Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen offers a solution for everything. Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen stands ready for its customers at every moment of care in life. Every day, around 4,000 employees dedicate themselves to providing care, comfort, joy, and peace of mind to more than 25,000 customers.
“What was originally a multi-year plan, we achieved in two to three months with the help of Spikes.” – Dimitri De Rooze, Director of Data & Digital Transformation
From a solid foundation to innovation with impact
Together with Spikes, Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen has transitioned to the cloud. Setting up a secure cloud environment was the priority.
The Microsoft Azure environment now ensures that Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen can switch efficiently and flexibly. Dimitri de Rooze, Director of Data and Digital Transformation, says, “If we want to improve performance, we can scale up and adjust with just the push of a button.”
We Have Paved the Way for Future Innovations. Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen can quickly respond to changes and efficiently integrate new technologies, such as AI. This enables continuous improvement of business processes and accelerates digital transformation.
This approach reflects the two core principles of Spikes. “The first principle, ‘Migrate-to-Innovate,’ is about creating and securing a solid foundation,” explains Marc Dries, CEO of Spikes. “The second principle, ‘Innovate-to-Accelerate,’ focuses on harnessing the full potential of Microsoft’s cloud environment. This enables our clients to optimally use the latest techniques to genuinely improve their business processes.”
Never waste a good crisis
“When an alarm goes off, we receive a call immediately.”
During the setup of the secure cloud environment, the City of Antwerp and Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen were hit by a cyberattack. When Dimitri received a call about the cyberattack at four in the morning, they immediately took two actions. “We set up a crisis room to assess the situation and contacted Spikes to see if they could help,” says Dimitri. From that moment on, the two parties worked closely together. The frequent updates and calls quickly established a certain degree of control: “Despite the initial uncertainties, by around 10 a.m. we had managed to ensure that all our 4,000 employees knew what to do, allowing the company to remain operational.”
The collaboration with Spikes played a crucial role in the recovery. Together, the two companies ensured that critical systems were rebuilt and secured. Dimitri: “Within a few weeks, most applications were rebuilt step by step, allowing our employees to get back to digital operations.”
The hack significantly accelerated the transformation process. What was originally a multi-year plan was achieved in two to three months with the help of Spikes.
“The motto we always refer to is: ‘Never waste a good crisis.’ Together with Spikes, we’ve established a solid foundation: everything is securely in the cloud and well connected. This enables us to move forward, for example, in the context of the NIS2 directive that is about to be enforced,” says Dimitri.
Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen now uses proactive monitoring through Microsoft Sentinel.. “Wanneer een alarm afgaat, krijgen wij direct een telefoontje, zodat we weten dat er sprake is van een probleem,” zegt Dimitri. “Daardoor kunnen we meteen ingrijpen.”
Additionally, Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen has 4,000 Android devices in use, managed via endpoint management and Microsoft Intune. This is essential because the smartphones are crucial for the staff. “Many of them work in home care or as cleaning assistants,” says Dimitri. “They don’t necessarily need a laptop, but they do need a smartphone. Thanks to the collaboration with Spikes, the smartphones are well-integrated and secured.”
Applications and Insights, Driven by a Data Lakehouse
“Together with Spikes, we have developed over 20 Power Apps (Microsoft Power Platform). These make it easy for our employees to intuitively report issues or quickly share the right information.”
All applications are fully integrated and work seamlessly on smartphones. “The data collected through these apps is forwarded to the right people,” explains Dimitri. “A robust permissions structure has been set up, linked to Active Directory, including MFA. This ensures everything operates efficiently and securely.”
Marc: “In addition to these applications, we have also set up a mobile-first intranet. This further enhances accessibility and ease of use for our employees.”
Additionally, Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen has chosen a Lakehouse solution to modernize reporting. “Previously, our reporting was based on relatively old technology,” says Dimitri. “With the new Lakehouse solution (Microsoft Fabric), we have replaced it and given everything a modern upgrade. This enables us to make more data available through self-service, allowing employees to create relevant reports themselves.” In short, an approach that provides employees with more flexibility and autonomy in their work.
Reduced Administrative Burden for Healthcare Staff Thanks to AI
“Because our visions truly align in this area, we decided to invest in this project together.”
82Care is an innovative application, jointly developed by Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen and Spikes. “I had been exploring how AI could assist us in healthcare for some time,” says Dimitri. “From that perspective, we brainstormed with Spikes, and that’s how the idea for the 82Care application was born.”
The application is designed to utilize speech-to-text technology. This allows spoken data to be automatically captured and structured in CRM records. Dimitri says, “As a result, employees no longer need to manually type reports after a conversation. The data is directly and neatly stored in the system. When a customer calls the contact center, employees can immediately see a summary of structured data.”
Currently, 82Care is still in the concept phase, but the goal is clear: to make healthcare more efficient and reduce administrative burden through Microsoft Azure AIsolutions. Dimitri says, “We want caregivers to spend more time on personal interactions with residents, without a device standing between them. This leads to a completely different customer experience, and that’s what we aim to focus on.”
Collaboration with Spikes
“Spikes has highly skilled people and adopts a pragmatic approach.”
The collaboration between the two companies is based on shared values and a mutual entrepreneurial spirit. “There are several reasons why we continue to choose Spikes,” says Dimitri. “Firstly, there is a strong alignment between Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen and Spikes in terms of values, vision, and mission. Additionally, I greatly appreciate their technical competence. Spikes has highly skilled people and adopts a pragmatic approach that fits well with our way of working.”
But there are even more aspects that Dimitri greatly appreciates: “Spikes adopts a no-nonsense approach and is strongly focused on collaboration. What Spikes will not say is, ‘This is how it must be.’ They work with us to achieve our goals — in a healthy, pragmatic way. What I also appreciate is that Spikes dares to go in dialogue and challenges us. And we can challenge them as well. That’s the strength of their approach: we complement each other and can thus achieve solutions together.”
Finally, Dimitri praises the fact that both parties can focus on their core business: “We don’t have to have a huge IT department developing all kinds of technologies ourselves. Spikes relieves us in this area. Because we both do what we are good at, this is a cooperation in which we strengthen each other. This creates synergy.”
Would Dimitri recommend Spikes? “Spikes possesses specific expertise within the Microsoft segment. They excel to such an extent that I absolutely recommend collaborating with them!”
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