Orange Belgium is connectivity partner at Work Smarter

On 6 June, ’t Kuipke and the Floraliënhal in Ghent were transformed into a beacon of inspiration for entrepreneurs, agencies and accountants. The occasion was the ninth edition of Work Smart, hosted by Teamleader, which develops administrative SaaS solutions for businesses. They welcomed some 1700 visitors for a day full of workshops, interesting lectures and inspirational encounters.

Orange Belgium: connectivity partner

For a major event like Work Smarter to run smoothly, the organisers needed a reliable and secure Wi-Fi infrastructure. They called on Orange Belgium. “Teamleader has been a customer of ours for quite some time,” says Orange Belgium’s account manager, who is Teamleader’s go-to contact. “The company has experienced spectacular growth in recent years. As a result, their telecom and IT needs have also evolved drastically. To ensure their telecoms and IT keep pace with the company’s success, it is our job as ICT partner to come up with solutions together. So when Teamleader asked us to contribute to Work Smarter, we were more than happy to oblige. Initially we came to this event as visitors, then we took part as an exhibitor, and for this latest edition, we were the event’s connectivity partner – it’s been an enjoyable evolution for us.”

Focus on cybersecurity

As connectivity partner, Orange Belgium also had a booth at Work Smarter, where visitors could discover the toolbox they can use to check the security of their domain name. Orange Belgium also organised a workshop on cybersecurity. 

“As an ICT partner, we want to make companies aware of the risks of cybercrime,” the account manager explains. “Cybersecurity used to be a one-way street from us to our customers. With increasing media coverage of cyberattacks and the rising cost for affected companies, they are now proactively coming to us more often with questions.”

Tailored strategy

Cybercrime costs companies a lot of money, as became evident from the workshop that Patrick Gillis, Head of B2B ICT Product Solutions, Pre-Sales & Bid Management, gave at Work Smarter. “Taking into account that cybercrime is economically the third largest sector in the world, it is painfully clear that the cost of a cyberattack to a company cannot be underestimated,” he explains. 

“In 2023, one in three Belgian companies suffered an attack. At the same time, with NIS2, Europe is issuing strict regulations for cybersecurity in companies. These two evolutions highlight the need in the business world for greater awareness of the importance of cybersecurity. Entrepreneurs prefer to invest their time and energy in their core businesses. That’s why Orange Belgium provides bespoke security strategies and support.” 

Such a strategy consists of the five essential steps of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Framework: identify, protect, detect, respond and recover. NIST is a scientific institution under the authority of the US federal government. For each step of the NIST Framework, Orange Belgium has the necessary applications and expertise in-house.