Hi Folks,
Veeam VMCA courses will start soon from what I hear and there will be some updates coming soon. We obviously want to work closely with the Veeam official trainers so content has been less than what is planned in the future.
For the time being let’s go back to meeting our famous Veeam Architects.
Jochen Meixner is another one of the top notch professionals using Veeam software and he is our focus in the latest episode of Meet the Architects!
Geoff: Hi Jochen! when did you start working with Data Protection and then when did you start working with Veeam software?
JOCHEN:
I started working with data backup in 2003. After a short time as an implementer, I was sent to IBM TSM Support for Germany and Central and Eastern Europe, where I was able to gain in-depth knowledge of the product. After some time, I was able to move internally to the so-called Solution Support, a special team that took care of difficult support cases involving several products and product groups.
After my time in support, I worked as a consultant for TSM and storage products for IBM and two consulting firms in Germany, and in this role I was able to deepen my knowledge of data backup and storage in many customer projects and put it to the test in practice.
I have been working with Veeam since 2016. Backing up virtual machines was becoming increasingly important for my customers and at the time I was working for a smaller consulting firm that was independent of the manufacturer. This allowed me to choose the best solution for my customers and I decided on Veeam. Veeam has now formed the main part of my work for several years.
Geoff: You probably work with many people who have only recently started their careers, I am wondering if the fact that they have grown up with very sophisticated computer hardware makes them take for granted what I call the "wow" moment that people like us felt when started using computers?
JOCHEN: I am currently supervising several trainees. I have been surprised for a few years now that young people seem to lack curiosity about how the devices and processes work. Technology has probably become so normal that it is no longer exciting to see how it works - perhaps similar to cars, where nowadays you no longer know in detail how the engine works and how to repair it. So young people no longer seem to have that wow effect that we had. They probably get that from other things.
Geoff: In relation to that question do you still feel the fun aspects of computing like when you started? I only ask that because I have heard that some people get weighed down by routine and lose the thrill of IT.
JOCHEN: I personally still really enjoy my work and I still work with computers in my private life. Like most people in IT, I am the family admin and take care of problems, new purchases, repairs and the like. I also always throw myself enthusiastically into new areas of IT - especially automation with Ansible and Terraform, but also AI and quantum computing.
Geoff: Now lets turn our attention to the Veeam Communities. You are one of the few people to have been both a Legend and then a Vanguard. What does Community mean to you? How hard is it to keep up with communities? Often I hear people saying that their daily jobs drain all of their energy and there is none left for any communities.
JOCHEN:
I have always believed that collaboration is valuable. For this reason, I have also participated in internal communities before.
I discovered the Veeam Community in its early stages in 2020 and thought that it was a great thing and precisely because it was just emerging, I was able to have a little influence on the community.
At that point, it was not at all clear - at least not to me - that working in this community could lead to a program like Veeam Legends. When this became clear, I did not believe that I could become a member of this program.
My surprise and joy were all the greater when I was part of the first group of Legends.
Over time, I have made some good friends in the Veeam Community with whom I regularly exchange ideas about professional topics, but also about private topics. I even meet up with some of them who live here in the middle of Europe sometimes. The community has had a very positive influence on the development of my Veeam skills. Questions can usually be answered very quickly here and I can also discuss architecture topics with other experts. The community also offers opportunities to develop further, such as courses, meetings, Veeam user groups (OK, the user groups are not an exclusive community topic, but they become much more visible and approachable through the community).
For me, the community is an all-round benefit.
On the question of time... Yes, that is often difficult. Our job already takes up a lot of time and the time I invest in the community is on top of that. But I think the time is well invested because I get a lot of positive feedback. And there is no obligation; if I have less time in a period due to a customer project or private matters, then I just do a little less in the community. That is also a big advantage.
Geoff: Thanks so much Jochen, once again a Veeam community star who has a great story and some great advice.
