NCP Talk with Jens - Head of IT Administration

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Jens Heisterkamp, and I entered the IT industry in 2000 as a career change. In 2016, I finally found my way to NCP. During this time, the IT industry has constantly evolved, and it is always interesting to see where development leads. To balance my job, I always try to do sports, travel a lot, and get to know other cultures and people.

Many years ago we had personal computers, now we are working with ultra-thin laptops or tablets. As an IT expert – what else do you think we can expect in the future?

"It is likely that an increasing number of applications will be virtualized in the cloud, enabling people to work from any device or location. AI is also an important trend that will streamline certain tasks and create new job opportunities."

Technology is constantly evolving. How does this affect your career?

You always have to make sure that you stay up to date and keep up with the times. This also means that you have to be open to new things and decide individually whether new technologies are suitable for the company. This often takes time that isn’t always available in the office and some topics go beyond the usual working day.

You work as the Head of IT Administration at NCP. What are the main tasks and challenges in your profession?

The typical tasks include operations and maintenance, integration security, and IT security.

The specific challenges vary from one company to another. However, today, there is a clear emphasis on security. It's crucial for employees to understand why processes are being changed. It's also important to increase awareness among employees, as people often pose the greatest security risk, and everyone needs to be conscious of this. This isn't to paint people in a negative light, but rather to acknowledge that attackers are becoming more sophisticated. Non-technical employees often find it difficult to determine whether they are interacting with an attacker or not.

Often, you have to struggle with the budget at that point. Here at NCP, the company not only sells security but also embodies security. Our employees are well sensitized and prefer to ask questions twice before a security incident occurs.

You already have a lot of experience as an IT team leader. What do you think makes successful teamwork?

Personally, it is very important to me that employees fit into the team. This includes not only expertise, but also character. It’s important to encourage open discussion and train as a team. Open communication is very important in order to grow together as a team and to help each other. It is also important to always know that mistakes are human. Helpfulness in the team is therefore very important to avoid this.

On the subject of sustainability: What role does this topic play in your decisions? (e.g. when buying new hardware)

Sustainability plays a major role in infrastructure planning.  It is not just about energy consumption, but also the possibility of using the existing infrastructure in the long term. Care is also taken to ensure safety and sustainability when disposing of waste. Energy consumption is also taken into account, which is unfortunately always a major challenge in infrastructure.

Summer time = festival time. We know that you also like to go to festivals. Can you tell us about one of your favorite festivals?

It depends on the reason for going. For meeting friends the OpenBeatz Festival, which is just around the corner in Nuremberg is worth checking out. If you want to experience something extraordinary, I recommend something like the EDC in Las Vegas.

Thank you for your time and the friendly interview.