From Doetinchem to Arnhem: three new faces have their say

How do Bert, Glenn and Jeff look back on their first weeks at IT Local?

Since taking over Infotune ICT at the end of April, our new colleagues from Doetinchem have been on board for a while. High time, therefore, to get acquainted! We spoke to three of them: IT manager Bert and engineers Glenn and Jeff. How did they experience the switch? And to what extent has their work changed?

Take us through when you heard the news, how did that fall?

Bert: "For me it was a... um I don't want to say a bolt from the blue, but a message from which I thought, ooh, what's going to happen now? In the beginning it felt a bit like being fired and hired somewhere where you don't know whether they have a vacancy, whether they need someone and whether you can go there. But I also immediately saw benefits and understood the choice of the takeover." Jeff: "The takeover had of course been thought through, we did look at how both companies work, the corporate culture and whether it was a match. But also for me it was from nowhere and I didn't know IT Local."

Glenn was similarly surprised by the news and IT Local was also unknown to him: "And that while I, nota bene, live five minutes away from the Arnhem office. I wondered: will I still have a job soon? In principle, of course, but what if it doesn't fit or doesn't click?"

"It felt like being fired and hired right back at a company you don't really know," says Bert.

Did emails, FAQs and Remko's visit help to soften the message?

Bert: "Remko arrived I think an hour after the announcement, so we hadn't had time to let it sink in yet. But his story felt right to me." Glenn: "What I found difficult is that he indicated: just find a place that seems fine to you, go and explore. But... how should I feel, how should I find out if I don't know the company at all yet? When you apply for a job yourself, you have more of an idea of that."

That picture slowly became clear?

Glenn: "When Jappe came along with more information, things became clearer for me and I really felt there was a place for me." Bert: "As time went on, I got a better and better picture of IT Local, what was going to happen and when we would transition. After the news of the acquisition, the first thing I did was text the home front. And then quickly listed the pros and cons for myself. On the website, I looked at what IT Local is for a company, what the company structure is like and what it offers in terms of support and services. On the website, I immediately came across interesting webinars on topics I wanted to know more about. About AI, for example, which I attended immediately." Jeff: "What helped me to form a better picture was visiting the office and talking to the people there. That happened pretty quickly when we joined the engineers' meeting."

"Starting immediately the following Monday in Arnhem... fine!"

Bert: "By the way, what I liked during the employment interview was that Remko suggested starting in Arnhem the following Monday. Fine, because then you quickly pick up the working methods. Everyone liked this. Because otherwise we in Doetinchem would just think: what are we still doing here?"

About that first office visit: what struck you when you came in here?

Glenn: "Office plants, we didn't have them."

For the oxygen, which don't do much ...

"Oh, ha ha... no, I hadn't noticed it was artificial plants..."

Any other things that stood out?

Bert: "I think the nice atmosphere, relaxed. And an open-plan office. Is noisy anyway, but it's a long garden, so if you sit at the back with Management it's not too bad." Jeff: "The open space and atmosphere also struck me immediately. You can easily walk up to colleagues. On the other hand, it is noisy with phone calls or when having an online meeting, in which case it is better to book a room. And where we used to have a fixed workplace, we now have flexiplaces, which takes some getting used to."

Your role is changing. Whereas before you took on almost everything, you are going to focus more on your engineering or management role. How do you like that?

Jeff: "We are slowly moving towards that. Because all kinds of things are still being merged, it cannot be done from day one. For example, colleagues from other departments need to have access to systems and information to be able to take over something. However, things are moving more and more in that direction, so gradually I can start transferring tasks and focus more on engineering work."

"This new role I have been asking for for years"

What is this change of role like for you Glenn?

"This new role with more focus on the actual work, I have been asking for that for years. Those extra hands didn't come and are there now. But right now, it's not very noticeable. I am now mainly involved in converting systems from acquisition and that takes a lot of time."

That Glenn did not say a word too much about this, he shows in practice by working on a live conversion during the interview - busily typing on his laptop. This also has to do with his holiday, which is about to start. Glenn: "It was planned before the takeover news, just like my holiday recently. That doesn't help to change things quickly, of course. Besides those conversions, I am busy with the delusion of Infotune. That will change as the Service Desk takes our calls and picks up tickets. And it will dry up when the migrations are done."

"We have almost had the biggest hassle in terms of migrations that really need to happen"

So that could just be different after your holidays?

Glenn: "Yes, I hope so. The biggest hassle in terms of migrations that really have to happen before you can hand things over, if all goes well, we have almost had it. The passwords have been changed and I am currently working on making all the workstations available for the Service Desk. Then the staff can work independently with our customers. And then I can start working on new engineering projects."

Bert, what about your new role as IT administrator?

"Because we still have to support our current customers, I am busy with that full-time. Of course, there are already meetings with the Management Team and I sit in that department. That way, I do catch how things are going to be later, but I don't know details for myself yet. What I hope for is more depth, and I definitely see that opportunity: at Infotune we did everything, but part of everything. Intune and Defender, for example, we only set up to the basics, that's much more advanced here. In the new role, I also hope for less stress. In the past, a lot had to happen for me to get stressed, but because we have to do everything in Doetinchem and sometimes everything came at once, I actually did get stressed. It would be nice if this changes again now."

With those changes, did you need training?

Jeff: "That's definitely something to think about. After the migration." Bert: "I would like to go deeper into the Microsoft side. But now first, I want to get to know the current IT Local configurations and processes of the Management team." Glenn: "Small side step: those management processes do their job I have noticed. For instance, I had a nice toolbox from Infotune loaded into my laptop that made security go haywire. I immediately had a Management colleague on the phone via Teams."

"People really take the time for you"

How has the guidance been the first few weeks? Did you guys feel a bit welcome?

Glenn: "Yes indeed. IT Local pays a lot of attention to its employees and they take their time for you. I wasn't used to that." Jeff: "Agreed!" Bert also felt welcome: "As I said, I also see advantages. And... I received a nice bunch of flowers and a welcome home pack."

Does the switch work out well in terms of travel time?

Bert: "As a resident of Doetinchem, I do lose out. My travel time was 5 minutes and is now at least 40 minutes." Glenn: "For me it's exactly the opposite to Bert, ideal!" Jeff: "I'm travelling 10 to 15 minutes longer, bringing it to an hour. I do intend to work from home a bit more. But in the beginning, being in the office is convenient."

Are there also things you miss?

Glenn: "Yes, a roof terrace with bar and smoking den." Jeff: "No, not yet." Bert: "Wouldn't know if so, or yes... maybe: autonomy, being able to arrange things yourself, for example a licence for a customer. Now that goes through Sales and Purchasing. Glenn: "I just don't miss that, because with that I immediately lose the work and responsibility." Bert: "It will have to be seen whether that is nicer then: divesting is nice, but you might not be able to help the customer as quickly if such a process takes too long. I also see the advantage of fixed procedures on the other side."

For clients who don't yet know you: what typifies you?

Bert: "I hope the peace of mind and the experience." [Glenn and Jeff agree in word and gesture, ed.] "And I am an old school IT guy, so brought up with Novell and things like that. Now, since Corona, it's mostly cloud, so the question is how much I gain from that knowledge. Is quite a switch." Jeff: "Working in a structured way. A busy environment doesn't always help with that, then you do things halfway and I find that difficult." Glenn: "I like working on new things, figuring out and building new things. For instance, I built Infotune's RMM solution(Ninja), from scratch. IT Local works with a different solution, so now I want to take the great things from Ninja into that or find another way to keep them. Other than that, I like to sit with the customer, walk in on the boss or our regular contact to catch up."

Antenneman, gym man, bbq man

Finally, what do our clients really need to know about you?

Bert: "That I'm working behind the scenes to keep their systems running well and reliably. If they don't notice anything, it's good." Glenn: "And Bert is our antenna man." Bert: "Yes... that radio hobby... it used to be a bakkie, nowadays you have to be certified for it. Together with friends I then go out, for example to Bussloo or Stoombroek, to make contact via radio with other clubs from there. By building my own antenna. Or something else. You try that out and then see what the effect is."

Jeff: "What clients really need to know about me? Eeeeeh... yes... tricky question." Again, though, Glenn manages to provide a gossamer characterisation: "Jeff is our gym guy." Jeff: "An ict guy who plays sports, maybe special after all. What I do? I teach group XCORE and Club Power classes at a gym to groups of about 15 people on average." Glenn: "I do like travelling and then all over the world. Saturday to Chicago. And besides that, I'm a BBQ guy."

Photo above (from left to right): Glenn, Bert and Jeff