Optimal Direction in a safe and modern workplace: meet Joost Gelijsteen
More and more organizations are investing in secure modern workplaces, and at the same time Microsoft is rapidly introducing new features that companies are eager to take advantage of. That sounds positive, but it also makes it harder to determine what is needed and, more importantly, when.
Secure at Work responds to this with its high-quality products and services. Because of that fact, we are proud that the, in this field, very experienced Joost Gelijsteen will be part of our management team from January 2026.
Meet Joost Gelijsteen
Anyone who meets Joost immediately notices that he is someone with a lot of energy and perseverance. For example, he decided to cycle up Mont Ventoux three times in one day. “I like taking on challenges, persevering and not giving up where others stop,” is how he describes himself. That mentality is directly reflected in his work. When a complex workplace gets stuck, an environment turns out to be imperceptibly unsafe or users can’t keep working, that’s exactly the moment when he comes up to full speed and doesn’t stop until the challenge has been overcome.
With more than 25 years of experience, > 150,000 workplace setups across multiple industries and his status as a Microsoft MVP, Secure at Work brings in someone who not only has a lot of knowledge. He understands where technology is moving and translates that into meaning for end users. As MVP, he is also close to the source: he gets early insight into new Microsoft developments, knows the vision behind choices and sees what impact they can have on organizations. His strength is that he translates these insights into concrete, actionable steps for both end customers and Managed Service Providers (MSPs).
Why is workplace direction becoming increasingly important?
We put this question to Joost. He replied, “Fortunately, companies are investing more and more in IT security and see the value of a well-equipped modern workplace. At the same time, innovations within Microsoft 365 follow each other in rapid succession. A recognizable example is that CoPilot was ‘suddenly’ there for employees.” You may recognize this as a reader: you feel overwhelmed by technology because you initially feel like you are being distracted.
Joost continues: “Not every functionality you want to deploy widely right away; sometimes you want to test, learn, adjust first. The same goes for automatic updates. Are employees in organizations always ready for that? So it’s not about braking, but about timing, dosing, directing and making conscious choices.
How Joost adds value in practice
Joost likes to tackle problems that affect users on a daily basis. Think new employees who have to wait a long time before their online workspace is set up, software that reacts unpredictably, or devices that issue security notifications that no one understands. He steps in, brings order, automates where possible, and ultimately makes sure users barely notice how much technology is underneath.
He explains: “Having a modern secure workplace also plays a crucial role in audits and compliance processes. I therefore work with CISOs, for example, to make the translation between policy and technology so that workplaces pass NIS2, NEN 7510, ISO 27001 and other audits smoothly. If workstations pass with flying colors during the audit process, then my day can’t get any worse.”
The future according to Joost
Finally, we asked him about his ambition. Joost says: “The modern workplace must be a total solution, automated, scalable, secure, productive and above all pleasant to work with. Finding the balance between safety and productivity requires not only technical knowledge, experience and depth. It also requires energy and perseverance. Staying ahead in this field, for example, means being constantly willing to learn, because tomorrow may be different. I hope that thanks to my MVP role and years of experience, I can provide even more safe workplaces that are stronger, smarter and more future-proof.”
With the arrival of Joost, Secure at Work adds a highly experienced professional to its ranks. This expands the possibilities for the organization in both breadth and depth.
We can add technical elements to our product even faster with Joost, respond faster to changes, and also have more capacity which allows us to better serve our relationships.
Contact details Joost
Blog: Just about the Modern Workplace
LinkedIn: Joost Gelijsteen
