Suprised faces all over in bpost's new building when BrightBoard was setting up the interactive LED wall. Relaxing with a bubble and bite, participants could see all about BrightBoard's innovation and play a "bpost-ified" game by throwing a ball on moving Ravens. After a warm welcome by Koen from bpost and Wibe from White Raven IT, we held an interactive session on "Oracle - what's changed, and should you worry about it?". "Dr. Raf", our in-house Oracle expert listen to all pains and went into healing mode. We made the link also to the more recent Java changes where Marc Maathuis from Azul could show how Azul takes Java to the next level. Mind and body were spoiled in the end with a networking dinner at restaurant Henri in a nice cosy setting.
Events - The White Ravens are selling through unique events on exclusive locations via personal invitation.
2023
SAP: How are other companies dealing with their S/4HANA challenges? - Belgium
A raven a day keeps your Oracle worries away - Brussels, Belgium
How to negotiate with Microsoft like an expert - Copenhagen, Denmark
In the innovative and sustainable setting of Ørsted in Copenhagen, Denmark, we were welcomed by Daud from Ørsted with how they are going to achieve to become the most sustainable company in the world. After a tour the table to get to know all participants a little bit better, we dove right into a few customer testimonials on how White Raven IT helped them negotiate with Microsoft. Following up on this, we had 2 break-out sessions on Why, How, Who and When to negotiate with Microsoft. We concluded an insightful event with networking in Ørsted's "full of nature" restaurant.
How to negotiate with Microsoft like an expert - Mechelen, Belgium
We kicked-off at Telenet in Mechelen with the big reveal of a dynamic BrightBoard LED wall realizing 3D content at the Telenet Square. White Raven IT introduced themselves to many first time participants to our event, followed by a "tour de table" where everyone's expectations were set.
Carlo from Telenet continued with a testimonial on how Telenet is using White Raven IT's advisory services and what Telenet got out of it. Interaction is key, so we went on with break-out sessions on Why, How, Who and When to negotiate with Microsoft and wrapped it up with a short elaboration on White Raven IT's independent approach. We concluded the evening with a lot of interaction, networking, nice food and drinks.
2022
Snow Software @ KBC - Atlas carries the world - Mechelen
KBC in Mechelen hosted us perfectly in a wonderful meeting room bringing nature into the office life. Together with KBC and Snow Software, we've learned a lot about everyone's challenges and how those are being dealt with. Discussions when from cost savings and cost avoidence via risk mitigation to process efficiency and time saved. To top it off discussions continued at an authentic and cozy setting at Graspoort in Mechelen.
SAP from A to Z - Copenhagen
In the nice setting of Carlsberg's restaurant in Carlsberg City, our independent SAP experts have been addressing each of the 4 pillars for a SAP S/4HANA migration: License Portfolio & Contract Conversion with Attila, Infrastructure Transformation with Carsten, Business Processes Transformation and Technical Migration with Dennis & René. As always there a was a sky high level of interaction between all participants during a very interesting beer tasting.
SAP from A to Z - Belgium
With a wonderful view on the Scheldt river and the city of Antwerp, we've spent a couple of hours deep diving in the SAP S/4HANA migration. Our independent SAP experts have been addressing each of the 4 pillars that come to mind: License Portfolio & Contract Conversion with Attila, Infrastructure Transformation with Ryan, Business Processes Transformation and Technical Migration with René & Eby. We concluded the event with a delicious and interactive networking dinner.
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Ravenkuil - Ghent
Our customers had a taste of new services offered by White Raven IT through new kids on the block:
Ethical hacking with Tibo from ZeroBit; SalesForce Marketing Automation with Gary from Transformative; Portworx easy cross-platform container management with Alec from Pure Storage; SAP S/4HANA strategy with Rudi from FKnight; Cyber security platform - humans as your first line of defense with Egide from Socrai.
2021
White Raven IT goes international #2 - Funen (Denmark)
Since our first international event in Copenhagen was such a success, we decided to organize a 2nd event in Denmark based on our success formula from a previous event: The Castle's Quest
Egeskov Slot in Funen was the exclusive location where you could ask the Microsoft/Oracle/SAP/IBM questions you always wanted to but never dared to. Afterwards we split up 2 times in break-out sessions of your preference (Microsoft/Oracle/SAP/IBM) and took a deep dive with the subject matter experts.
Captains of Industry - Sailing Cup - Nieuwpoort
“Work like a captain and play like a pirate.”
Just like Pure Storage redefines the storage experience, we redefine the meaning of exclusive events. We welcome a limited number of customers to the Captains of Industry Sailing Cup to spend the whole day on a catamaran and live like a real sailor.
Dinner in the Sky
Dining at exclusive locations is one of the pillars of White Raven IT events. Together with Snow Software, Awingu and BrightBoard we invited a limited amount of customers to share this experience with us.
Customer testimonials were interactively discussed on Snow Software, Awingu and BrightBoard.
After a short networking break, we took things to the next level (and were lifted 50m about ground level).
White Raven IT goes international - Copenhagen
Hosting our events only at Belgium would be a crime to every company outside Belgium and our international clients. That’s why this time we've taken the event to our Nordic customers in Copenhagen.
In the center of Copenhagen, at the Peder Oxe restaurant, we welcomed our Nordic customers for a whole day of exchanging experiences of the BIG 4 IT vendors as well as getting an introduction of Pure Storage during a lovely dinner.
White Raven IT kicked off with Ilse introducing our Microsoft 7C and unique benchmarking services. We continued with Octavian and Attila Posta from IPR who gave new insights in SAP during an interesting and interactive interview with Carlsberg, discussing previous projects and learnings. Afterwards, Dániel Rogányi from IPR did a quiz to question everybody’s knowledge of IBM and gave a better understanding of the common mistakes. To finish the presentations Raf, the Oracle Guru, answered and explained the top 5 hot topics within Oracle and gave an explanation how Pure Storage can optimize your Oracle databases performance and reduce their licensing costs.
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How secure is your fort?
What if you treat your business as a fort? Is every entry secured with guards, walls, and booby-traps? Are there any vulnerabilities you haven’t taken into account?
We invited C-level, Directors, and strategic functions within a company to our 2 security events at Fort 5, Edegem. To start the event, we got a guided tour to explain the history behind Fort 5 and how it defended Belgium.
Bruno Schröder and Bart Asnot from Microsoft kicked-off the presentations explaining how Microsoft will handle the security aspects in the future as well as what the common mistakes are within companies when making the Microsoft environment secure. Subsequently, Marc Maathuis and Ariane Müller from Azul presented a secure & affordable Java security platform: Azul. Before going to Hof Ter Linden to have the aperitif and delightful diner, Derrick Struys gave more information about the high-level security and protection against ransomware with Pure Storage.
2020
Take a Swing
The National Brussels is the exquisite venue where we start hitting some golf balls on the drive range.
Snow Software kicked off with an interactive session where Ramsey Dukali and Pieter Moeremans took the audience through the challenges (and solutions) of all those SaaS solutions out there that get procured beyond the standard processes. How to discover these and stay in control?
Stef Vanhooff from Econocom Lease explained how Device as a Service (DaaS) evolves with a shift from ownership to usership and a move from a linear to a circular supply chain.
BrightBoard concluded the presentations during an apéro with Wim De Smedt demonstrating live very eye-catching ways to get your story across to a large audience in no time.
The networking part started with a 3-course dinner.
SAP on the Rocks
Today's venue is distillery "De Molenberg" in Blaasveld where we tickle all senses by kicking-off with a whisky tour and whisky tasting.
Octavian Filip from IPR Insights continued with a brief introduction on Software Asset Management (SAM), drivers of internal audits and the importance of independent trusted advisors.
We continued for the first time with IPR Insight's SAP subject matter expert - Attila Posta - who gave a high-level overview of SAP licensing pitfalls, followed by a very interactive crossfire of questions and answers with our present customers.
Derrick Struys from Pure Storage focused on optimization of the SAP environments by covering SAP solutions running on Pure Storage, elaborating on how Pure Storage helps to overcome common SAP opertional issues and also takes it a step further on how to create a modern data experience for SAP with Pure Storage.
We top things off with an aperitif and networking dinner at brewery "Het Anker" in Mechelen.
Modern Workplace
What if we bring our offerings around modern workplace together and briefly introduce them to our customers in a modern workplace such as in the Ghelamco arena?
No sooner said than done!
We kicked off with Koen Daems, the Microsoft Office 365 guru, who indicated which challenges companies can face due to the "change" and "adoption" and who immediately gave away a ready-made offer for VIP coaching to the attendees. In this way, the White Ravens want to contribute to the effective use of O365 within the companies and we offer 4 hours of time for a private coaching session with Koen on management layers within the companies.
Awingu, playing at home in the Ghelamco arena, offers a safe and affordable solution to work from any workplace of your choice, as long as there is a browser. They bring the oldest legacy apps back to live in their solution, even make them touch enabled and ready to work together.
We concluded these interactive sessions with a tour of the BrightBoard LED screens in the football arena. Everyone has a story to tell through a Belgian BrightBoard of very high quality!
Carla Dullaert from Microsoft, enchanted everyone during the apero, with the ideal device for a modern workplace: the Microsoft Surface in many shapes and colors!
The Castle's Quest
No lords or knights on our castle's quest event!
However, the opportunity to get answers to the Oracle question that you always wanted but never dared to ask, anonymously addressed in an open debate. Curious about the other attendees' experience!
First, as a warm-up, a guided tour that takes us into the history of this well-preserved castle!
Followed by a debate at the oval table and behind closed doors, led by Raf De Backer our Oracle guru!
During the aperitif, listening to Pure Storage how they can save on Oracle DB licenses and how Econocom Lease can help with IT and so many other purchases!
We conclude this wonderful evening with a real castle dinner in the cellars, all under the guidance of our castle ladies Joke and Ilse.
2019
Oracle Event
On October 17 we had our Oracle event, hosted at Telenet.
We kicked off with a guided tour on Telenet's premises, where an exclusive selection of customers and prospects also visited Telenet's network operation center and agile floor.
Ilse De Wit and Raf De Backer showed the White Raven IT services portfolio, elaborating on the various Oracle services.
Rudy Verlinden, IT Director ERP at Telenet, elaborated on his recent collaboration with White Raven IT and on why - despite his extended Oracle knowledge and many years of experience - he always relies on White Raven IT's Oracle advisory services.
Pure Storage explained how Pure as a disruptive player from both a technology and a business model point of view.
Awingu spoke about one worskpace, any device, anywhere and provided an interactive demo how you can work with touch functionality from a tablet in an AS400 environment.
Afterwards we were served a nice dinner on Telenet's premises and were able to network!
Microsoft 7C Event
On September 26 we had our first Microsoft 7C event, hosted at allnex.
An exclusive selection of customers and prospects were able to enjoy a guided tour on allnex' premises with insights in their IT environment.
Pure Storage elaborated on Pure as a disruptive player.
Awingu spoke about one worskpace, any device, anywhere.
White Raven IT presented the Microsoft 7C services.
Everyone was able to play around with Microsoft Surface devices and experienced live the Surface Studio & HUB as well.
Eventually customers and vendors called it a day by displaying a wonderful team effort and helping out Microsoft by loading all devices in the car!
Filet Pure Event
On March 14 we had our first ‘Filet’ PURE event where we were introduced to PURE as a company and how PURE is even appreciated by Formula 1 pilots, briefly presented by Theo.
This was followed by Derrick’s appealing TCO story and Johnny’s more technical AI success story in the automotive sector.
It was very appreciated by the present prospects and customers.
2018
The Birth of White Raven IT
The pact is a fact! Today Ilse De Wit and Raf De Backer officially join forces and spread their wings as White Raven IT Bvba!
A year prior to starting White Raven IT, Raf and myself, Ilse, were driving towards a customer.
Back then we already collaborated for 7 years, we were helping customers by providing IT services with a much higher return for the customer than his investment in our services. Our goal was customer satisfaction, long term partnerships and in some cases to provide calm and regain control during stressful software audits and contract negotiations.
At that point in time, we could look at a proven track record of helping customers with a sense of achievement. We asked ourselves the question why we were still doing this for multinational employers instead of becoming entrepreneurs to focus more on our strengths? What kept us from starting our own company? I barely dared to ask Raf, afraid the idea would die here.
To my surprise, Raf reacted positively straight away, but said we had to elaborate the plan first.
One year and many iterations of the plan later, White Raven IT saw the light of day. Our journey starts now in the search for new customer projects to drive customer satisfaction again and help our customers to become faster and more agile in their IT operations.
