Collins wrote his latest work jointly with Morten Hansen, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Together they conducted some 10 years of research: they studied the way that over a period of at least 15 years, seven companies performed significantly better than their competitors, while they were active in fairly turbulent sectors of business. Collins refers to the companies (Microsoft, Intel, Southwest Airlines, Amgen, Biomet, Stryker and Progressive Insurance) as’10x companies’. Those who purchased shares in these companies were rewarded with returns at least ten times higher than the index.

Microsoft vs. Apple

The seven companies in the book were also compared with seven counterparts in their sectors (’comparisons’) which had been significantly less successful: Intel versus AMD, Southwest Airlines versus Pacific Southwest Airlines, Progressive Insurance versus Safeco and, oh yes, Microsoft versus Apple. It may come as a surprise that in the book, Microsoft beats out Apple. The reason is simple: the data that Collins uses goes up to 2002. The track record of Apple in the 1990s (when Steve Jobs was not working at the company) was nothing short of disastrous. The company nearly went under. In that same period, Microsoft saw excellent performance with the launch of cash cows such as Windows 95 and Office.

Discipline

Based on their in-depth research - by their own account, Collins and Hansen consulted over 7000 sources- the authors have arrived at a number of interesting and unexpected conclusions. For example, successful companies are not more innovative than the ‘comparisons’, on the contrary, in fact. However, what they do understand is the art of innovation and scaling: they gradually introduce innovations and then react at lightning speed to any innovation that works well or is successful. Also the way in which the ‘10x companies’ deal with their changing environment is striking: in contrast to their competitors, they actually adjust their internal operations less in reaction to external circumstances. Once they have charted a course for themselves, they try to stick with it as much as possible. They don’t start shooting in all directions.

Amundsen vs. Scott

According to Collins and Hansen, the most successful CEOs are not the greatest visionaries or risk takers. The leaders of the best performing companies are highly empirical in their approach and disciplined. They rely above all on evidence instead of on instinct and much more frequently opt for small, systematic steps as opposed to a big, one-off success. Collins compares it to the story of Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott. In October 1911, both men mounted - separate! - expeditions to the South Pole. Amundsen won the race by setting ambitious but realistic goals for himself each day, but also by not overachieving on good days and underperforming on bad days. Amundsen was systematic and disciplined, while Scott pushed himself too far on good days and had to pay the price on bad days.

Insight

Great by Choice is not a how-to book. It doesn’t contain lists of tips for specific help. The author assumes that the reader understands his conclusions and is capable of applying them in his own company or organization. The book contains insights which are at times a bit superficial but are also highly enlightening and the book is very easy to read. Fans of ‘From Good to Great’ (of which there are quite a few) will not regret buying it.

Up until recently, life was very different than it is today. Time and place were strongly connected with each other: in order to do our jobs, we would go to a fixed, physical location. That was done on a regular schedule. Professional activities only took place at the office, between nine and five. Everything before and after was ‘free time’. There were no leisure activities during work. “These days, the boundary is not so strict,” says Jean-Marie Stas, Marketing Manager at Belgacom. “Our activities have become detached from time and place. We no longer work only at the office, but at home or on the train as well. Yet, when we are at the office, we regularly make time for relaxation, by sending personal e-mails or surfing to social network sites.”

Device is crucial

A striking aspect of this evolution is the role of the devices. Jean-Marie Stas: “People keep their smartphone or tablet within reach at all times. The device becomes a part of the person: it makes up their ‘egosystem’.” This is an insight that puts developments such as ‘the consumerization of IT’ and ‘bring your own device’ in a new perspective. And this instantly confronts the HR-department with a major challenge. Jean-Marie Stas: “Employees not only bring their knowledge and skills to your company, but also a certain attitude, an idea of the perfect balance between work and private life - along with their social network, including the devices and applications which allow them to connect to that network.” The role of the device is crucial: the device allows modern employees to truly live their lives in the modern world.

Looking for performance

Yet it is impossible to overlook a second evolution in society: the greying of the population. The shape of the population pyramid is changing. In order to keep pensions and care for the older segment of society affordable, the government will have find creative ways to generate new revenues. These revenues will inevitably have to come from the business world. Jean-Marie Stas: “It is also creating a major challenge for companies. On one hand you have the war for talent: it is getting more and more difficult to attract good profiles and keep them on board. On the other hand there is the increased tax burden: companies have to go looking for better performance and creatively source new services and products.”

Involvement will be important

ICT offers many opportunities for increasing your company’s  productivity: by improving mobility, by simplifying the processes, through better machine-to-machine communication, through more integration… But in the future that will no longer be enough. “You will need to involve your customers and employees more closely in what you do. That involvement will become extremely important,” according to Jean-Marie Stas. Involvement also plays a key role in the war for talent. The retention level is higher for employees who have developed a close bond with the company. What’s more, these employees perform better. “Research has shown that a genuinely proud employee performs up to 21 percent better than someone who ranks at the lowest level of involvement,” points out Jean-Marie Stas.

How to measure involvement?

Generally 60 to 70 percent of all of a company’s operating expenses have to do with personnel. By strengthening your staff’s involvement, you can significantly increase your company’s productivity. Therefore, the greatest challenge is not so much for the ICT-department, but for HR. But how can you measure involvement? There are different stages: from familiar and satisfied to loyal, preferred and proud. The stages are also closely connected to the nature of Maslow’s pyramid theory of the hierarchy of human needs. Physical needs such as food and sleep are at the very bottom. Higher-up, there is security, love, appreciation and self fulfillment.

Inner peace

“According to Maslow, creativity is the highest need,” explains Jean-Marie Stas. “However it is only possible to fulfill this need if all of the needs lower down have been met. Self-fulfillment is a necessary condition for finding inner peace and vice versa. If you consider it, you will see that you not only need to provide technical training and management courses, but also programs geared towards this inner peace.” In this way, your employees should be able to find a better balance. Inner peace makes people better able to cope with the far-reaching changes the world is undergoing and also allows them to be more creative. “The advent of tablets and smartphones has disrupted this balance. For example, employees are constantly checking work-related e-mails - also in the evenings or on weekends. There is a risk that this overload may ultimately undermine productivity instead of increasing it. Balance is thus the condition for generating greater involvement.”

Impact through challenges

Involvement, in turn, is very closely related to impact. Jean-Marie Stas: “Everyone wants to be able to feel the success of his or her actions. That is impact. This takes a certain preparation. In order to be able to have impact, you need to know what you are supposed to do. You also need to be given the space and the resources. You need to be able to be creative and have the chance to finish the task. And above all: you need to receive acknowledgment for it from the management.” In order to increase your employees’ involvement, your company needs to offer them the chance to have impact. That is only possible if they know what the company expects of them concretely. “Your employees need to be familiar with your company’s strategy. At the same time, they need to be able to find their place in short-term projects. In fact, every 6 to 9 months they should be presented with a new challenge,” notes Jean-Marie Stas.

Innovation and continuity

In order to be able to select the most appropriate staff for these projects, naturally it is of crucial importance that you know who your most talented employees are. “Here again, we come back to the potentials of ICT,” continues Jean-Marie Stas. “An internal social network can help here: something in the style of Facebook or LinkedIn, but then only for your own company. It gives your employees the possibility to share more information about themselves with your company. Via wikis and blogs you can allow your employees to share knowledge and experiences.” Thanks to unified communications, your employees can work together more effectively. Thanks to teleworking, they can find the ideal balance between work and private life, and so on. “It’s a question of creating a new environment in which they can fully develop themselves, increase their involvement and have greater impact. Of course it demands vision and leadership of your company as well: for ICT, in order to make the required technology available, but also for HR and other departments. It’s a matter of finding a good balance between innovation and continuity.”

From motor to support

The importance of HR is expected to increase significantly, with ICT as support for your employees and your business. ICT is thus evolving from being the motor for productivity to a support service. ICT is the enabler that helps realize new business models. But above all it is clear that the ‘egosystem’ is growing into the major driving force behind ICT. “Tablets and smartphones form an indispensable part of that egosystem,” concludes Jean-Marie Stas. “You need to learn to respond to that reality. The issue of ‘bring your own device’ is just one facet of a much larger whole. You need to prepare yourself for the new challenges on the way: the greying population, the influx of digital natives… for this reason, you need to target your employees’ involvement and impact, and look for a new balance between people and ICT.”

Cryns Carrosserie Center is a familiar name in the Antwerp region. The company’s history dates back to the 1940s. Since 2011, Johan Van Deursen has taken over the helm at the two branches of Cryns in Zwijndrecht and Mortsel. With over 5000 auto body repairs each year, Cryns is one of the larger companies in the sector in Belgium. “When I took over, I drew up a plan for improving the internal organization, with extra attention for ICT,” says Johan Van Deursen. Cryns works with classic Windows Office-applications and also uses a number of sector specific applications such as the ERP-package Carrman, Ciel for bookkeeping and Winformex for calculation. The two locations were working independently of one another: there used to be two networks, which were not connected. Only the mailserver was shared.

Not a secure environment

In addition, at Cryns Johan Van Deursen found a highly heterogeneous ICT-environment, with diverse types of hardware, different operating systems and software versions. “The environment had not grown along with the company. The server was constantly overloaded and there were problems with the PCs. ICT was clearly forming an obstacle for the proper functioning of the company.” Not only did the hardware urgently need to be replaced, Cryns also had to revise the approach to its ICT. For example, the existing backup procedure was not very transparent and offered little guarantee of business continuity. The environment was insufficient in terms of security as well. The company did not have a server room. What’s more, all of the business data was located on a single central server to which all employees had access.

Putting your trust in the cloud

Cryns needed a new infrastructure that would easily be able to evolve along with the company in the future. “Ultimately, we want to work as paperlessly as possible. That was one of the aspects driving the decision for new infrastructure. In the first place, we wanted an infrastructure that would offer stability and reliability,” explains the managing director. In the past, he had gained some personal experience with Citrix. He had never worked with cloud services however. “But I didn’t need any convincing. I instantly knew that the cloud would be the ideal solution for us,” claims Johan Van Deursen.

Maximum flexibility

Cryns chose to house its entire ICT set-up with Belgacom: telephony, network and ICT. Partner Inca Networks installed a new business network at Cryns that guarantees the connectivity between the two locations. Johan Van Deursen: “We have a new server, but now it runs in the cloud, at the Belgacom datacenter in Machelen. It’s an approach that offers us nothing but advantages. For example, our ERP-supplier can carry out maintenance on the software remotely.” All the staff of Cryns now have access to the same versions of the software, which has made working together considerably easier. The use of the application takes place via the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure-solution from Citrix. “We opted for maximum flexibility. It doesn’t matter whether an employee is working on a PC or on a tablet or a smartphone. As soon as there’s a connection, he or she can start working with the applications.” Inca Networks acts as the external ICT-Department for Cryns. “We no longer have to concern ourselves at all with the entire ICT-set up. We are free to concentrate fully on our core business: making our customers happy with a professional car repair service,” concludes the managing director.

Company profile

Cryns Carrosserie Center is an auto body repair business with locations in Zwijndrecht and Mortsel. The company performs some 5000 repairs each year. Cryns has a staff of 38 employees and books an annual turnover of 5.5 million euros.

Business benefits

- Scalable and uniform ICT-environment
- Access to Apps and data regardless of time, location or device
- Automatic back-ups
- Transparent costs

More info?

For more information on cloud solutions, visit the Belgacom website or contact your Account Manager

Filip Janssens prefers an open management style and involves his team members in decisions. He likes to spend time with his children. Once in a while he takes off on his mountain bike.Filip Janssens studied businesses engineering in Leuven. After his military service, he went to work as an analyst programmer for Sidmar. He gained further experience as an IT specialist at Ontex. In 2006 he switched to Taminco where he holds the position of corporate ICT-manager. Taminco is focused on amines, which are chemical products used in detergents, insecticides, fertilizers and water purification, among other applications. Last year the company booked a turnover of 715 million euros and had an operating cash flow of 159 million euros. The seven production sites of Taminco are located in 17 countries. Taminco has a total workforce of 800. The Belgian ICT-department employs a staff of 13. They are supported by approximately 10 external team members and 8 workers in the branches abroad.

1. How would you describe your job?
Extremely varied. An IT specialist is constantly having to put out fires and that’s what makes it exciting. But of course it’s also very important to work preventively as much as you can.

2. What person or event has had a significant impact on your career?
My father, when he bought our first home computer. He realized at once that computers would play a very important role and he encouraged my interest in them.

3. Who would you like to sit next to on an airplane and what would you ask him or her?
Next to Bob Dylan. I’d like to ask the 70-year-old artist what drives him to keep on performing. I learned to appreciate him when I was 20. Since then I’ve stayed hooked on his songs.

4. What is your favorite App at the moment?
The Internet browser, that’s also an App.

5. What (IT) book do you think everyone should read?
‘The New Normal’ by Peter Hinssen. He points out that we are currently halfway through the digital revolution and that there are still quite a few adjustments ahead. He clearly puts into words the issues that every IT specialist has been struggling with for a few years now.

6. If you had to work abroad, what country would you choose?
I like the Scandinavian culture, but I would find it more interesting and instructive to live in the US for a while. America is still dominant and that influences the working climate.

7. If you could be Minister for ICT and Telecommunications for a month, what would you do?
I can’t immediately think how a minister could contribute to the ICT-sector. The developments take place in the market. So I would look for a different job.

8. What invention would make your life easier?
Wireless electricity so that batteries no longer have to be charged and your laptop would no longer lose power …

9. What do you consider to be most important event of the past year?
The collapse of Dexia, because I’ve been involved so closely in that. It makes you realize how fleeting a career can be. What seems like a comfortable situation can suddenly turn into a personal drama, even if your job performance is outstanding.

10. What would you have done if you hadn’t ended up doing this job?
I’d be a musician. It must be fantastic to have so much talent that you can make a living from it. But in my case, that remains a utopia.

1. How would you describe your job?
I have a highly diverse job and I get to work in fields that genuinely interest me. That’s why I don’t experience it as ‘work’ and I don’t mind if I sometimes have to clock very long hours.

2. What person or event has had a significant impact on your career?
That would be my father who insisted that I continue my education. He is also a civil engineer and he cleverly took advantage of my competitive nature. He wanted to prevent me from giving up and switching to an easier degree.

3. Who would you like to sit next to on an airplane and what would you ask him or her?
Next to the pilot. I find it amazing that we can make such a clunky piece of metal soar through the air so elegantly, simply by harnessing the laws of physics.

4. What is your favorite App at the moment?
The newspapers. But if I have to wait somewhere, I also like to play games such as ‘Plants versus Zombies’ or ‘Cut the rope’ to pass the time.

5. What (IT) book do you think everyone should read?
I would advise everyone to read the manuals of their devices before they use them. Now, almost everyone just plugs in the power cable and if the device doesn’t work immediately, they call the helpdesk.

6. If you had to work abroad, what country would you choose?
It’s good to be in Belgium. But if I had to move abroad, I would choose Spain. It has a nice working atmosphere. You have the mountains and the sea and the cities are attractive too.

7. If you could be Minister for ICT and Telecommunications for a month, what would you do?
I would make ICT-applications more accessible for all end-users, including the disadvantaged. On the other hand, consumers need to become more critical. There are a lot of free sites and applications but: “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”.

8. What invention would make your life easier?
A clone of myself. I have to be reachable at all times because there are certain things for which I am the only person with purchasing authority, or the only contact.

9. What do you consider to be most important event of the past year?
The nuclear disaster at Fukushima and the uncertain period afterwards when we all wondered whether or not the reactor would hold. It shows that we need to be humble. In fact there had been warnings about the chances of a tsunami and the risks due to aging safety infrastructure.

10. What would you have done if you hadn’t ended up doing this job?
That’s not something I think about. I never look back.

On the one hand, the Web Application Firewall (WAF) offers protection against known application attacks or vulnerabilities based on blacklists.
On the other hand, the use of a WAF is especially relevant in the case of concrete vulnerabilities, which, for example, are uncovered via application security reviews or source code reviews. As the patching process of web applications typically is a lengthy process or is, in some cases, even almost impossible (just think about poorly documented web applications, where the developers have left your company), it is of great importance to have an immediate mitigation for the risk induced by vulnerabilities in your web application. And that’s exactly what a Web Application Firewall does : applying a “virtual patch” to your web application vulnerabilities.

WAF Features

- Automatically build and manage security policies around newly discovered vulnerabilities, deploying fast and agile business processes without manual intervention.
- Out-of-the box protection for common applications such as Outlook Web Access, Lotus Domino Mail Server, Oracle E-Business Financials, and Microsoft Office SharePoint.
- Rapid deployment policy, which immediately secures any of your applications. The validated policies require zero configuration time and serve as a starting point for more advanced policy creation, based on heuristic learning and specific customer application security needs.
- Advanced, built-in security protection to help your organization comply with industry security standards.
- Integration with several tools for vulnerability assessment and auditing.
- Cost effective application security through previously unknown threats reporting and mitigation.
- Integrated XML Firewall providing application-specific XML filtering and validation functions.
- Sensitive data leakage prevention by masking information.
- Update for attack signatures on a daily basis.
- SMTP and FTP security.
- Supporting modern Web 2.0 applications by build-in support for AJAX and JSON.
- Centralized advanced reporting.
- Available as a physical or virtual appliance form factor.

The implementation of a WAF is typically complemented with a vulnerability assessment service of your web applications, combining automated and manual tools with dedicated, highly-skilled application security expertise from Belgacom.

The added value of a WAF

The Managed Security Services portfolio (Belgacom Flashlight) ensures the monitoring and management of your security solutions and critical assets from the Belgacom Remote Operations Center (ROC), hereby delivering maximized visibility and control.
A WAF as a managed security service includes maintenance, monitoring, reporting and management of your Web Application Firewall solution. It also comprises the advanced correlation and analysis of security event in your infrastructure and the management of logs.
Specific reporting is made available on Web application level: statistical information on events and reporting of anomalies and policy violations. In addition unique reporting is available, linking the attack type of the blocked traffic to the best-in-class web application OWASP top 10 categorization.

The award is issued in recognition of efficient and innovative solutions offered by a company specialized in the Cloud. The criteria assessed include ‘innovation’, ‘customer satisfaction’, ‘competitiveness’ and ‘safety’.

Gérard Hoffmann, Chairman and Managing Director of Telindus Luxembourg, was on hand to accept the prize. “More than anything else, this is recognition of the way that our approach places the customer at the center,” he explains. “We are more than ever aware that ICT infrastructure is the enabler for their business. That is why we implement state-of-the-art infrastructure for our customers. We offer cloud-solutions that allow them to reach their business targets.”

Last year, Telindus Luxembourg was also voted ICT Company of the year and in May 2011 it won the EuroCloud Luxembourg Award.

Over 500 clients joined us to make “The Night of ICT” a major success once again. Clients, strategic partners and Belgacom gathered at this event for CIOs and ICT-managers at the Magdalenazaal in Brussels.

Companies need to readjust their vision of ICT. Today, more than ever, it is the end-user who determines the role played by ICT. That is why Belgacom had a clear message for the CIOs and IT-managers in attendance at “The Night of ICT”: get to work on user-driven ICT. The alignment between ICT and the end user will be the major challenge of tomorrow. “We are living in a world that is evolving at breakneck speed,” noted Kris Verheye, VP Corporate Market EBU Belgacom. “Everything and everyone is connected, and that is having a tremendous impact on both ICT and business.” Cloud computing and the consumerization of ICT are the most clearly visible trends, with the tablet as the ultimate convergent device. “Tablets and App stores are the big triggers for user-driven ICT.”

It’s an evolution that goes much deeper than supporting a range of new devices. “Many CIOs are currently looking at how they can integrate Bring Your Own Device into their strategy,” according to Jean-Marie Stas, Marketing Manager at Belgacom. “But in fact, there’s a lot more than that at stake.” During the presentation at “The Night of ICT”, guests were shown how tablets and smartphones make up a person’s ‘egosystem’. They’re inseparably bound up with the user’s personality, because they form the indispensable link with the digital world.

Engaging with HR, supporting with ICT

As the graying of the population continues, the need for better performance will increase. It was emphasized that “we are going to need to work longer and more efficiently”. “The war for talent is only going to intensify.” Companies will increase their employees’ engagement, strengthen the ties, which will lead to more involvement from the customer - and thus better financial performance. This is going to take not only ICT, but also a strong HR-Department. “By integrating this ‘egosystem’ into the organization and supporting the user with ICT- with Belgacom as end-to-end partner - companies will be able to make the difference,” concluded Jean-Marie Stas.

The second edition of National Teleworking Day was held on 8 December. Exactly 2,418 people took part in the initiative and spent the day working from home instead of at the office. Together, they saved 2,428 hours of travel time (a significant part of which would have been stuck in traffic), thereby also saving 1,179 tons of CO2.

A recent survey by Jobat revealed that 56% of Belgian employees would like to work from home. The top reasons given were saving time, reducing stress and a more flexible balance between work and private life. However, many employers are still somewhat reluctant when it comes to teleworking: 7 out of 10 employees indicate that they rarely or never work from home. For 43% of them, their employer does not allow teleworking, and only 7% say that telework is actually encouraged.

Production increase, cost savings

Yet teleworking offers many advantages for the employer as well. The work that is done from home is generally of high quality because the employee has more time- he doesn’t have to waste time stuck in traffic - and does not want to take advantage of the trust that his boss has placed in him. Therefore, the motivation and productivity levels are high.
Moreover, the employer is able to make considerable savings on office space and equipment. Travel expenses are reduced as well. A company that actively promotes teleworking acquires a forward-looking image and this can be a major advantage in the war for talent.

Legal regulations for teleworking

Within the context of the National Labor Council in 2005 in Belgium a CLA was established governing the major principles (definitions, working time, equipment …) of teleworking. Thanks to this legal framework, both employers and employees can rest assured that the arrangement will not be a risky experiment.

Homeworking-solutions

Belgacom offers many solutions that that make teleworking possible:

- Internet for Employees: the employer pays for a Belgacom Internet subscription for his employee, with or without options. The employee can use the connection also for private activities. That way, he can increase his flexibility. In fiscal terms, this is a very advantageous solution, for the employee, as well as for the employer. Internet for Employees is 100% deductible and ultimately three times more economical than a salary increase. Security solutions as Explore Teleworking can be easily combined with Internet for Employees.

- Unified Communications: keeping contact with the office, colleagues, suppliers and clients is easier if all communication is run over a single platform. Fax, e-mail, telephony, one number, voicemail, instant messaging, presence, chat … it’s all under a single umbrella. The result: more secure and user-friendly communication and less downtime.

- Video Conference & Belgacom Meeting Services: this solution offers a convenient, efficient and cost-effective way of bringing people together virtually. You can set up telephone, web and video conferences from anywhere with as many participants as you like, using any telephone, tablet or PC. The employees’ own devices are supported just as easily as company equipment.

More information?

More info about these services is available on the Belgacom website.
Click through to ‘ICT Propositions’ and then ‘Enterprise Collaboration’ and ‘Enterprise Mobility’.

“I am extremely delighted with the ‘CIO of the year’ award for several reasons. First of all, it is a great recognition of both my colleagues and more importantly industry peers about my thought leadership and the IT agenda I am driving forward. The shift in our focus on new engagement models with our consumers supported by mobile platforms and social networks did clearly not pass unnoticed. Secondly, I am proud to be the first woman winning the contest. I hope to inspire a lot of women in Belgium to consider a career in IT. I believe we demonstrate typically interpersonal skills that are different from our male colleagues allowing us to very well engage with leaders and end users in our business. Third, the award is recognizing all the contributions of my team, and I really would like to thank them again, as well as the growth opportunities The Coca-Cola Company has offered me.”

Discover the IT-vision of Sabine Everaet in the next issue of One magazine.