+ service catalogue is open for business and hopes to encourage wider take-up of off-premises services across the continent Continue Reading
News 04 Dec 2015

India’s HCL opens Estonian operation to support Nordic customers

HCL Technologies opens an Estonian delivery centre which will support customers across Europe, including those in the Nordic region Continue Reading
News 03 Dec 2015

Workday ringfences support in Europe after Safe Harbour ruled unsafe

US cloud HR and financial services provider reponds to Safe Harbour failure by ringfencing European data Continue Reading
News 27 Nov 2015

European colocation market growth buoyed by M&A and Safe Harbour, says CBRE

Latest European datacentre market research from CBRE looks at effect of mergers and acquisitions and Safe Harbour on colocation adoption Continue Reading
News 10 Nov 2015

Suppliers lay the groundwork for IoT in Czech Republic

ICT suppliers are putting in place the technology infrastructure that will enable towns and cities in the Czech Republic to harness the internet of things Continue Reading
News 10 Nov 2015

Microsoft UK datacentre plans win backing of government CTO Liam Maxwell

Government CTO Liam Maxwell speaks out about the role Whitehall's played in convincing Microsoft and others to open UK datacentres Continue Reading
News 09 Nov 2015

Amsterdam Arena aims to set digital example to others

The Amsterdam Arena is a digital powerhouse which, according to its CIO, wants to set an example for the city to follow Continue Reading
E-Zine 05 Nov 2015

CW Europe – November 2015

Cloud computing has huge benefits to businesses in Europe, but data protection rules have been different for organisations in different parts of Europe. This is about to change with the final version of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) expected soon. All 28 EU member states will have one set of rules to follow. Continue Reading
News 26 Oct 2015

Yakult uses data analytics to boost growth in the Netherlands by 20%

Probiotics maker Yakult is using analytics and data visualisation tools to boost its sales in the Netherlands Continue Reading
Feature 09 Oct 2015

EU Data Protection Regulation: What the EC legislation means for cloud providers

With the European Commission's data protection rules set to drop before 2016, take a look at what the changes mean for the cloud and datacentre community Continue Reading
News 06 Oct 2015

Amsterdam aims to become a top European startup hub

Amsterdam is selling itself to the startup community as a nice place to live with a high standard of living, and one that opens doors to the continent Continue Reading
Feature 02 Oct 2015

Netherlands uses female role models to encourage girls into IT industry

The Netherlands needs to shake up its education system to attract more girls into IT, as only 10% of its IT workforce are women Continue Reading
News 30 Sep 2015

Accenture spends €25m on European centre in Dublin

Accenture will open a European technology hub in Dublin that will recruit 200 people and focus on modern technologies Continue Reading
News 29 Sep 2015

US diplomats warn of economic dangers of scrapping Safe Harbour Agreement

European Court of Justice confirms judgement on the future of the US Safe Harbour Agreement will be made public on 6 October Continue Reading
News 03 Jul 2015

Wi-Fi enhances guest experience and profitability for Belgian theme park

Bobbejaanland, one of the largest theme parks in Belgium, is using a Fortinet Wi-Fi network to offer visitors access on the go, and improve its management capabilities Continue Reading
News 26 Jun 2015

Computer Weekly European User Awards 2015 winners revealed

The winners have been announced for the Computer Weekly European User Awards 2015. See who made the top spots Continue Reading
News 02 Jun 2015

Vodafone adds Caribbean 4G roaming for summer holidays

Vodafone extends its 4G services to a number of destinations – including Caribbean holiday hotspots – for UK customers travelling abroad Continue Reading
News 07 May 2015

Huawei opens European Research Institute

Huawei opens doors of European Research Institute in Leuven, Belgium Continue Reading
News 31 Mar 2015

Vodafone adds banking capability to mobile wallet

Mobile operator Vodafone is enabling its customers to add banking functionality to their Vodafone Wallets Continue Reading
News 24 Mar 2015

Dutch bank ING puts HR services in the cloud

Finance company ING is using cloud-based software from ServiceNow to deliver HR services to its 25,000 staff in the Netherlands Continue Reading
Feature 16 Mar 2015

Energy-efficient Europe: How the datacentre sector is keeping it clean

With users becoming increasingly savvy about environmental issues, we take a look at how the datacentre sector is responding Continue Reading
News 11 Mar 2015

Tieto’s Taneli Tikka brings startup drive to industrial internet business

Taneli Tikka has an unusual job description as the head of industrial internet at Tieto Corporation Continue Reading
News 09 Mar 2015

US cyber crime indictment prompts calls for zero tolerance

A newly-revealed US indictment of three suspected cyber criminals has prompted a call for zero tolerance for cyber intrusions Continue Reading
News 17 Feb 2015

WCIT mentors support tech entrepreneurialism

WCIT members focus on mentoring tech startups and encouraging more entrepreneurialism Continue Reading
News 08 Jan 2015

Forrester: IT maintenance saps budget as tech spending increases

Technology spending is set to rise modestly, but the majority of IT spending will still go on maintaining existing systems Continue Reading
News 31 Dec 2014

Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2014

Computer Weekly looks back at the most significant stories on cyber crime in the past 12 months Continue Reading
News 17 Dec 2014

US interception in the EU faces new legal challenges

US government orders against Microsoft to hand over email data 'infringes privacy legislation' in other countries Continue Reading
News 11 Dec 2014

JCDecaux partners with Vodafone to build small cell networks

Vodafone joins outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux to deploy small cell technology on billboards to increase network performance Continue Reading
News 10 Dec 2014

Hero Group uses vMotion to replace SAN and servers with Nutanix

Baby food, fruit and cereal bar company Hero Group has migrated its Holland operations over to a single virtual platform Continue Reading
Feature 10 Dec 2014

Dutch organisations gradually take up cloud HCM software

While organisations in the Netherlands tend to use the traditional HR modules of the large software packages, some diversity is beginning to emerge Continue Reading
News 20 Nov 2014

UK police make four arrests in international cyber crime crackdown

UK police make four arrests during an international crackdown on cyber criminals using malware tools to steal data Continue Reading
News 27 Oct 2014

Cloud providers rush to build European datacentres over data sovereignty

Cloud providers IBM and Google build datacentres in the EU as enterprises insist on keeping their data in Europe Continue Reading
News 15 Oct 2014

CIOs fear poor cloud investment is making businesses uncompetitive

CIOs and CFOs fear their enterprises are missing revenue opportunities due to poor cloud strategies Continue Reading
News 30 Sep 2014

Oracle OpenWorld 2014: Toms expands global e-commerce

Footwear retailer Toms relaunches e-commerce websites with Oracle platform to grow and improve customer experience Continue Reading
News 23 Sep 2014

Google to build giant '40-football pitch' datacentre in the Netherlands

Google will invest €600m to build a giant, 120-megawatt datacentre in the Netherlands Continue Reading
News 15 Sep 2014

WikiLeaks reveals Australian police are using surveillance software

Australia's New South Wales police are using spyware that has been linked to repressive states, according to leaked documents Continue Reading
News 14 Aug 2014

CIO interview: Dave Ubachs, CIO, Staples Europe

Staples is undertaking major IT projects in Europe that will see e-commerce improvements and back-end consolidation in 16 countries Continue Reading
News 01 Aug 2014

Fingerprint scanners most popular alternative to banking passwords

Fingerprint scanning technology is the most favoured biometric security alternative to passwords for UK bank customers Continue Reading
News 25 Jul 2014

Search firms meet EU regulators over right to be forgotten

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have met EU data protection authorities to discuss the implications of the right to be forgotten ruling Continue Reading
News 23 Jul 2014

Italy gives Google 18-month privacy compliance deadline

The Italian data protection watchdog has given Google 18 months to comply with EU privacy laws Continue Reading
News 10 Jul 2014

UK leads international partnership to fight financial malware

The UK National Crime Agency is leading international collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector to fight bank theft malware Continue Reading
News 03 Jul 2014

Computer Weekly names the 25 most influential women in UK IT

Find out the results of Computer Weekly's Women in Technology Awards, ranking the top 25 most influential women in UK IT 2014 Continue Reading
News 02 Jul 2014

ISPs take legal action against GCHQ over mass network infrastructure surveillance

Six global internet service providers (ISPs) have filed a legal complaint calling for a halt to GCHQ’s use of network infrastructure for surveillance Continue Reading
News 17 Jun 2014

Domino’s breach underlines value of personal data, say experts

The latest cyber breach to hit a high-profile brand underlines the high value of personal data, say security experts Continue Reading
News 21 May 2014

Tablet banking to quickly overtake mobile banking

The number of people in Europe banking on tablets will grow at twice the rate of those on mobile phones, with security concerns not a major driver Continue Reading
News 07 May 2014

UK helping US military build intelligence software for drone targeting

The UK has been helping the US military build software to share intelligence for weapons such as drones for the past 14 years Continue Reading
News 08 Apr 2014

Workday sees opportunity for cloud financial management in Europe

Workday plans to push cloud finance and accounting services to enterprise in Europe, but observers say its background in HR technology may prove an obstacle Continue Reading
News 12 Mar 2014

Case study: Footwear company Deckers takes e-commerce sites into the cloud

The company behind shoe brands including Ugg Australia and Teva is using a cloud-based digital commerce platform to support global expansion Continue Reading
News 07 Mar 2014

CIOs hold fire over datacentre decisions

When it comes to devising datacentre strategies, are CIOs paralysed like rabbits in the headlights, or playing a calculated game of wait and see? Continue Reading