Building lasting expertise in security & AI

DSW is a health insurer that stands out for the size of its own IT organization. While many insurers buy their software, DSW builds and maintains much of its application landscape in-house, from policy administration and claims processing to end-to-end claim handling. Together with the functional IT department, around three hundred people at DSW work on software, spread across dozens of Scrum teams.

Charlotte Tusveld combines two roles at DSW: as head of department, she manages nine team leads of developers, testers and the service and operations organization, and in her architecture role she advises the ICT steering committee on technology choices. One of her biggest challenges is making sure her teams stay equipped with the right knowledge and up-to-date techniques.

Knowledge as a standing priority

The work of developers and testers at DSW is constantly changing. New techniques follow each other ever more quickly, security threats are increasing, and at the same time the possibilities AI offers keep growing. DSW processes sensitive data in its own systems, and that is exactly where security risks weigh heavily. For Charlotte, that is reason enough to approach knowledge development in a structured way.

Through its employee satisfaction survey, DSW continuously gauges where the need for knowledge lies within the organization. The latest survey showed that employees want more insight into what is possible in terms of learning and development. DSW translated that into an expanded training offering. Security and AI emerged as the two most important themes. Charlotte explains:

Techniques change, the work changes. Security threats are increasing, but so are the possibilities with AI. You have to keep up; that’s part of our profession in IT.

For this structured approach, DSW was looking for a party that looks beyond one-off training courses: a partner that helps shape content and format. Since DSW already had a successful working relationship with Betabit, it made sense to bring the request for security training there. The Learning Center works closely with DSW to meet its training needs. Charlotte says: “We’ve always had a pleasant working relationship, and in terms of culture and expertise it’s simply a good match.”

Training that evolves with DSW

What started as a series of OWASP training sessions grew into the much-requested Security Fundamentals training: a solid foundation on which DSW and Betabit continue to build together. Participants learn to look through the eyes of a hacker and use realistic examples to try cracking a vulnerable website themselves. What stuck with Charlotte most was the hands-on approach of the training:

Being able to see on a site with real examples how you can hack, that was an eye-opener for me.

The Security Deep Dive training builds on this, but starting from the code itself. This matches what DSW’s developers need in practice: how do you get your code in order, and how do you recognize vulnerabilities?

From Copilot to building with AI

In 2025, DSW adopted GitHub Copilot as part of its existing Microsoft ecosystem: “It simply seemed very logical to choose this ecosystem, and it also scored well in the Gartner quadrant.”

The training is well regarded within DSW, and its impact extends beyond the training room. It led to an internal Copilot guild: a group of front-runners who actively experiment with AI-assisted development and share what they learn with the rest of the organization in regular sessions. Charlotte explains:

You have a number of front-runners who really enjoy experimenting with it and talking about it. We set up a guild for that, and the guild also regularly runs knowledge-sharing sessions.

Charlotte wants to strengthen DSW’s existing AI initiatives with more specific knowledge, and brought that request to Betabit. The Building Custom AI and Intelligent Apps training was the next step: here, developers learn to build AI functionality themselves with Azure AI.

From knowledge to impact

For Charlotte, the most important benefit lies in the further development of the organization: employees broaden their skills and become more security-aware. Especially when the threshold to get started with a new subject is still high, an expert who makes complex material clear and accessible can make all the difference:

Simply practical tools to get started. Then it’s great when an expert explains it well with practical examples and case studies, and that’s what Betabit does.

Charlotte also sees a personal benefit: it makes her genuinely happy to see her people keep growing in their profession.

Charlotte looks back on the long-standing collaboration with great appreciation. What stands out most is the in-depth security expertise and the quality of the training. In her own words: “The right depth, the right amount, and feedback is really listened to, so that what’s learned is actually applied.”

Building for the future

In the coming years, AI and security will remain the two key themes in knowledge development at DSW. On the security side, the focus is mainly on going deeper: new perspectives and a sharper awareness of the risks. On the AI side, DSW has since moved into a new phase. In the early phase, the training helped get more and more employees started. Today, DSW applies AI carefully and responsibly in its software development processes. In this next phase, DSW is also keen to keep building together with Betabit. Charlotte:

It’s a valuable collaboration in which feedback is really listened to. The trainers are professional and the content is strong; that’s a great combination.