Colleague in the spotlight: Nikolai Vervoort, Remote system engineer

Ethical hacking

Where did your passion for IT originate Nikolai? "In higher education, I studied ICT at Thomas More college in Geel. But my passion for IT was born in my teenage years. In my free time I was always working with computers which made me the technician in the family. Friends and family often came to me with their defective computers and I would fix them.

Furthermore, I developed an interest in 'ethical hacking', which is probably where the first building blocks for my interest in cybersecurity lie. Ethical hacking is the testing of security systems and networks in a positive way. In this way, weaknesses in security are exposed, making it harder for hackers to crack the system later on. In my teenage years, technology was not yet so advanced. It was then mainly about cracking WIFI, for example."

A career within VanRoey.be

How did you end up working at VanRoey.be? "After taking my last summer vacation completely, my search for a first work experience could begin. A good friend of mine had done an internship at VanRoey.be and was very satisfied with the company. Coincidentally, around that time I received an e-mail from VanRoey.be to come for an introductory interview. I didn't hesitate any longer and made an appointment. The interview went smoothly and that is how my career at VanRoey.be started.

First I worked in the technical department where I mainly repaired smartphones and laptops of private persons. After about two years, I got the opportunity to advance as a Remote System Engineer. That was more the direction I wanted to go, so I don't have to tell you how happy I was with this opportunity."

A typical workday

An average workday, what does it look like for you? "Every morning tickets come in from customers. These are minor or major problems for which they rely on our support. There is a contract with each customer to determine how quickly we need to take these tickets. The tasks are divided into three categories, based on the experience of employees:

• First line: Employees with less experience - they handle problems related to user workstations and other tasks that require basic knowledge.
• Second line: staff with average experience - they handle deeper problems related to the modifications to servers or the network.
• Third line: staff with a lot of experience - they handle complex problems that require specialization."

What do you like so much about this job? "Something I perhaps had less of in my previous job - the variety - every day I have something different to do. In addition, the customer contact is a real added value for me."

VanRoey.be as an ideal employer

How do you experience VanRoey.be as an employer? "At VanRoey.be you will find yourself in a fun, young and dynamic team. The fact that we are all in the same age category and share the same interests makes me feel really comfortable at VanRoey.be. I can say that we at VanRoey.be are one big family where we always show the best of ourselves.

VanRoey.be is a social company where a nice atmosphere but they are also open to change. If we can suggest an improvement in the way they work, they will almost always implement it. So the voice of the employees is listened to and that gives a very nice feeling."

Do you see yourself working in the close-knit team at Nikolai? Then take a look at the vacancies or apply spontaneously here.