We are talking to Rob Wolleswinkel, IT Manager at Enable U.
It is very varied! I am involved in a wide range of activities, but they all have one thing in common: making sure Enable U colleagues have the information and IT resources they need to do their jobs. That includes everything from laptops, phones, user accounts, and printers to—quite literally—anything with a cable attached to it. Even the fridge 😉. Because of that, I work with people across the entire organization, from consultants to HR, Sales, Marketing, and Finance. That is one of the things I enjoy most about the role. We have outsourced our office automation, but I act as the link between the organization and our IT partner. I monitor incoming tickets, keep an eye on volumes, and make sure issues are handled properly. And I am involved in both the onboarding and offboarding process, ensuring that new colleagues have their laptops, phones, and user accounts ready to go from day one.
I am also closely involved in everything related to security and our ISO and SOC 2 certifications, working together with our Security Officer. I also evaluate software solutions for internal use. I assess them based on the criteria we have defined, such as on-premises versus fully SaaS deployment, where data is stored, user roles and permissions, licensing costs, and other relevant considerations.
I joined Enable U in April 2021, just over six years ago now. I started in Managed Services, but from day one I also took on a significant part of our security activities, as security is a key priority for an organization like Enable U. At my initiative, we appointed a dedicated Security Officer, with whom I now work closely. Over the years, I have held several different roles within the company. For example, I have managed both the Infrastructure team and the Customer Support team.
For the past year and a half, I have been the IT Manager for Enable U. It is a role that offers plenty of variety and challenges, and that is exactly what I enjoy most.
I started my career in IT after completing my military service, in the early 1980s. I didn’t have a formal IT education at the time, it was very much a case of learning on the job, supplemented with training courses. My first role was with a Swiss air freight forwarding company, where I worked as an IT Manager for 16 years, based at Schiphol Airport. After that, I joined Deloitte as a consultant before becoming a project manager within Deloitte’s Cyber Center, focusing on internal IT projects. Over the years, I have also worked on automating manufacturing processes, supported medical IT in a hospital, and worked for FIAT Netherlands Automation. Back then, everything was on-premises, with large centralized data centers.
Because of this varied career, I know a lot about a wide range of things. I would not call myself a specialist, though. My strength lies in organizing, coordinating, and facilitating, and that is exactly where I am at my best.
I love the variety! My work touches every part of the business, which means I get to work with colleagues across the entire organization. My scope is incredibly broad, I am involved in virtually every aspect of the company.
Throughout my career, I have continuously invested in learning. Through self-study, classroom courses, and instructor-led training. And I still do whenever it is relevant and adds value. For example, I recently completed training on business processes. A great deal of my knowledge also comes from hands-on experience. I continuously build my expertise in relevant Microsoft technologies so that I am always a competent point of contact for our office automation provider and ensure we are not completely dependent on them.
Looking back on more than 40 years in IT, I can honestly say I have built up a wealth of experience. It has given me a broad perspective that serves me well, because in my role I need to understand a little bit about a lot of different things. At the same time, I have noticed that people have become much more impatient because of all the technological possibilities available today. They expect immediate solutions to almost everything and quickly become frustrated when something does not work right away. Manuals are hardly ever read anymore, after all, you can just ask AI or look it up on YouTube.
As a warm and welcoming company with a strong social heart. That is one of the main reasons I chose to join the company six years ago. Another reason is that we serve a market with significant societal impact. We play a vital role in supporting many government organizations, providing essential solutions that help them deliver their services. I am proud to be part of that, and I believe it is something we as an organization can all be proud of.
I am the proud grandfather of two grandchildren: a seven-year-old granddaughter and a grandson who is just over one year old. I was born in Amsterdam and grew up in Amstelveen, where I lived for 38 years and where our two sons were born. Today, I live in Uitgeest with my wife, Kirsten, and our cat.
Although I do not play an instrument myself, music has always been a big part of my life. I am passionate about vinyl records and have built up quite an extensive and varied collection over the years. I also love diversity when it comes to music, I enjoy a wide variety of genres. You will also often find me with my nose in a book, I enjoy reading a lot.
Above all, keep using your common sense in everything you do. On the one hand, to think about what you would do yourself to solve something. And on the other, to remain kind and understanding toward each other. That is something I would like to pass on not only to my Enable U colleagues, but to everyone.
