Constructiv shapes digital future on AXI’s rock-solid IT foundation.
With a high-performance on-premises infrastructure, hosted in an external data center environment and supported by a Tier 3 service contract, industry organization Constructiv can focus fully on its digital ambitions. For more than fifteen years, AXI has been the permanent IT partner that thinks along with them and takes care of everything.
Constructiv is the jointly managed sector fund for the Belgian construction sector. In this role, the organization offers a range of benefits and services for construction companies and construction workers. These include wage compensation in the event of bad weather, supplementary pension rights, support for well-being and safety, and training within the framework of competence management.
Behind the scenes, all these services run on an extensive ICT infrastructure. The internal ICT department manages more than sixty applications, and the organization processes more than one million records annually with data from the Crossroads Bank for Social Security. In this context, stability, security, and compliance are of the utmost importance.
The challenge: moving and modernizing at the same time
A few years ago, Constructiv began renovating its headquarters in Brussels. The planned work provided the ideal opportunity to review the physical ICT infrastructure as well.
“Until then, our servers were located in our own building,” says Geert Ramaekers, Director of Digitization, Innovation, and ICT at Constructiv. “But in terms of security, cooling, and other aspects, there were better options. At the same time, we had to continue to align our ICT with strict government regulations on data management. That made the situation complex: we wanted to migrate, modernize, and remain compliant at the same time.”
Internally, too, there was a growing need for more support. The ICT department was taking on more and more responsibilities, partly due to the emergence of digital services for end users, such as apps for construction companies. At the same time, traditional tasks such as updates, patching, and monitoring continued to take up a lot of time.
“Our people were under pressure. We noticed that we were in danger of falling behind with server updates or not being able to follow up on incidents in a timely manner. We had to avoid that,” says Ramaekers.
The solution: private cloud with full service support
Together with AXI, Constructiv opted for a pragmatic and future-oriented solution. The organization moved its own servers to the Proximus data center, but remained the owner of the infrastructure. Working closely with the IT department, AXI took care of the entire process, from design and migration to management and follow-up.
“It's essentially a private cloud,” says Ramaekers. “We use our own infrastructure, but have it managed in a secure and controlled environment. AXI is responsible for managing the physical database servers and our virtual environment with more than 300 virtual machines.”
To relieve its IT teams as much as possible, Constructiv switched to a Tier 3 support contract. This means that AXI is responsible for proactive monitoring, incident follow-up, updates, backups, and structural maintenance, with clear SLA agreements.
“Thanks to Tier 3, our internal manager can focus more on strategic IT projects. The operational burden has shifted to AXI, and that works very well.”
Trust that grows
The collaboration between AXI and Constructiv is a long-term one: the two organizations have been working together for more than fifteen years now. AXI is familiar not only with the infrastructure, but also with the specific compliance requirements that sector funds such as Constructiv must meet.
“As a sector fund, we are bound by the minimum standards of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security,” explains Ramaekers. “We need to know exactly where our data is located, who has access to it, and how everything is secured. So the public cloud was not an option for us. AXI understood that from the outset.”
“The way we work together is also excellent. What strikes me most as a director is how deeply AXI thinks along with us. They don’t just come up with solutions for today, they also look ahead. They proactively point out potential risks or opportunities. And if something is outside their scope, they refer us to reliable partners in their network. That really makes the difference.”
Towards a digital future
Constructiv is currently working on the next step: digital services for external customers such as construction companies and skilled workers. These include apps, portals, and new means of communication. AXI also provides support in this area.
Constructiv is therefore looking to the future with confidence. The solid ICT foundation is in place, the internal team can focus on innovation, and there is a partner who knows the organization inside out. “For us, AXI is not just a supplier, but a true partner who ensures continuity, thinks along with us, and helps us to be ready for what lies ahead.”
