The Dream Team Advantage: Delivering IT Application on Customers’ Terms

Herbert, what are the key objectives your team strives to achieve in Application Services?

The name ‘Application Services’ might sound technical, but at its core, we’re very much a people business. We help customers tackle their applications challenges by providing the perfect team members for the job. We can do this in several ways, what we call ‘engagement models’. In each of these models, craftsmanship and highly skilled people are at the core.

"The name ‘Application Services’ might sound technical, but at its core, we’re very much a people business."

On one end of the spectrum, we offer specialized profiles, essentially acting as an extension of a ‘customer’s IT team if they’re lacking certain skills in-house. Moving a little further along that spectrum, we can also provide entire teams to work for customers, either through Team-as-a-Service or through a project approach. And we also offer a full outsourcing model.

What’s the difference between Team-as-a-Service and project?

The key difference here is who bears the final responsibility for the budget and timeline. With Team-as-a-Service, the customer does. With projects, we do. We guarantee that the project is delivered entirely within the agreed-upon timeframe and following all IT best practices, using agile methodology.

What these two engagement models have in common though, is that both Team-as-a-Service and projects involve multi-skilled teams in the truest sense: not just IT developers, but also project managers, delivery managers, architects, analysts, proxies and more – everything necessary to give the customer what he wants and how he wants it.

And on the other end of the spectrum?

On the other end of the spectrum is full outsourcing, where the customer hands over their entire application management operations to us. This is the most collaborative model, built on trust and a deep understanding of the customer’s operations, and where Cegeka has ownership. We take full responsibility, allocate budgets, design IT roadmap plans and make sure they align with the business goals. It’s like having an in-house team, but with experts who know the customer’s unique business inside and out.

This is why we invest continuously in training and craftsmanship: we want to be the best option in the market. This benefits not only our customers but also our employees. They know they’ll get the best training path here and have the chance to work on a wide range of interesting and impactful projects.

"We invest continuously in craftsmanship: we want to be the best option in the market."

How big is the Application Services team?

Our global applications division is nearing a headcount of 1,500 talented individuals. This impressive growth
spans across Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Romania, Greece, Moldova and the EU Institutions
market.

Two key factors fueled this expansion: the strategic rampup of our nearshore teams and the exciting addition of the CTG team, welcoming them into the Cegeka family.

How do CTG’s overseas locations impact your division?

The Delivery Centers of CTG in India bring a wealth of skilled individuals to the table. This expands our service offerings beyond nearshore to include offshore capabilities. It means we can pursue larger deals requiring big-sized teams and compete more effectively on price. We’re essentially transforming from a European Delivery Center to a global one. This means we can ‘rightshore’ our teams in any ‘hybrid model’ of on-, nearand offshore colleagues. For some customers, that is a game-changer.

Can you explain the hybrid delivery model?

Teams consist of customer-facing roles – account managers, program managers, project leads, and
functional analysts – backed by a team of developers, architects, and other IT specialists. The hybrid delivery model allows us to offer customers teams with local customer-facing people who understand the customer’s native language and culture, along with a skilled IT team from a right-shore location. This ensures we deliver customized, fully skilled, and cost-efficient teams while giving customers control over
their chosen engagement model.

Finally, Herbert, with AI being a major trend, are you involved in that area?

Absolutely. AI is impacting us in two key ways. First, it’s transforming how developers work, with tools like
Microsoft Copilot that accelerate coding, testing and documenting for both low-code and complex projects.

"The bigger revolution might be AI’s impact on the user experience with AI-infused applications."

But the even bigger revolution might be AI’s impact on the user experience. Microsoft calls it “AI-infused
applications” – essentially, users can interact with tools and systems conversationally. Imagine asking a database a complex question and getting the answer you need, all through natural language. This is a game-changer for usability and realizing operational efficiencies for our customers.