For over ten years now, Nathan (34) has been responsible for the IT infrastructure at Printforce. What started as a technical challenge became his personal mission: to make sure everything behind the scenes runs stably, securely and is future-proof.
His love of technology started early. Fire, wheels, electricity – as a little boy, Nathan wanted to understand exactly how things worked. That curiosity grew into a lifelong fascination with inventions and innovation.
“Now you see what modern tech can do… amazing. And when you get to play a role in that yourself, to leave a company better than it was when you arrived – then you are in the right place.”
That fascination brought him to study computer science in Rotterdam and Leiden. He started out modestly, doing office IT. “After that, I basically did everything you can do in IT,” he laughs. “System administration, pen testing, consultancy, development… from small businesses with two staff to big players in the Port of Rotterdam. Those years gave me a wealth of experience.”
After all that variety, something started to itch. He longed for more focus, more depth.
“I wanted to build something within one organisation, really go deep.” He found that at Printforce.
At the time, the company was still based in Alphen aan den Rijn, but soon moved to Culemborg. A golden opportunity, according to Nathan.
“We could start from scratch and make the IT infrastructure future-proof from the ground up. Everything that had gotten cluttered or inefficient over the years, we could now approach smartly.”
The move marked the start of a stable and scalable IT environment. “Fibre optics, a strong network, a secure infrastructure…” Nathan lists. “It may not sound exciting, but it is essential. Our printers handle huge volumes of data, and it has to be fast and reliable. We operate 24/7 – if the system goes down, it costs money immediately.”
Cybersecurity also gets full attention. “And we are currently working towards ISO 27001 certification. That shows we have our processes in order: everything is documented, risks are manageable. Not just because we have to, but because our clients need to be able to trust us.”
For Nathan, IT is not a support department but a strategic hub. “At Printforce, we invest heavily in innovation. New machines, smart and user-friendly software, automation – we are always moving forward. It is no coincidence that we are one of the largest print companies in Europe. You only achieve that if you take IT seriously.”
Today, the IT team makes up about ten percent of the total workforce. A strong team, Nathan emphasises, full of knowledge and motivation – and also fun.
“We built that together. Yes, I am really proud of that.”
What motivates him every day? “The feeling that we are really building something together. Books, textbooks – we deliver something that people actually use to learn and grow. And when a new machine arrives, a major upgrade or an innovative project comes up, my heart starts beating faster. Then I am reminded why I love this field so much. Believe me, if you like to innovate and are not afraid to share ideas, this is the place for you. You get the chance to improve things, to think ahead. That is worth its weight in gold.”
