‘Smooth. Digital. Introduction. Teams. Remote working. These five key words characterise my first few months at NN. If you were to ask me to sum up my experience in a single phrase, it would be: ‘In spite of the coronavirus crisis, I got off to a great start’.

‘I was already familiar with NN because I was seconded here for just under two years in 2018. When I went to work for the government after my secondment, I was approached by my old manager at NN. She asked me whether I’d be interested in making a switch to NN. I certainly was. I knew that NN gives its employees all the space they need for personal development. And there’s even an “IT Academy”, where you can take part in all kinds of training courses. That’s how I came to start a permanent role at NN as Cyber Security Specialist at the beginning of January 2021.’

Cyber Security at NN

‘Our Information & Infrastructure Security team supports the business in the safe use of cloud and hosting services, such as AWS, Windows and Linux, which Group IT delivers to the entire company. I’m involved in advising the DevOps teams on this. I also act as a kind of channel for risk assessments, process adjustments and mitigating measures before they’re discussed with Risk Management. Our team also ensures that the business is kept updated on the cybersecurity standards that NN uses. Striking a balance between the complexity of our services and compliance with these standards is a huge challenge.’

The first few months. The onboarding.

‘It took a bit of getting used to because the coronavirus crisis meant that I was working full-time from home. But I got lots of support, including my laptop being delivered to my home. The digital onboarding was also brilliantly organised. Before I started I received an app with information about the company, which meant that I was fully prepared for my first day at work. This was followed by a digital welcome with an introduction to the company and the business unit I’m currently working in. But it also included practical tips, such as information about the intranet and the use of all facilities. The onboarding was handled really well. And an advantage for me was that I already knew lots of my colleagues of course from my secondment. I got a really warm welcome from them via Teams.’ 

Why NN?

‘Before I came to work here, I associated NN with events involving running, such as the Rotterdam Marathon and the City-Pier-City run in The Hague. And of course, I knew that it was a large insurer. But what working at NN would actually entail and what an IT assignment would involve was difficult for me to gauge at the time with my still limited IT background. Cybersecurity sounded interesting though. I thought that it was a wide-ranging assignment in which I could develop my technical skills and work on my personal development.’

‘What appeals to me about NN above all and what I want to pass on to people who are thinking of coming to work here is the freedom you have for personal development, to broaden or deepen your knowledge. And to explore other roles within this large company. This is something that NN encourages and gives you the time and resources you need. That’s important to me because I’m still young and there’s still plenty for me to learn.’