From sat nav to smart windscreen wipers

The natural transformation of TomTom

TomTom is a good example of how to achieve the digital transformation. Christiaan De Backer, the navigation company's chief information officer (CIO), talks about the corporate culture that is needed. "People are capable of embracing progress."

On the way to the centre of Ghent, Christiaan De Backer pays close attention to the signs on the parking route. The signs also indicate how many free spaces are still available in each car park. If it was up to De Backer, that would soon be a thing of the past. Your car's navigation system would automatically take you to the most logical parking space. "Or it would take you on a route that would ensure that a city's traffic was more evenly distributed."

The natural transformation of TomTom
Growth of additional data

Growth of additional data

"It could also be the case that we could soon be transferring to autonomous vehicles at the edges of cities to take us to our destination", says De Backer, continuing to think of the future. "Many cities are already engaged in this process of asking how they can make the everyday environment of their residents more pleasant, cleaner and also smarter. A company like TomTom, which has an increasing amount of data at its disposal, can make a major contribution to this process. If we can calculate the likelihood that you will be able to park in a particular street, that is important information for a city. We are increasingly collaborating with companies and organisations in this area."

Achieving the digital transformation

TomTom is therefore a good example of how to achieve the digital transformation. At the beginning of the century, the navigation company introduced the well-known "sat navs" to be attached to the dashboard. But now TomTom has more consumer products, such as sports watches and action cameras, and the company is increasingly concentrating on the development of software applications in the area of location determination and mobility.

De Backer explains, "When we had just started with the sat navs, our internal processes were determined by logistics, by the way in which we built our product and got it to the consumer. Currently, we are also providing businesses and organisations with services. This has involved a substantial change in our business model."

Achieving the digital transformation
Unexpected changes possible

Unexpected changes possible

"This transformation has been a fairly natural process at TomTom. It was already clear when the company was founded that we would not get by with one product. These days, a digital transformation is also needed. If your company is not working on it now, you will not survive in the long term. And if you think that it won't have an impact in your sector, there's a very high probability that you will not survive at all.

Digitisation makes the most unexpected changes possible. There have been enough examples already. Who in the automotive industry would have thought it possible until a couple of years ago that a non-engineering company would become a fearsome competitor? Nowadays, you have to bear in mind that your most important product will be attacked at some time. And the attack will probably come from the direction that you are least expecting." 

The customer is always key

"You shouldn't get anxious about it either", De Backer continues. "I mostly see opportunities in digitisation. It creates a framework in which you can reinvent your business and which forces you to think about new services and products – in which the customer is always key.  This is something that I also regard as a positive trend in the digital world.

Technology was originally used to automate internal processes. By the end of the 1990s we had started building 'data warehouses' for use with customers. At that time, the aim was still to determine which products were most appropriate for the customers, but now we use technology to provide customers with new and improved services."

The customer is always key
Innovative culture

Innovative culture

"The ability to make this transformation requires an appropriate innovative culture within a company. You have to allow innovation and accept that not every idea will be a success. You should also look at what is happening in other industries and learn from this. I also believe that it is very important to use scenarios. In this way, you reduce the risk of surprises but without knowing which scenario is the right one." 

Cyber crime and hacking

The downside of digitisation is cyber crime. The misuse of personal data also worries many people. De Backer also sees the dangers but does not believe that crimes like hacking constitute a threat to progress. "It may hold back progress to some extent but people are capable of embracing progress.

At present, we are not yet accustomed to cyber crime but one day equilibrium will be reached. This is also true, for example, of autonomous vehicles, while the focus is currently very much on the accident involving this type of car which resulted in a fatality. Of course, this is terrible but a tipping point will be reached when it soon becomes clear that the use of autonomous vehicles causes many fewer road casualties.

Cyber crime and hacking
Releasing and using data

Releasing and using data

According to De Backer, this also applies to the use of data in location-based services and identity management. "The end-users will decide in this case as well. They will specify which data they want to release and businesses will have to make it very clear what they will be doing with the data, why they're using it and for how long.

End-users will then be able to decide what they get back in return. If they feel that the fact that data is transmitted automatically as soon as they switch on their windscreen wipers helps to improve traffic information, they will be more inclined to release this data. One of TomTom's key priorities is to handle data privacy correctly.

PwC helps TomTom to manage risks

TomTom is working closely with PwC in the area of identity and access management (IAM). Everett, a part of PwC, is responsible for ensuring that TomTom's internal platform is kept up-to-date in terms of identity and access.

"In the fast-changing digital world, it takes a lot of time to keep up with all the security upgrades", says Christiaan De Backer, CIO of TomTom. "Everett actually does that for us, leaving us free to focus more on improving the services we provide to customers."

"Effective identity and access management plays a key part in managing risks in the digital world. It has become an essential part of corporate strategy to pursue business, achieve growth and ensure continuity."

Who is Christiaan De Backer?

Who is Christiaan De Backer?

Christiaan De Backer (1959) has worked in the IT sector for over 30 years. After completing his studies at the University of Ghent, he started work at Alcatel Bell Telecom in 1984. In 1986, he moved to Belgacom, where he held various IT management positions.

Christiaan then spent three and a half years at Tele Atlas as vice-president global IT. When Tele Atlas was acquired by TomTom in 2009, he became the navigation company's chief information officer.

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Gerald Horst

Gerald Horst

Digital Identity partner, PwC Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0)65 517 51 51

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