NATOcase study

01. The context

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is a unique interparliamentary organisation: independent of the Alliance, it is the official link between NATO and the national parliaments of its 32 member countries. Its International Secretariat, based in Brussels on Place du Petit Sablon, runs a multilingual website with high institutional traffic — a diplomatic showcase and a critical communication tool.

In 2018, the NATO PA's IT Manager was looking for a Belgian web agency able to handle the website's hosting, technical support and development. ArtWhere was contacted via the contact form on its website.

02. The challenge

The NATO PA website imposes rare constraints: permanent availability, enhanced security, multilingualism (FR/EN), and a non-technical in-house team to be supported in day-to-day content management. Any service interruption has a direct diplomatic impact.

The migration to a modern CMS had to take place without any service disruption, and be quickly taken in hand by the Assembly's communication teams.

03. The solution

ArtWhere deployed a robust Drupal environment tailored to the institution's editorial needs. Beyond the technical side, the agency trained the NATO PA's communication teams to manage the CMS independently — a session held in their offices, in French, for four members of the communication department.

A support and maintenance contract ensures regular updates, functional enhancements and day-to-day technical responsiveness.

04. The collaboration timeline

August 2018

FIRST CONTACT

The NATO PA's IT Manager contacted ArtWhere via the website form. Emmanuel Nudel, CEO, replied the same day. A meeting was set for 2 September at the Assembly's offices on Place du Petit Sablon.

Autumn 2018

AUDIT & PROPOSAL

ArtWhere analysed the website's existing architecture and prepared a comprehensive offer covering hosting, Drupal development and editorial support. The contract was signed.

June 2019

CMS TRAINING FOR THE TEAMS

An ArtWhere Account Manager led a dedicated training session at the NATO PA offices. Four French-speaking members of the communication team learned to use the new CMS independently

2019 – 2022

ONGOING MAINTENANCE & ENHANCEMENTS

ArtWhere provided long-term technical follow-up: Drupal updates, new features (image crop plugin, link optimisation), coordination with the internal IT and communication teams. Every intervention follows a strict protocol: backup, content-entry freeze, deployment, green light.

Since 2022

LASTING PARTNERSHIP

A new quote was signed for additional development work. The client relationship, built on trust and responsiveness, continues with new contacts on the NATO PA side.

05. What ArtWhere delivered

Secure dedicated hosting

High-availability infrastructure suited to the requirements of an international institution.

Drupal development

Deployment and customisation of the CMS, FR/EN multilingual management, custom modules.

CMS training

In-person session for the communication teams, in French, at the NATO PA offices.

Evolutive maintenance

Regular updates, fixes, optimisations and continuous functional enhancements.

Responsive technical support

Dedicated contact, rigorous backup protocols, zero unplanned interruptions.

Custom enhancements

Development of new features (statistical tables, image plugins) as needed.

06. Enhanced security

Heightened vigilance since February 2022

The outbreak of the war in Ukraine profoundly changed the cybersecurity landscape for institutions linked to the Atlantic Alliance. For a website as exposed as the NATO PA's, ArtWhere strengthened its technical set-up with particular attention and concrete measures.

Full redundancy

Multi-server architecture with real-time replication. If a node fails, failover is automatic and transparent to visitors

Strengthened backups

Encrypted daily backups, stored on geographically separate infrastructures. Extended retention and regularly tested restore procedures.

24/7 monitoring

Continuous monitoring of indicators of compromise, real-time alerts, and incident response protocols that can be activated immediately

Priority critical updates

Drupal and system security patches are applied as an absolute priority, outside the regular maintenance cycle, as soon as they are released

Perimeter protection

Web application firewall (WAF), DDoS filtering and intrusion detection rules adapted to the specific risk profile of an Alliance institution

Strictly controlled access

Access policy for server environments reviewed and hardened: multi-factor authentication, exhaustive logging, segregation of rights.

Geopolitical context. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, institutions close to NATO have faced increased exposure to cyberattacks. ArtWhere treated this change of context as an operational priority, in close consultation with the NATO PA's IT teams, to guarantee the continuity and integrity of the website without exception.