Transforming technology into a catalyst for innovation

MACH: Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS and Headless; a concept that’s suddenly in the spotlight. Although the separate concepts are well-known and not quite new, an umbrella concept is now attached to this technical view. Does ‘MACH’ constitute the new ‘Cloud’, and could it be just as influential as ‘SaaS’, or would that be giving it too much credit? IO Technology Director Friso Geerlings anticipates that MACH will present a complex challenge that will also provide companies with a focus on an incomparable and omni-channel customer experience with plenty of value.

MACH is nothing like a classic (on-premise or IaaS) platform in terms of organisational requirements. Before exploring the options of working with MACH or actually starting to work with it, every organisation should start by asking themselves various questions.

Today, the number of touchpoints and the customer expectations that are associated with them continue to grow unabated. Regardless of the device or the channel, the customer experience should be easy and pleasant, just like in the model omnichannel strategy. The main challenge here is how do you tailor your content across all channels and realise elegant personalisation? This requires flexibility, innovation, and strength – exactly what headless CMS is.

Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS and Headless have secured their place ​​in the business world. These concepts have existed in their own right for some time and are already fairly well known, but the umbrella term MACH is new. Will it soon be mentioned in the same breath as Cloud and SaaS? And when will it be worth investing in it? Find out in this white paper.

A headless platform offers a lot of new possibilities for companies. It fits into a digital landscape that connects your customers with your business processes. But what exactly does it mean? And can your company handle the complexity of headless systems? In this white paper we will separate the facts from the fiction and guide you through your first steps in the headless world.

Traditional CMS systems have been around since the early days of web development. Those platforms were then developed to store and present content - such as text, images, and videos. This approach bundles everything in one big silo: content, HTML, CSS, and so on. This made it impossible to reuse the content in that silo, since it was stuck in specific code snippets. Now that organisations no longer simply post content on web pages, there’s a need for a more flexible solution. Headless is the answer!

The world is evolving faster than ever. Consumers and stakeholders expect more and more flexibility from companies and organisations. As a result, you need IT solutions that can grow with you.

The experts at iO helped Damen Shipyards with their digital transformation and a strong, consistent brand experience.

Ever more organisations have been making the shift towards headless when building their new online platforms. At iO we used the combination of the Storyblok CMS and Next.js to create a total brand experience for furniture brand Pode’s new website. In this article, we will tell you why and how.

Case: A seamless user experience thanks to a future-proof headless e-commerce platform.

Flexible scalability, the right toolbox for business logic, the availability of specialists, data-driven work and appealing pricing. These are some of the reasons why companies are increasingly turning to public cloud integration platforms to build their business and integration layer – better known as iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service). Like Microsoft’s Azure Integration Services (AIS), for instance. Technology Director Friso Geerlings zooms in on the power and practicality of Azure, especially for business integration and processes.

We helped event specialist Orakel improve its user experience, integrate its webshop and website and optimise its platform’s management. Read more.

The composable approach to architecture is known for its flexibility, scalability and the freedom it offers. However, many organisations have to deal with legacy, are tied to long-term contracts with software providers or simply don’t have the right people and in-house processes. So how do you switch from a traditional IT architecture to a composable one? This article gives you a realistic insight into this transition.

In uncertain times, most entrepreneurs choose to operate from a safe position and focus on easy wins and consolidation. But with this strategy you miss out on opportunities. What can we offer to withstand the unpredictable, changing consumer needs and economic and social turmoil? Our Software Architect Bavo Janss went back in time and made up the current state of affairs. He says that Operational Excellence is the answer to most of the big questions coming at us today. Read on to learn how composable commerce can help us prepare for the future.

Brussels Airport: In this case story, read how iO has become an extension of the airport.

Brussels Airport: a look at the digital platforms iO built for the ultimate passenger experience.

“Refresh your website every five years.” Sound familiar? Well, listen carefully. Because in 2024, things have changed. The tech keeping your website up and running used to be out-of-date after five years. But now, it’s become more stable. So, don’t jump on the new website bandwagon just yet, and do your homework to see what you can repurpose first.

Find out how iO developed an online platform and iOS and Android apps for the online bank Knab, from UX/UI design to development. Read the case.

How do you develop a virtual experience platform that takes your customer experience to the next level?

Discover how a composable architecture provides the flexibility to quickly respond to market changes and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

For many organisations, their digital platform is essential infrastructure: a versatile technology foundation on which they can build and run their digital operations. With a strong and flexible digital platform, you can stay ahead of your competitors by providing your customers with the best user experience that fits seamlessly with your business goals. But how do you ensure that your platform helps you to really make a difference?

A Customer Data Platform collects your customers’ data and is mainly at home in the more ‘mature’ marketing departments of the organisation. A CDP combines customer data from different platforms and hands it back to you in a 360° package. This whitepaper illustrates how a CDP gets assembled, where its added value lies CDP can be for your organisation and which conditions best serve a CDP.

iO helped Landal Greenparks create a hospitality experience that seamlessly integrates top personal service with digital convenience. Discover the case.

Are you aiming to keep your Drupal website fast and secure? Then it's time to start planning your upgrade to Drupal 10 now. Our Drupal experts will tell you why it's a wise choice, how to approach it, and the benefits that the upgrade brings.

Web, app, and integration platform for co-branded credit card programmes

Flexible credit, without a card and with all the omnichannel advantages of a credit card.

With Storyblok headless CMS you can build relevant digital experiences quickly. Our experts are here to help you.

In a world where customers are finding their products online at an increasing rate, it’s impossible to ignore e-commerce. Moreover, we’ve become so demanding that businesses need to be able to continuously evolve and improve the user experience. But not every system is equipped to grow along with you in a world that moves at warp speed. Shopware 6 is.

Composable architectures are gaining traction and credibility as the most efficient way to respond to future user expectations. Unlike a suite approach, where a single vendor supplies all the software components you need, composable architectures focus on composing small, loosely coupled components and using existing best-of-breed technology that can be integrated to form innovative solutions and work together to supply the optimal customer experience across different channels.

The first day of the Webwinkel Vakdagen (WWVD) is over! Still want to reminisce? Download the presentations of the lightning talks here.

The first day of the Webwinkel Vakdagen (WWVD) is over! Still want to reminisce? Download the presentations of the lightning talks here.

As far as we are concerned, the Webwinkel Vakdagen (WWVD) was a great success! Did you think so too?

Support your organisation’s growth ambitions on budget with an in-depth tech strategy. Find out more about what iO can do for your business.

The world of online commerce is becoming increasingly complex. Businesses need to be able to create appropriate and unique customer journeys across multiple channels. But this is proving to be quite a challenge for those still using traditional commerce platforms.  Luckily, the world of online commerce is also constantly developing. When new and greater challenges arise, fresh solutions are created. Solutions like composable commerce. 

iO experts built a brand new D2C website with an advanced Adobe Experience Manager e-commerce platform for lighting specialists Signify. The result: happy users and satisfied teams. Read the full case here.

AI language models, better known as Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT are hot. For some, they are a fine piece of pastime, for others an important tool to achieve business goals – not in the least for SEO and SEA. As they gain plenty of popularity, the complexity of the picture is also becoming clear, just the capabilities of AI. It becomes important to fully understand their potential, and their limitations, before you start working with them.

Globally, only 30 percent of companies successfully implement digital transformation. This is because digital transformation touches every aspect of a business: from people and processes to infrastructure and customer relationships. The key to a successful transformation is to pay attention to all these aspects - but that doesn't always happen.  In this white paper, we take you through five common pitfalls in digital transformation and give advice on how to avoid them. 

Do you remember when ... the invention of the computer caused a seismic shift in the job market? People unwilling to work with computers were quickly replaced by people who were; and today everyone carries a laptop. Today the same thing is happening with AI. In this webinar, Rodger Werkhoven will share his passion for Artificial Intelligence and introduce you to OpenAI as a love brand.

From Van Eyck’s brothers' Ghent Altarpiece to Rock Werchter: the Canon of Flanders is finally here. The much-discussed list resulted in a bulky book of more than 300 pages and includes an overview of the Flemish language, culture, and history from the end of the last ice age to today. But there is also an online version: www.canonvanvlaanderen.be . iO developed this on behalf of the Commission Canon of Flanders, which received a mandate from the Flemish Government, Department of Education & Training.

Discover the fruitful collaboration between Primagaz and iO in this 'Walk and Talk' video. In this video, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at the collaborative dynamics between Primagaz and iO. We discuss how we dealt with challenges, how we exploited opportunities and what strategies we developed. We'll take you through our shared journey of growth and success, where trust and a commitment to excellence are central. This Walk and Talk is more than just a conversation - it is a celebration of a collaboration that has stood the test of time. It is a story of mutual growth, of learning and evolving, and of creating value for both organizations.

For food giant Vandemoortele, we built a Drupal platform that inspires and supports multiple audiences with customised content. Read the case.

New technology, internet-of-things and proof-of-concepts. Find out how iO is introducing innovation at Brussels Airport.

Gosselin, active in international relocations, wanted more leads to boost growth. Our experts helped to bolster their digital presence. 

Do you want to rebrand your organisation? Is an acquisition or merger imminent? Or do you want to improve your customer experience, and does this require an organisational change?  For these types of digital transformations, changing technology is often a challenging and crucial part for organisations of all sizes. Whether you need to upgrade the CMS system to a newer version, or you want to increase your innovation speed with a headless CMS, there is often one element that receives little attention: the content migration. Far too often, a content migration is nothing more than the last thing on the list, because it’s the technology that requires a lot of attention and budget, isn’t it? How complex can it be to lift and shift the content from the old system to the new? 

Enhancing Digital Content Management for D'Ieteren Automotive's Websites? Read the full story here;

Creating a Cohesive Platform: Assuralia's Rebranding and Site Redesign for Enhanced User Experience Read the story here.

YER is already big but aspired to double their presence in the world of recruitment and selection and secondment. iO helped them with creating a new brand, internal branding, external activation online and offline and bringing 3 websites into 1 site for all target groups.

What it takes to make booking as easy as possible for you? Discover the power of a strong management vision, a streamlined work process, and long-term, open, and transparent collaboration between Landal GreenParks and iO.

Facebook is a media company that does not create content. Airbnb has turned the hotel industry upside down without owning any accommodation. Two well-known examples of fast-growing platforms that enable transactions and bring users and products together. The main factor for success in this is their appeal to the right users and adding value by solving problems, providing convenience or introducing new services. They do this using a very strong User Experience (UX) and Developer Experience (DX).

Technology is in a constant state of change. The great evolution of recent years has been AI. Today, it's a powerful tool that can radically change the way we solve problems and create value. But how should we really look at AI? And how can we make sure it becomes more than just an empty gimmick?

You may not have noticed, but a lot has changed in terms of analytics and tracking over the past five years. This is partly because we've already grown accustomed to many changes, and partly because their impact has come very gradually. Half a decade ago, no one knew of the existence of a cookie banner, a year later everyone thought they could never get used to it, and today we don't know any better. We've made serious strides in terms of data regulation, and perhaps the biggest steps are yet to come in 2024.

Does the name Leonhard Huizinga still ring a bell for anyone? Once a popular Dutch writer, now forgotten. He made his debut in 1936 with the book 'De Gestroomlijnde Wereld'. Already a wanderer at a young age, Huizinga's book opened an unknown world to many readers. An exotic world, which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, because it was more accessible by car, train, boat, and airplane. Faster, more comfortable and with more and more streamlining — quite literally. Curious, boundless, full of wonder. Not realising, as early as 1936, that over that same world lay the shadows of tomorrow.

Blended agency iO gives history an extra dimension for visitors to M Leuven thanks to AI-driven web app.

Discover how we customised a business app that semi-automatically schedules the most efficient solution and produces quick reporting.

We are standing at the beginning of a new economic era with AI and automation as driving forces. Customer interaction is radically being transformed, and the rise of generative AI heralds one of the biggest revolutions ever. As far as AI is concerned, the near future is still a bit unpredictable, but one thing is certain: companies that really want to make a difference should resolutely opt for a digital strategy built upon resilience, productivity and efficiency. Let’s delve into the five most remarkable AI trends for 2024.

Are you tired of all the grand promises surrounding AI? Do trends come and go without leaving a lasting impact? Are you yearning for a down-to-earth answer to the question, "What can I truly gain from AI in my daily work?" Our Art Director and AI pioneer, Gijs guides you in this blog interview.  Why can he only guide you? Because there's no one-size-fits-all approach. AI is tailor-made, but it can significantly simplify and enhance your work. Within minutes, promises Gijs, you can achieve powerful mass production. His practical tips might just transform your daily workflow or, at the very least, encourage you to rethink it. Discover how in this interview. 

iO developed a website and UX-driven configurator for and with Suzuki Belgium. Read all about it in this case.

Discover how the JLR Gateway, built in Drupal, acts as a central hub for dealer communication, processes, and collaboration.

From March 12, we welcome a significant update in the world of web performance with the introduction of Interaction to Next Paint (INP) as part of the Core Web Vitals. But don't worry, you don’t have to be a web developer to understand: we’ll explain the importance of this update in plain language.

Find out how iO developed one powerful and scalable e-commerce platform for the web shops of all Favorite Gifts' brands. Read the case study.

Now that cookies are disappearing, the biggest challenge for everyone in marketing today lies in measuring and analyzing marketing efforts.   Companies currently find themselves facing a bit of a dilemma: on one hand, they want a transparent view of the results of their investments, on the other hand, they know that they need to rely more on data to make their advertising more relevant and efficient.

Discover how awareness, behaviour change, and hyper-local personalization lead to cost efficiency and relevance at the right moment.

Discover how the online presence of Firda was revamped with a new Drupal platform. With seamless integrations, simplified forms and an improved design.

Watch the webinar now.

With Sanity, we offer top-tier, flexible, and powerful tools for content management and delivery.

How does iO keep its long-term relationship with Farmaline fresh as a daisy? By mixing trust with a profitable synergy of tech and marketing services.

At iO, we partner with some major players and market leaders in marketing and technology. One of these partners is WordPress, world's largest Content Management System (CMS). There are several reasons why WordPress tops the list of CMS platforms. For one, the platform has a lot to offer for all its target audiences. In this blog, we list its main advantages for marketers.

For Prowise, an interactive display and educational software expert, iO designed a new WordPress website complemented by a new brand voice and copy.

In markets that are saturated with options and with customers that are overloaded with choices, it's an exceptional customer experience set will set you apart. A Digital Experience Platform can help you accomplish this - and we'll tell you how.

Discover how iO made the websites and the personal admin portal of High Profile Locaties more manageable, findable and scalable. Read the case study.

Is AI the big monster some make it out to be? The one waiting in line to take over our job of content marketeer? One thing’s for sure: artificial intelligence is no hype. It’s here to stay, and it’s up to us to deal with it. At iO, we’re always looking at new ways to create value. AI turns out not to be a solution, but rather a means to an end. In this blog post, we explain how we use an AI copy assistant to write large volumes of copy in a cost-effective way. 

Earlier this month, Drupal founder Dries Buytaert took the stage during the annual DrupalCon North America in Portland (Oregon, USA). He delivered what some call the biggest Drupal news in a long time: the official announcement of Drupal Starshot. Being the largest Drupal partner in the Benelux, we at iO would like to shed some light on this upcoming launch.

iO and Drupal go way back. We have been using the CMS since our early days, so it is fair to say it holds few secrets for our developers. In recent years, the CMS market has evolved enormously, with new systems springing up like mushrooms. And even though many did not survive, there are still a lot of new CMS systems standing strong today. An unusual situation for Drupal, but with the announcement of Drupal Starshot, the answer is now finally here.

In our increasingly digital world, accessibility is more important than ever. This whitepaper highlights why digital accessibility is not only a legal requirement, but also an ethical necessity. With more than 25% of the European population having some form of disability, it is essential to design inclusive digital products.

For many companies, digital platforms are the backbone of their operations and critical to exceptional customer experiences. This white paper offers strategic insights and practical solutions to address digital challenges such as agility, scalability and security. Download now to take your digital platform to the next level and seamlessly align with your business goals.

How do you navigate through the jungle of tooling? How do you maintain an overview of your MarTech stack? This webinar will show you how to navigate your MarTech stack in simple steps and get to the essence: tools you really need.

The fact that a flawless digital experience is crucial to consumers, is not new — every day we experience this ourselves when using apps or ordering things online. Less known, but just as crucial, is the partner experience (PX). Especially for financial institutions (such as banks, insurers or payment companies) a seamless PX is invaluable. Friso Geerlings, Technology Director at iO, explains why this is the case and how you can safeguard your PX. 

XM Cloud is the CMS of Sitecore’s new Composable DXP. It is a further development of their original CMS, but packed and serviced completely different. It’s SaaS, less hassle to maintain, quicker and easier to develop on, a lot easier to work with for content editors, but still as powerful and versatile as before. So when starting a new Sitecore implementation, choosing XM Cloud over the original Platform DXP is a no-brainer. But what about migrating your existing implementation to XM Cloud? There is no set upgrade path and your starting position greatly influences the desired route to take, but also the business case behind such a migration. In this article I will share my view on the important differences, challenges, benefits, caveats, possible approaches for a migration roadmap, and everything you would like to know and consider before embarking on this journey.

In an increasingly digital world, accessibility is more important than ever. This whitepaper will show you why digital accessibility is not only a legal requirement, but also an ethical necessity. With more than 32.2% of the Dutch population having some kind of disability, it is essential that you design inclusive digital products. This whitepaper explores:

Discover how iO helped Imperial transform into a future-proof food brand

Instead of depending on one big software suite, the ‘composable approach’ enables organisations to customise their IT infrastructure by selecting and integrating the most suitable components for their specific needs. However, composable is not a universal solution. In this whitepaper we break down the composable concept, explain the core principles and its potential impact on your organisation’s digital ecosystem. We help you determine a realistic timeframe for transitioning to a composable architecture and evaluate whether your business is ready to embrace composability. Finally, we explore diverse migration strategies for a smooth and seamless transition.

Conversational search in the form of an AI chatbot lets your website visitors interact with your content, resulting in a better customer experience. Conversational search is an advanced search method that uses natural language processing to understand search queries and provide relevant results. Instead of entering search terms, users can formulate searches as they would in a normal conversation.

With the introduction of the Open Government Act (Woo), the disclosure of information has become of greater importance. It’s wise to have a solid process and powerful digital tools in place to help your organisation comply to the Woo. But where to start? In the webinar ‘How to easily gain complete control over the Woo publications of your organisation’ we’ll show you how to set up this in a sufficient and user-friendly way. 

Conversational search in the form of an AI chatbot lets your website visitors interact with your content, resulting in a better customer experience.

Drupal recently launched the latest version of its unsurpassed CMS: Drupal 11. As a Certified Drupal Partner, our 130-strong Drupal team is eager to get started helping companies find their way around. After all, Drupal 11 offers a lot of new features that improve the user experience, increase performance and streamline development processes.

When you look something up on the Internet, you always do so with a specific intention. Whether it's to gather information, compare products or actually make a purchase. Either way, you want to see results that match your intent as closely as possible. This intent - called search intent - is a crucial factor for both Google and marketers. 

With the introduction of the Open Government Act (Woo), the disclosure of information has become of greater importance. It’s wise to have a solid process and powerful digital tools in place to help your organisation comply to the Woo. But where to start? In the webinar ‘How to easily gain complete control over the Woo publications of your organisation’ we’ll show you how to set up this in a sufficient and user-friendly way. 

How do you develop a digital and internationally deployable retailer concept that takes your customer experience to the next level?

With the recent launch of iOS 18, the messaging service Rich Communication Services, or RCS, is finally widely available. This can have a huge impact on how brands and marketers reach their customers. In this article, we dive deeper into the ins and outs of RCS and why at iO, we believe that it will provide better experiences. 

Discover how iO can elevate your e-commerce success with a tailored Shopify platform. From seamless integrations to limitless connectivity, we provide full support from technology to marketing, ensuring optimal growth and conversion.

With over fifty new features every month, the HubSpot express train shows no signs of slowing down. Last month at the annual INBOUND event in Boston, you could explore all the latest updates and get an exclusive preview of the roadmap for the coming year. Couldn't make it? Sign up quickly for our free webinar to get a concise overview of all the highlights from INBOUND '24.

The impact of AI on search engine marketing and business models is huge. So start experimenting now, advises iO CEO Pieter Janssens. 

Is generative AI (GenAI) only useful for automating boring tasks or producing mediocre visuals and lacklustre, uninspired texts? Or can it add real value to the creative process? And if so, how do you use it to come up with new concepts and create unique stories? Gijs Besselink, Art Director and AI expert at iO, uses his experience to answer these questions and more.

How do you navigate through the jungle of tooling? How do you maintain an overview of your MarTech stack? This webinar will show you how to navigate your MarTech stack in simple steps and get to the essence: tools you really need.

There is unrest in the SEO landscape, and it's no surprise given the rapid changes taking place. With the advent of AI, the future of SEO suddenly seems uncertain. The number one search engine is vigorously testing AI applications, reducing the need to click through to websites. This has serious implications for everyone whose traffic is partially dependent on Google, including e-commerce.

Discover how prioritising accessibility can transform digital presence and drive business success.

A brand's story is shaped by content. In the coming years it isn’t just about what content you create, but about how your brand retains authenticity and flexibility in an ever-growing digital landscape.    Platforms are diverse, audiences are fragmented, and attention spans are shorter than ever.  Today the central question is: "How can you be sure that your brand is communicating in an authentic and effective way?" It's about communication that doesn’t just connect with people, but actually touches them.   After reading this Insights Paper, you will have an in-depth understanding of the complexity of target audiences, the dynamics of platforms, the impact of AI, evolving content formats, and the value of content to brands. 

As a digital marketing professional, you know customer experience is all about planning. But with the digital world getting more complex by the day, what should you focus on in 2025? Which processes will be most affected by artificial intelligence?   Sign up for our webinar to learn how your organization can prepare for AI's impact on tomorrow’s customers' experiences. 

Navigating the rapidly expanding MarTech landscape can be overwhelming, but with a clear strategy and focused approach, you can build an effective MarTech stack that drives your marketing success.

An overwhelming array of marketing technology choices often leads to a fragmented and inefficient MarTech stack. Discover how to optimise your stack, strengthen integrations, and build a future-proof MarTech strategy.

This article was originally published on marketingreport.nl  IO’s Evelyne Berden, Domain Lead Marketing Automation, and Jolien Struyf, Team Lead Marketing Automation travelled to Boston in the United States to attend the HubSpot INBOUND conference between 18 and 20 September. This conference focuses on the latest developments in marketing, sales, AI and customer experience. They spoke to Marketing Report about their experiences and everything they learned at INBOUND. 

Do your customers know that they can find what they are looking for on your website easily? Conversational search, supported by an AI chatbot, makes it possible for your visitors to navigate your content seamlessly. The result? Better customer experiences. Introducing new technology such as conversational search can be challenging and is never without risk. In this webinar, we will take you through the ins and outs, to ensure that you and your organisation can get the best out of this innovation.

Drupal’s latest release couldn’t go unnoticed at iO. Our developers gathered for a dedicated launch party to explore how this update would better support them in delivering projects for our clients. Maarten Heip, Drupal Lead at iO, wrote this reflection following the release of Drupal CMS 1.0.