Smals Selects Google Cloud to Drive Digital Transformation in Belgian Public Administrations

Smals, the central IT organization serving Belgian public institutions, particularly those focused on social security, has announced its selection of Google Cloud as its primary public cloud provider. This significant decision is set to drive digital transformation efforts within the Belgian public sector, aiming to improve the speed and quality of vital citizen services. The agreement was awarded to SoftwareOne in partnership with Google Cloud, following a rigorous evaluation process conducted under the GÉANT’s OCRE24 framework. This move represents a comprehensive cloud strategy for Smals, which will now integrate public cloud capabilities with its existing on-premise systems and the governmental community cloud (G-Cloud). While Smals will continue to operate its private cloud environment, the addition of Google Cloud services offers member institutions greater flexibility and access to advanced, AI-powered innovations, including cutting-edge AI models and agentic platforms. A key aspect of this partnership is Smals’ commitment to maintaining full operational control over the environments hosted on Google Cloud, ensuring a consistent management experience that aligns with its on-premise operations. Compliance and data sovereignty are paramount in this collaboration. Every architecture deployed in the public cloud will strictly adhere to the European Commission’s Cloud Sovereignty Framework and the Federal Taskforce Cloud’s Workload Policy. Furthermore, the public cloud implementation incorporates specific portability requirements designed to ensure long-term technical flexibility and mitigate vendor dependencies. This approach underscores a strategic vision for cloud computing across the Belgian public sector, promoting knowledge sharing and the establishment of best practices among different cloud providers. The initiative also includes the establishment of a Cloud Computing Center of Excellence, co-led with member institutions. This center is designed to facilitate the sharing of expertise and to drive a unified strategic vision for cloud adoption. Ultimately, the goal is to evolve towards a fully integrated hybrid and multi-vendor cloud offering that will be utilized by all Belgian social security institutions. Dirk Deridder, CTO of Smals, highlighted that the inclusion of Google Cloud as a "third pillar" alongside their community cloud and on-premise systems provides member institutions with additional technical options and pathways for innovation.