In the era of the cloud, EBRC is expanding its value proposition

Sébastien Genesca, you have been at the head of EBRC for a year. During this time, what have been the major developments in your hosting activity? 

We are facing numerous challenges. In a framework where organisations consider a different approach to IT resource management, we have to continuously adapt our offers. The role of hosting provider, in particular, is undergoing significant changes. In the cloud age, the clientele evolves. Organizations progressively modify their requirements in terms of infrastructure property. And thus, they are considering their data center model differently. We have to meet these requirements. In this aim, we have extended our offers by implementing power-based approach to improve the computing capacity of the data centers. This led to adaptations of the urbanization of our 3 data centers, each and every one being a certification reference: Data Centre Tier IV, ISO 50000, ISO 27001, ISO20000… be it for availability or environmental criteria. 

EBRC is also known for its managed services. How is your offer extending?

Until recently, EBRC only managed the IT infrastructures hosted in its data centers. That is, a client was required to meet EBRC’s standards to have its IT resources and platforms operated by us. Now, we want to facilitate access to our expertise for any organization, whether its IT infrastructures are located on its sites, in our data centers or in the cloud. Thus, we aim at giving easy access to our expertise focused on the stakes of infrastructure management, to warrantee high availability and security of digital assets. 

How do you support your clients in the cloud adoption?

We chose to draw on the skills of some of the POST Group's subsidiaries and their experts. For example, EBRC provides support for AWS solutions, Elgon and Ainos for Microsoft platforms, Digora for Oracle cloud solutions, and Post Technologies and Post Telecom for collaborative cloud solutions. This enables us to cover most of our clients' needs.

Besides, a strategic development axis for both EBRC and the POST Group lies in the design of a multicloud platform meeting European sovereignty criteria. This platform will make it easier for clients to leverage their data from a trusted environment and will grant them access to the resources of public cloud providers. The client will then have all the required confidence and awareness to select the services most adapted to its specific needs. This solution will be created together by experts from the POST Group's various ICT entities. It will be complemented by a range of managed services. Clients will thus benefit from an end-to-end approach: consulting, solution and associated services.

We aim at designing and offering a platform granting our clients access to a trusted cloud for the hosting and processing of their sensitive and critical data. This solution will also provide separate access to various public cloud providers like Microsoft, Oracle or AWS.

How are sovereignty issues considered today?

Data security, its integrity, location, and jurisdiction it falls under are key concerns for organizations moving their resources to the cloud. This becomes crucial when addressing certain sectors such as healthcare, energy, defense, or the financial domain. We verified this with stakeholders in the market, and no one ignores this point. Furthermore, we have noticed numerous regulatory initiatives multiplying around these issues, both in Europe and in the countries. We chose European sovereignty for our trusted cloud, which relies on and will meet the highest criteria of the European Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Cloud Services (EUCS) initiative by ENISA.

What possibilities will this platform bring regarding data?

Data is a valuable asset upon which the company builds its future. Our goal is to offer our clients an “end-to-end” data solution enabling them to transform their business into "Data-Driven" enterprises. Our platform will provide Data Intelligence solutions across all stages of the data lifecycle. It will allow our clients to explore and leverage their data according to their business challenges. In this regard, we capitalize on the Data Intelligence expertise developed within POST Luxembourg and the know-how of our subsidiary, Digora, in terms of Data Management.

And what can you tell us about your connection to Digora?

It is much more than just a connection; it is a strategic alliance. In the past year, we also enhanced our synergies with Digora, both in France and Luxembourg. For example, Digora offers high-quality "Managed Database" services that add significant value to our portfolio of Managed Services in Luxembourg. Similarly, EBRC extends opportunities for Digora through its presence in France by offering its clients global solutions for the management of their IT infrastructures.

Which are the axes you consider as strategic for the future?

We set up an organization that is even more business-oriented, so that we can offer a better response to our clients' challenges. It makes EBRC more accessible, more connected to the marketplace, more connected to the POST Group. This is the main priority of our strategic program. Our approach has become more sector-oriented, in line with the expectations and specificities of our clients' business. Today and in the future, we are here to provide strategic advice, support project implementation and oversee the management of IT environment operations.