Thomas, welcome to Living Mainframe! You started with us on 1 July – what made you take this step?
Thank you, Yvonne! Living Mainframe stands for a vision that I absolutely share: ensuring the future viability of critical IT infrastructures. After more than three decades in a wide variety of IT environments, it was clear to me that here I could not only contribute my knowledge, but also actively shape what comes next.
You can look back on an impressive career. What were the most formative stages for you?
Definitely my time at IBM – I spent almost two decades there and had the opportunity to work in various roles: as a developer, architect and finally as an IT specialist for enterprise modernisation. My time at LzLabs was also particularly exciting. I did everything from technical product management and delivery management to the design and implementation of entire migrations – not only in Germany but also in international projects in the UK and Canada.
Many of your projects revolve around the migration of mainframe systems. What appeals to you about this task?
It’s about more than just technology. You have to understand the customer’s business model, identify their challenges and then develop solutions that work – during ongoing operations. Mainframe modernisation is a highly sensitive field. The moment when a system is successfully migrated is always great.
Which technologies accompany you in your everyday work?
I move between worlds: z/OS, PL/1, COBOL, CICS and DB2 on the one hand – and modern technologies such as WebSphere, PHP, Java and various databases on the other. I know these worlds from both a developer’s and an operations perspective. This broad spectrum helps me build bridges.
And what can we expect from you at Living Mainframe?
I not only bring experience to the table, but also a desire for further development – both technologically and within the team. I look forward to working with you to create solutions that really move customers forward – and to take unconventional paths to get there.
We are very pleased to have you on board at Living Mainframe, Thomas. Welcome to the team!
Thank you, Yvonne. I look forward to everything that lies ahead!
