Laatste update:
In ICT almost everything revolves around logic. The fact that Gert Laureys decided to enter the ICT world after studying psychology seems anything but logical at first. Once in that fascinating world, it is, in retrospect, quite a logical story that Gert recently joined Resilient Security as a Senior Security Consultant. He started that story some twenty years ago as a first-line Support Engineer at a bank.
Interested in processes
“I did that for a few years, after which I was hired as an Infrastructure Engineer at another company. That position included activities such as server management, network management and support,” says the 41-year-old outdoor enthusiast. “Because of my interest in efficiency and processes, I was promoted to Team Lead. This position included planning and managing budgets and, of course, leadership. At that organization, we set up a new ticketing system, among other things.”
Logical step
After this, Gert moved to another company to lead the Digital Workspace team. His story as an internal employee ends with his last position as Manager IT for a technology company active in IoT-solutions. Gert: “We had about 300 employees worldwide and I was in charge of the Internal IT team. Considering the very different positions I had held before, this was a logical step for me with responsibility for a broad IT spectrum.”
Eroded position
Gert ended up staying here for only a year, and there was a clear reason for that. “I need constant challenge and although I certainly had that in this position, I was given more and more work to do that I had not chosen for due to the departure of several colleagues. As a result, my position got seriously eroded. I then asked myself what exactly I still wanted. The term consultant came to mind. In the past you could do most work with internal resources, but nowadays with the increased complexity of the ICT landscape that’s no longer tenable. You need external expertise to guide you. I want to use my past experiences to be that guide.”
Billion dollar industry
“This increased complexity certainly also plays a role in the field of cyber security. That really appeals to me, especially if I can play a role in it as an external consultant. What further appeals to me as an eternal student, so to speak, at Resilient Security is the opportunity for continuous learning. In this profession, if you don’t take a course for a year or two, you’re already way behind. Hacking, however unpleasant it may be for clients, has grown into a billion-dollar industry and we all know how shrewd all these hackers are. So you can’t slacken for a moment and you have to be constantly alert, also, and especially, for your customers.”
Integral approach
“What particularly drew me to Resilient Security is the fact that they do not limit their services to either cutting-edge technology or advice, but choose an integral approach to security by increasing the level of maturity of organizations with both. With my background at the customer’s side, these are crucial differences with other security providers that I really appreciate. On top of that, my new colleagues are very accessible and fun to work with.”
