Why I felt security and workplace support could be (even) better….

The other day, someone asked me how Secure At Work came to be. An excellent question, but it also made me realize that I had never put this story on paper before. So here it is: It all started with something I noticed when large, often expensive consulting organizations were brought in for IT projects. Let me be clear right away: they definitely have a lot of knowledge and experience, but I noticed something else. Something that might be recognizable…

Maintaining consistent quality is a challenge

In practice, I often see that large consulting organizations send multiple specialists, sometimes not at the same time, they also alternate. This has a disadvantage, because the final results then depend on the specific consultant at the table. In other words, one person takes one approach, while another takes a different direction. Both can be good advice, but the output differs. This leads to a lot of internal coordination, leaving little time to build solutions that are reusable for other organizations.

Quality at the front, noise at the back

During the pre-sales phase of IT projects, experienced top-notch consultants are often employed to lay out a solid strategy and create a workable design. This is understandable and not a problem in itself. What I notice, however, is that noise occurs “on the back end,” when everything is actually executed and implemented.

Frankly, executing high-quality projects is challenging because IT specialists with years of experience are not available everywhere. The IT labor market is tight, which unfortunately leads to too many “yeses” to client requests that may deviate from the original design. Inexperienced consultants, no matter how hardworking, thereby create an increasingly complex environment by responding positively to everything.

That’s why I felt it had to be different

My view is that no organization should depend on one person performing tasks. However, I do believe that applying proven Microsoft best practices is better than reinventing the wheel over and over again – after all, they were developed for a reason. Moreover, the more you apply standardization and automation, the better you are able to let other organizations benefit (the degree of stackability).

Therefore, in collaboration with numerous IT specialists in the field, I have developed a platform that allows us to implement changes consistently and in a controlled way at all our clients through automated tools. Personal opinions of individuals have thereby been transformed into proven successes in practice. With our solutions, we serve both MSP/CSP parties and direct end customers to serve everyone in the field of (cyber) security and job satisfaction.

My final conclusion

Secure at Work is there to take care of the basics around security and workplaces. And if you outsource that to us then consultants can directly add value and extra quality to customers’ business. To each his own profession and undoubtedly we can learn from each other and strengthen each other.

Can we help you in the area of security and workplace support?

If so, please feel free to contact me.

Kenneth van Surksum – Owner of Secure At Work & MVP