As CIO of VDAB, Jan Dobbenie has many balls to keep in the air. IT priorities are determined not only by what job seekers need but also by what is decided in Parliament.
Jan Dobbenie has navigated many waters. He has held various IT roles at companies including Procter & Gamble, AB InBev, and Alcopa. Since 2018, he has been on the payroll at VDAB, the Flemish agency for employers, employees, and job seekers, as Chief Information & Data Officer.
As a government service, VDAB doesn’t function like a traditional commercial company. The challenges in Dobbenie’s current role are certainly not any less. “On average, we have about 150 projects running simultaneously.”
ITdaily: What does the IT environment you’re responsible for look like?
Dobbenie: “It’s quite complex. We have a large IT environment consisting of different domains. We play an important role in the labor market. Many of our processes have a direct impact on citizens, job seekers, welfare recipients, long-term sick people, and so on. We also provide services for employers and skills development. This service creates a lot of data that needs to be managed.”
“Because we deal with many specific challenges where ready-made solutions don’t always exist, we build a lot ourselves in Java. Out of roughly three hundred applications we use, maybe fifty are purchased.”
What are the main priorities right now?
Dobbenie: “I’ve worked almost my entire life in the private sector. There, your income and expenses determine your priorities. In the public sector, you deal with political priorities that can change every four years. The agreement with the Flemish government will generate priorities that we need to embed. There’s also federal legislation with major impact. One example is the legislation regarding the termination of unemployment benefits after a maximum of 20 years. These are significant changes with a large IT impact.”
“On average, we’re working on about 150 projects simultaneously throughout the year. These can be small, short-term projects, but also large projects that can span multiple years.”
We are working on 150 projects simultaneously on an annual basis.
Does the business sufficiently understand the IT challenges?
Dobbenie: “I think that’s exactly the main task of the CIO. I report directly to the CEO. Of course, you need people who run the operation on a daily basis, but as CIO, you mainly work ‘upward’ to tell the story.”
“For me, there’s no such thing as ‘the business’. IT is just as much ‘business’. So let’s stop thinking in those silos. These are ultimately also people you need to get on board with your story. In that respect, I have a good relationship with Wim (Adriaens, managing director VDAB, ed.). There are budget cuts, but VDAB tries not to cut core activities. It’s important to make the connection between business and IT within your own organization, to better understand each other and work together.”
“Benchmarks provide visibility and external validation. You can say something works well, but if you can demonstrate it, you have a stronger case when asking for budget. You need to clearly state what you can contribute and what you need for that.”
Does your Organization Have Access to Sufficient People and Resources?
Dobbenie: “I can’t complain. My annual budget is about 106 million euros; that’s worth knowing. In the private sector, I often had to make do with less. The IT budget is about ten percent of the organization’s total expenses. In this respect, we’re one of the largest IT organizations within the government. Budgets have increased in recent years, but this goes hand in hand with a higher demand for digitalization.”
“We have about 450 employees in our department. I believe we have a great story to tell the outside world to attract people and consultants. There’s a good vibe here. We’ve long been strongly committed to inclusive talent management. Everyone is treated equally here. Everyone is also welcome at our academy for training. All of this contributes to VDAB’s image as a great workplace.”
“There is some turnover, but that’s typical for the sector. Generally, we manage to find enough people. We work with the latest technologies here: for example, we’ve developed a high-performance ‘data warehouse++’. For someone with IT talent, there are plenty of opportunities to thrive and learn. Everyone will find their niche here.”
Is the Future of the IT Environment in the Cloud, On-Premises, or a Combination of both?
Dobbenie: “The emphasis is on-prem. Our core systems with personal data are in Smals’ data centers. By hosting with Smals, we’re not required to put out a tender every four or five years under public procurement law. It’s a Belgian compzny, so there are no potential geopolitical concerns.”
“For applications without personal data, we can certainly go to the cloud, but there’s no principle strategy. Right now, I’m glad our core systems are still on-prem, because there’s a lot of political pressure. Our data warehouse, for example, is completely on-prem. I wouldn’t be allowed to just move that to an American provider due to GDPR legislation.”
“In the private sector, many companies are realizing they’ve moved too much of their IT environment to the cloud. The fickleness of the Americans can cause problems, both in terms of data and technological dependency. Some providers dare to pull bold moves. Just look at what’s happening with VMware.”
What impact do regulations such as NIS2 have on policy?
Dobbenie: “About ten percent of the IT budget goes to compliance. That’s about nine to twelve million euros per year by quick calculation. There are many different legislations. Implementing them is always a lot of work. Regulations have a significant impact on every project we do. Data exchanges and protocols are thoroughly studied. The CISO reports directly to me.”
“Legislation like NIS2 is certainly important, but ultimately you have to keep doing the ‘real’ security work on a continuous basis.”
NIS2 is important, but you must keep doing the ‘real’ work.
How Do You Deal with the AI Hype?
Dobbenie: “For us, AI is no longer hype, but an embedded technology. We’ve been working with ‘classical’ approaches to AI, like machine learning and big data analysis, for ten years. One example is that we can predict the chance of employment based on the data we have about a person. This helps our employees determine which profiles they should focus on first. Based on data like a CV, we can also match a profile with jobs and/or training courses within reach.”
“Two years ago, we actively started with GenAI. We see enormous capabilities in AI as an efficiency factor. Our approach is to experiment first and then expand. Projects fall under IT, but there’s close collaboration with business to unleash the power of the tools. We decided early to invest heavily in AI, and now we’re seeing results.”
“We find it very important to do AI right. We work with a lot of personal data that is sensitive. That’s why we apply strict rules. We’ve also established an Ethics Council for this that reports to the Board of Directors.”
Which important trends are you following with an eye on the next three years?
Dobbenie: “We’re completely moving away from quarterly cycles and switching to continuous deployment, even for legacy. In the long term, I want to work on maturity levels: where are we now and where do we want to be in x number of years? Benchmarking allows you to determine these levels and gradually phase out legacy based while continuously improving our IT. Renovation and renewal go hand in hand.”
“Finally, I want to put an end to the historical stigma about government. VDAB is a dynamic company. We’re in a challenging and complex sector. The employment rate is one of the most important elements in balancing the state’s accounts. We’re doing really cool things here that have a major societal impact.”