What do you do at Cheops?
I'm a System Administrator and am currently employed as a consultant at Mazda, one of our customers, where I'm responsible for the entire communication system. This means that I'm the main contact for MS Teams and that I manage all the European contact centres, i.e. the customer relations centres and dealer centres. I’m currently overseeing a major cloud migration project for the contact centres, which involves a lot of coordination with external partners. In my job, I'm able to do hybrid work. This means that I work on site, at the customer's office, for two days a week, and from home for the remaining three days.
What are the qualities you need in your job?
You need good basic knowledge for this job. After training to become a network engineer, I also followed lots of additional training. You need a good working knowledge of the Cloud, too. In the past, almost everything was done locally, but these days everything happens in the Cloud. Microsoft is a key player in this process. A solid understanding of networks is also important because we work with various data centres and you need to know the routes. Finally, being a good communicator is crucial: you must be able to convey what you are doing in such a way that everyone can understand it.
How did you find out about Cheops?
One of my former colleagues worked at Cheops and he recommended the company. I’d heard of them, but I wasn't sure exactly what they did. I decided to apply for a job, and the whole application process was very quick and smooth. I must have made a good impression during the interviews! I joined Cheops three years ago and I'm still very happy that I made this move.
Why did you choose Cheops?
Cheops is the kind of company that showers its employees with attention and appreciation. You have so many opportunities to learn and grow here. I’ve already obtained 7 certifications since I started working for the company. The job comes with several nice perks, too: I have a great company car and a fuel card. Cheops also ensures that you have good connections with your colleagues and with the company, by organising monthly events, teambuilding activities, and so on. As a consultant, having and maintaining close ties with your colleagues and meeting up regularly is very important: not only because it’s always good to exchange ideas, but also because the many events are a lot of fun!
What are your ambitions?
I was recently promoted from Senior Support Engineer to the position of System Administrator. This was one of my ambitions, so I have already achieved this. IT is a constantly changing business, and you need to keep up with all the latest changes. It’s vital that you continue to learn. I definitely want to learn more about the Cloud and get certification from Amazon, who are still the most important player when it comes to the Cloud.
What does "Captain" mean to you? // How do you help customers get ahead?
I love team sports. I spent 11 years in the US, where I played a lot of basketball. This always involves strategic thinking, because you need to keep an overview of what your team members are doing and anticipate their next moves. In a sense, you might say that I'm the captain of the Cloud migration project, as I keep an overview and ensure that everything happens as it should. Thanks to my work, and because I always search for the best solution for them, my customers can keep up with the latest technology. So I make sure that they don’t have to do this themselves but that they are always up to speed.
