If you have questions about quality improvement, the enthusiastic Mieke is the right person to ask. From ISO certification and occupational safety to environmental regulations: Mieke is the jack-of-all-trades responsible for attaining and maintaining LCL's high standards. “It's a really nice challenge.”

Before Mieke joined LCL, she assisted companies with environmental or safety-related questions and with the implementation of management systems. “I had been working as a consultant for years, also for LCL. But I wanted to work for one company, so that I could also see the results of everything I implement. And LCL happened to be keen on employing a person to be responsible for certification. I already knew the organisation quite well and was familiar with the company, its culture and processes. That's how I started working for LCL.”

In her role as Quality Manager, Mieke is responsible for ISOs and other certifications. She is also prevention advisor, environmental coordinator and information security officer. “It's my job to secure the ISOs and other certifications. LCL currently holds four ISOs: ISO14001 for the environment, ISO45001 for health and safety, ISO27001 for information security and ISO9001 for product and service quality. In addition, it's my job to ensure that the various management systems are implemented at all sites and that they are reported on. This also includes drawing up various action plans. It's a really nice challenge.”

Sustainable and available

Besides ISO certifications, LCL also holds other certifications for which Mieke is responsible. “Another certificate we have is the TIER III, issued by the Uptime Institute. We have a score of 99.98% availability. In the event of a power failure, there will be no data loss. We are the first data center in Belgium to obtain a TIER III facility. In addition, we have also received ISAE 3000 Type 2 and 3402 Type 2 quality reports, which demonstrates that we have a secure and properly maintained infrastructure.”

Sustainability is also central to LCL's strategy. “We are making investments today for the future. We have great ambitions and want to be future-proof. For example, we are affiliated with the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact. The government wants to be climate-neutral by 2050, but we want to achieve this by 2030. LCL is the only party from Belgium. We are participating because we don't just want to comply with measures; we clearly want to play a pioneering role in sustainability. That makes it fascinating work, because you can see the progress.”

Wallonia One

Over the past few months, Mieke has been busy with recertification. “An ISO certificate is obtained for three years. The independent auditors return every year to conduct thorough checks. An auditor audits the entire process. He talks to employees from all departments. We recently had seven audit days in one month. That has a big impact on the organisation.”

“Another project we cut our teeth on was our first data center in Wallonia: LCL Wallonia One. It was my job to get it ready at the ISO level so that it could be included in the external audits. And with success! In only four months, Wallonia One has obtained ISO45001, ISO14001 and ISO9001! Impressive right?”

Flabbergasted

Mieke looks back on a positive period. “The fact that we as a company can say in this Covid period that we are growing in all areas is very special. The auditors who recently visited were also pleasantly surprised. Because they had not been there for a year, they were able to make a good comparison. They were flabbergasted. In other words, stunned. They congratulated us on all the progress we have made since last year. We didn't have any non-conformities either. They've talked to everyone, so that proves we all believe in it.”

That's what Mieke likes about working for LCL. “With the audits, I have really experienced how everyone shares the same vision. There is a strong team spirit. ISO is in the DNA of LCL, people really make time for it. I really like that. What sets us apart from others is that we all pull together. It’s not done just for the piece of paper. In my previous jobs, employees would come and ask questions a day before the audit: what should I tell the auditors? Here at LCL, no one has asked me that. Because they simply know already what to say.”

Would you like to know more about certification at LCL? View our certificates.