Smals Partners with Google Cloud to Modernize Public Sector Services in Belgium
Strengthening IT Infrastructures for the Belgian public sector through advanced public cloud solutions
Google Cloud today announced that Smals, the joint IT organization of Belgian public institutions primarily focused on social security, has selected Google Cloud as its primary public cloud provider. SoftwareOne was awarded the contract in partnership with Google Cloud after a thorough evaluation process under GÉANT’s OCRE24 framework. This agreement will provide Smals’ members with access to Google Cloud’s services, enhancing the delivery speed and quality of vital citizen services across Belgium.
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A comprehensive cloud strategy
Smals is incorporating public cloud into its infrastructure strategy alongside existing on-premises systems and the governmental community cloud (G- Cloud). While Smals continues to operate a private cloud environment, the addition of Google Cloud services provides member institutions greater choice and innovative, AI-powered added-value, including access to AI models, agentic platforms, and more. Smals will maintain full operational control over the environments hosted on Google Cloud, ensuring a seamless management experience consistent with its on-premises operations.
Compliance and data sovereignty
While every architecture deployed in the public cloud will adhere to the European Commission’s Cloud Sovereignty Framework and the Federal Taskforce Cloud’s Workload Policy, the public cloud implementation includes portability requirements designed to maintain long-term technical flexibility and manage vendor dependencies.
Cloud Computing Center of Excellence
To support the transition to the public cloud, Belgium’s public social security institutions and Smals recently launched a Cloud Computing Center of Excellence (CCoE). This joint initiative, co-led with member institutions, is designed to foster knowledge sharing, establish best practices across different cloud providers, and drive a strategic vision for cloud computing across the Belgian public sector. Ultimately, it aims to evolve towards one integrated hybrid and multi-vendor cloud offering used by all Belgian social security institutions.
“The inclusion of Google Cloud as a third pillar alongside our community cloud and on-premises systems provide member institutions with additional technical options,” said Dirk Deridder, CTO of Smals. “This framework agreement allows us to address specific workload requirements in public administration, while adhering to established security and sovereignty mandates.”
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“Google Cloud is providing the technology required to support both Smals’ own ambitious AI plans and those of its members in Belgium,” said Kurt Rommens, Head of Public Sector, Google Cloud Benelux. “Our focus is on delivering a secure environment that meets the portability and sovereignty standards defined by the Belgian federal authorities.”
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