ABOUT
When I was about 6 years old, I got my first PC, the Atari 600. It was an incredible machine to play games but also to create your own programs thanks to the built-in Basic interpreter. It did not take long for me to have my first "Hello World !" text on screen, printed in a loop of course.
So I became fascinated about computers and I probably bought the complete Atari line. Still remembering the demo-days we had in a computer store. I was showing the audience Calamus which was a vector oriented Desktop Publishing program. Calamus was far ahead of any other software on IBM compatibles ( Printmaster, Word Perfect, etc ). The crowd was always around me and my Atari that time, and the IBM colleagues showing their stuff without interested audience, watched the scene with envy...
My professional career started as a service desk engineer at BF Goodrich. After a couple of years, my role changed into a team leading function. It was my first job in the professional world.
When I moved to the infrastructure world of IBM, I became responsible for their internal datacenters in the Benelux. It was a challenging project to move over from Windows NT 4 towards OS/2 during the Cimad acquisition. On another project I worked with my French IBM colleagues in Nice to develop a Linux e-business client. I will never forget working on this in their research center in La Gaude.
The word 'Cisco' remained unknown to me until I joined Deloitte. I discovered switches, routers, firewalls and how they work together called a network. With the help of a small team of network engineers I managed the EMEA networks, datacenters and customer connections.
After a couple of years, I joined Getronics to manage their internal IT infrastructure.The IT environment was about 5 times as big as Deloitte’s. We also supported video and voip solutions, installed call centers in Hungary and Malaysia and moved over the infrastructure to KPN.
Loaded with extra 10 years of experience and a number of Cisco and ITIL certifications, I joined Greif. They challenged me and made me responsible for the implementation and management of their biggest infrastructure project: Adaptation, transformation and migration of the existing and new infrastructure environments of every important factory according to global infrastructure standards. It starts with he cabling and ends with the installation of a VDI system.I supervised a team of internals and externals, to drive the complete roll-out of this infrastructure project for about 90 plants in EMEA and APAC, at a rate of about 12 large plants a year.This was not only the technical side but involved also people management, budget (control), costs, invoicing.
"Halfway of my career, I feel I need to do more... put more energy in my work and just do the things that I am good at.
In order to accomplish this goal I founded "Intram Services". This allows me to work on more exciting projects around the world."
My first assignment in the new role was at KBC. The SIEM project team needed somebody the help with the analysis, development and integration of several security use cases. No typical operations role this time ; but rather discuss the functional requirements with the business, streamline processes and manage the development phase with the help of technical SIEM specialists. In only one year, I got involved in more technologies than in my entire career !
When the project at the bank was finished, I immediately switched over to SD Worx to help with the IT infrastructure integration of approx. 20 offices in different countries. This time no big factories but smaller offices. Nevertheless they required a very robust and reliable IT environment based on an enormous amount of IT services SD Worx offers to their customers.
While transforming and outsourcing IT infrastructure services, Sibelco is focussing more on investigating state of the art IT Infrastructure setups to help managing their expanding mining and recycling business. So I was asked to assist them in researching and designing new IT Infrastructure solutions and technologies. Cloud services are very important for Sibelco, so that is the main area I am involved in.