Proact
Trends op het gebied van data en digitale veiligheid
For over ten years, Proact, Europe’s leading independent provider of data centers and cloud services, has been a customer of Bytesnet. Bertus Doppenberg, Director of Projects, explains why this is the case. It has to do with the security and continuity of their customers’ business operations, among other factors. Bertus also shares his vision of what digital security will look like in the near future and tells us what he’s proud of…
The Start, 10 Years Ago
In 2010, Proact signed an agreement with a large hospital in the Rotterdam area. All their servers and associated equipment were taken as Managed Services by Proact. An important requirement of this customer was that the external data center should be nearby and that the data should stay on Dutch soil. Hospitals deal with highly sensitive data, so Bytesnet, then known as Rotterdam Internet Exchange, seemed like the most logical choice. According to Bertus, the location was not the only reason for choosing Bytesnet. “What appealed to us at the time is that we were dealing with a green data center here, but more importantly, the flexibility and quick response of the organization caught our attention. I would describe them as compact, knowledgeable, and substantial,” is how Bertus puts it. This is why they also use smartHANDS, a service where Bytesnet experts can perform additional maintenance in the highly secured server racks of Proact at any time.
Trends in Data and Digital Security
We asked Bertus what trends he observes. “It’s not always just about data security anymore. Due to the tremendous increase in global data, it’s becoming more interesting to actually do something with it,” he answers. The artificial intelligence (AI) available today will lead to increasingly intelligent systems that are self-learning and will establish interconnections. This will allow for much better predictions in various environments, such as in service and maintenance, but also in terms of customer behavior. For data centers, this presents a significant opportunity for more collaboration in the fields of data and innovation.
Bertus believes that technology will help us protect ourselves better against hacking and cyberattacks. “Where ethical hackers (or white hackers) are currently in a constant battle with real cybercriminals, we will no longer have to worry about the security issues of today in the foreseeable future,” he predicts. Intelligent software can already automatically detect fraud patterns, money laundering is spotted earlier, and technology will further reduce the number of phishing emails. Of course, criminals will always exist, and as the value of data grows, new threats may arise. There is another significant movement he observes in the field of digital security.
The User Is Key When It Comes to Digital Security
“A different and holistic view of digital security is needed. In the past, people used to collaborate on reliable and closed MPLS networks,” says Bertus. Nowadays, CIOs, IT managers, or administrators must look for a different context because communication between colleagues and customers is increasingly taking place via cloud platforms or ‘as-a-service platforms. “A firewall you used to have has little effect when the email environment is outside the walls of the organization,” is a striking remark by Bertus. This means that more than ever, we need to think about what to keep private and what can be safely stored in a public environment. Proact helps organizations deliver the right cloud infrastructure, which will often be hybrid.
A firewall that you used to have has little effect when the email environment is outside the walls of the organization.
Bertus’ Pride
Finally, we asked Bertus what he’s proud of. He didn’t have to think long. “We are a one hundred percent European service provider and independent of any vendor or telecom provider. European means that we protect data based on the privacy regulations that apply in Europe. Even if you want to handle email internally, we can provide that service through Bytesnet,” he says. Large organizations that develop products and deal with patents or non-disclosure documents are therefore customers of Proact and Bytesnet. Ultimately, Proact is about human values combined with proactivity. The company Peopleware, which was recently acquired, is an organization that is very close to the customer and has customer intimacy in its genes. Proact is a company that has proven over the years that it can tackle any technical challenge with knowledge. “In practice, this has proven to be a wonderful combination!” Bertus concludes.
Acknowledgment
Of course, we want to thank Bertus Doppenberg immensely for sharing his vision and express the wish to strengthen each other when it comes to data security, continuity, and innovation
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