SUSE Benelux

The roles of CIOs and CTOs are evolving. It's no longer just about cost savings; the focus has shifted to driving innovation and achieving digital autonomy. This great article from Dutch IT Leaders, featuring Bert Boerland from SUSE Benelux, explores how open-source solutions are empowering organizations to take back control of their data and IT infrastructure. Key takeaways: -Digital autonomy is on the rise as organizations move away from vendor lock-in. -Open source is key to building flexible and future-proof IT environments. -Even the Linux desktop is making a comeback in the age of browser-centric work. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eFZS_Kpu #DigitalTransformation #OpenSource #CIO #CTO #SUSE #DigitalAutonomy #ITLeadership

The SUSECON 2026 Call for Papers is officially open! 🎤 🧠 Have an idea, insight, or innovation worth sharing? Submit your session proposal by November 30, 2025 and take the stage in Prague, April 20–23, 2026. Join fellow customers, partners, and open source enthusiasts to shape the future of enterprise Linux, cloud-native, and AI innovation 🤖 ✅ All selected speakers receive a free pass to SUSECON 2026. 👉 Submit your idea today: https://okt.to/eBCEbY #SUSECON2026 #SUSE #OpenSource #AI

Excited to be joining our Benelux team this week in meeting with some of our marquee customers and partners in the Netherlands. Looking forward to listening, learning and ideating how SUSE can help solve customer problems. Thank you Sanne Vloon, Bert Boerland, Tim van Dam, Sander de Jonge for providing this opportunity. Unfortunately, this meant however that I couldn't join a workshop with another strategic partner, AWS, this week, thank you Ivan Tarin for having my back there! If you are in EMEA and would like to connect, ping me to find time!

Day 2: AI World Summit, Amsterdam The future of AI is open! 🤖 We're talking all things enterprise AI infrastructure. If you're looking to build, scale, and secure your AI workloads without compromise, our booth is the place to be. 📍 Find us at Booth G14, Taets Art and Event Park Let's connect! 🥁 Enter our prize draw to win a large chameleon #AIWorldSummit #SUSE #AI #OpenSource #CloudNative #Amsterdam Borbala Hajnal-Simo Jarno Vleeming Martina Ilieva Robin Adair

Today we announce a partnership with AI & Partners to help enterprises in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications and critical infrastructure meet the requirements of the EU AI Act 📃 From secure edge deployment to certified model catalogs and supply-chain attestations, our strategic partnership enables organizations to: 🙋 Move from reactive compliance to proactive control 🤝 Build sovereignty-preserving, trustworthy AI strategies 🗓️ Join us at the World AI Summit, Amsterdam, today and tomorrow, Oct 8–9, 2025, for “Back to the Future: Building Sovereign Foundations for Trustworthy AI” and discover how audit-ready AI governance can be achieved in weeks—not months! Learn more: https://okt.to/jOiv8N #SUSE #AI #DigitalSovereignty #AIGovernance

The taxi driver asked an interesting question last night on the way back from an event. “Are you not bored in IT after 20 years?” My first and fast response was: “Of course not.” But his follow-up made me think: “Why not?” At first, I thought it was because of the fast speed of change in IT. How we shape teams, how we ship technology, or how AI transforms how we create software. But that can’t be it because change is the only constant. You get used to it. I realized what really kept me in IT is the diversity of the jobs I’ve had over the past 20 years. Each role brought something completely different. And as an autodidact, I love learning and growing. Years 0–4 – Consulting I saw a wide variation of application architectures, IT landscapes, and organizations. It taught me how many different “jobs to be done” there really are. I got introduced to service development, became a trainer, and started organizing customer events. I’m glad I started here it gave me a strong foundation for future growth. Years 5–12 – Corporate services Working for a bank taught me a lot: Change is hard, but the reward is big. Margins matter. Audits and controls matter. People management is something I enjoy. Belonging matters being part of a team working toward something builds real connection. Mentors and experts matter early on be open to feedback. And sometimes you’ll meet people who’ll never become friends, but you still need to make it work together. Years 12–16 – Scale-up phase From services to a scale-up. From local to global. From no investment to scaling so fast you can barely keep up. These were great years, full of energy but also the first time I got close to burnout. Building global teams and seeing different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints taught me a lot about life and leadership. Scaling teams, products, and markets is never easy, but the adrenaline it gives is worth it. Years 17–now – Startup and acquisition Joining an early-stage startup, figuring out product-market fit, seeking partnerships, setting the vision, and steering the company’s direction that’s another level. High risk, high reward. Many lessons from earlier years come together in a role like this. I’m sure each of those experiences played a part in leading a startup to a successful acquisition. While typing this, I noticed: In none of these parts do I mention my role or title. Because they don’t really matter. They just help explain what you’re doing at a certain moment but they don’t define you or what gets things done. Back to the taxi driver he didn’t ask what’s next, the ride was too short. But if he had… I’d say: - Maybe building a startup within a larger company. Driving an innovation team of some kind. - Starting something from zero again. - Or maybe even a carpenter workshop. The picture below is from the small meetup by SUSE and AI & Partners. Always nice to team up with Sanne Vloon Mark Dando and Martina Ilieva. And great meeting Nadine Soyez and Sean Musch

Ready to tackle the biggest challenges in IT? The CIO Benelux event is just around the corner, and it's the perfect place to discuss the future of digital transformation, AI, and cybersecurity. SUSE is excited to be part of the conversation in Brussels on October 14, 2025. Connect with Emine Uygun and Marco Manganiello to learn how open source delivers the freedom to innovate and secure your IT environment. Let's connect and discuss how to build a future-proof IT strategy. See you at CIO Benelux! #SUSE #CIOBenelux #OpenSource #ITLeadership #Innovation #Benelux

Digital Sovereignty in Practice – Utrecht, 16 October Digital autonomy is moving from policy debate to operational reality. This session brings together leaders from government, industry and tech to discuss how organisations can take control of their digital infrastructure in a pragmatic way. We’ll cover: - The European context and strategic implications - Open technology as an enabler of sovereignty - Concrete use cases and lessons learned - Panel dialogue with opportunity for exchange 📍 Grand Hotel Karel V, Utrecht 09:30 – 13:30 (lunch included) Speakers include experts from Clingendael, SUSE and Tech Tribes. If you’re working on strategy, compliance or IT leadership, this is a useful forum to gain perspective and compare approaches. 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/eNrXbh-r Looking forward to seeing you there! #SUSE #Digitalsovereignty #networking #panel #ITstrategy Frank Feldmann Klaas-Pieter (K.P.) Majoor Andreas Prins Bert Boerland

We're proud to sponsor #cTENcf Birthday Bash Luxembourg! Join us in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the CNCF at the #cTENcf Birthday Bash in Luxembourg! 🎉 As a proud sponsor, SUSE is thrilled to be part of this incredible milestone in the cloud-native community. We're looking forward to an evening of insightful discussions, networking, and celebrating the innovations that have shaped the past decade. Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 Time: 6pm - 10pm Location: Independent Café, 6 Bd Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 2450 Ville-Haute Luxembourg Register here: https://shorturl.at/tZFTC Don't miss the panel discussion, "CNCF at 10: From Past to Future of Cloud Native," and a fun cloud-native quiz with prizes! Let's celebrate the power of open source and the vibrant CNCF community together. We can't wait to see you there! #CNCF #CloudNative #OpenSource #SUSE #Luxembourg #TechEvent Stéphane Este-Gracias Marco Manganiello Keown de Koning Jarno Vleeming Emiel Brok