- Name: Florennes City Council
- Sector: Public Administration
- Number of employees: 70
- Number of offices: 8 locations connected by fiber optics throughout the city
- Location: Florennes, Belgium
The challenge: high technical workload and little room for innovation
In Florennes, the city’s IT team faced a very common reality: a daily technical workload that hampered any digital transformation initiative. Installations, deployments, repairs, and updates took up most of their time. “We managed very diverse services, each with its own specificities. Our goal was clear: to harmonize the entire environment and simplify daily work,” explains Nicolas Bodart, IT manager at Florennes City Council.
Challenges: limited resources and need for flexibility
IT professionals began exploring workplace virtualization solutions based on open source technologies. They aspired to take a qualitative leap in their digital infrastructure, investing in an innovative, secure, and flexible solution without the need for large investments.
The first project involved modernizing the municipal library’s Digital Public Space (DPS). They needed a robust digital workplace solution that would allow for centralized and adaptable management and also offer good performance even with older IT equipment.
Why UDS Government? Freedom, compatibility, and technical excellence
They discovered UDS Government, Virtual Cable‘s digital workplace solution based on UDS Enterprise and specifically developed for the public sector. They were attracted by its comprehensive documentation and wide range of technical features.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the wealth of documentation. It allowed us to test at our own pace and discover features that went far beyond what we expected,” Bodart notes.
Among the key strengths they highlight are compatibility with multiple virtualization platforms, a variety of connection protocols, support for Linux and Windows virtual desktops, simplified management, high levels of security, and multi-factor authentication.
“The ability to work with Linux VDI desktops and reuse existing equipment was key. We later deployed the solution to Windows terminals as well. Our administrative agents primarily use office applications via thin clients, with sessions hosted on a Terminal Server (TS). UDS Government has greatly facilitated the management of these TS,” he states.
Benefits: Time savings, operational continuity, and enhanced security
Today, Florennes City Council relies on UDS Government for:
- Digital Public Space (DPS): Library users use non-persistent Ubuntu desktops with FreeRDP for searching. The system boots directly to the login screen, facilitating access. The database for these users is completely separate from that of municipal officials, ensuring security and confidentiality.
- Administrative agents: Connected to their Active Directory, they have persistent virtual desktops with Windows 10, accessible from repurposed legacy computers thanks to the Virtual Cable solution.
- Remote work for elected officials: Political leaders, who are often away from the office, can securely access their tools and documents at any time from their personal devices.
According to the IT manager, the time and complexity of resolving incidents has been significantly reduced. Previously, each case could require several manual interventions. Now, in 80% of cases, deploying a new virtual machine takes just a few minutes.
Specific benefits:
- Centralized management and deployment of workspaces
- Reduction of IT department burden
- Standardization of work environments
- Strengthened system security
- Rapid issue resolution, without wait times
- Extended device lifecycle
- Investment in refurbished, cost-effective, and energy-efficient equipment
- Use of free and open-source software
- Greater mobility and facilities for secure remote work
Conclusion and outlook: consolidation and expansion to other public services
The council plans to double the number of users before the end of 2025 and extend the deployment to other services such as educational centers and the Public Center for Social Action (CPAS).
Thanks to the flexibility of Virtual Cable’s solution, they are also considering migrating their VMware vSphere infrastructure to Proxmox, which will allow them to reduce licensing costs and avoid the risk of vendor lock-in.
“Our experience could serve as inspiration for other municipal agencies. We are considering sharing our use case with the Walloon IT Network (RIC),” concludes Nicolas Bodart.
With UDS Government, the Florennes City Council has implemented a smart, secure, and efficient digital workplace, fully aligned with the needs of the public sector. A solid, scalable, and sustainable technological foundation that guarantees operational efficiency, return on investment, and long-term digital sovereignty.
VDI INFRASTRUCTURE
- VDI connection broker: UDS Government (UDS Enterprise)
- Remote desktop services: Windows and Linux VDI
- Hypervisors: VMware vSphere / Proxmox
- Connection protocols: SPICE, X2GO, NX, FreeRDP
- Authentication systems: Active Directory and internal database
- Access devices: All types (BYOD)
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