A Day With...
Dominik Vahle

A Day with...

Dominik Vahle

What is a typical working day at OPTANO like? In our series “A Day with…” we spend a day looking over the shoulders of OPTANO colleagues from various departments to see what they do.

Dominik Vahle

IT Administrator

Today we would like to introduce you to Dominik. Without him, things would come to a standstill at OPTANO. He is our fireman, technical facilitator and on occasion our “Agony Uncle” when it comes to the technical infrastructure: to be more precise – he is our IT Administrator! Enjoy “A Day with Dominik”.

 

7:15 a.m.

Early bird:
Checking the automatic status reports

It has now become something of a ritual: When the alarm clock goes off in the morning, I take a look at the automatic status reports on my smartphone. I don’t have to do this, but I feel happier knowing that everything is going to plan in the office. Unless there’s a serious problem, I can organize my day as I want thanks to OPTANO’s flexitime system. So first of all I make time for breakfast and then I usually start work between 8 and 8.30 a.m.

8:30 a.m.

Plug me in:
Getting started!

Since the outbreak of Corona, my daily work routine has changed to some extent. On some days I drive to the office, on others I work from home. But no matter where I work, I always start by switching on my computer and catching up on everything. I check my mails, our monitoring tools as well as our ticketing system. I draw up my agenda for the day based on how urgent the issues are. I have a lot of leeway in how I organize my work.

9:00 a.m.

A short meeting:
The IT Daily

We meet once a day in the IT-Daily to discuss the results of the last few days and what we have planned for the following ones. Today, our Data Protection Officer, Rafael, is with us. IT and Data Protection go hand in hand so it’s always good to know what the other is working on.

10:00 a.m.

Help is just a ticket away:
Processing tickets | Trouble-shooting

Now I’ve got time to work on all the outstanding tickets based on their priority. Although I have a focussed approach to work, I’ve made it a rule to always have a ready ear for my colleagues. I’m at hand whenever there is a problem and try to find pragmatic solutions fast. I enjoy the immediate contact to the rest of the team and I value the familial atmosphere of a small company.

12:30 p.m.

Lunchtime:
Eating together

Here at OPTANO there is no such thing as eating at your desk alone. Whether you’ve bought a take-out or brought something from home– we all eat together. Pre-Corona we would all sit in the large conference room. In the last year or so there have only been just a few of us in the office so we’ve tended to sit in cozier surroundings. This is another OPTANO tradition that I appreciate because we can all do with winding down a bit.

1:30 p.m.

Reaching for milestones:
Strategic projects

Today I have space in my calendar for strategic conceptual work. At the moment I’m working on the further development of  our Business Continuity Measures and back-up systems. I’m lucky in that I share an office with some of our developers. This means I experience first-hand where we can improve our processes to help the team directly.

4 p.m.

Field Mission:
At the service provider!

In my job I work closely together with various service providers who placed a lot of confidence in me right from the start so I can organize my work by myself and make decisions independently within an agreed framework. Today I’m off to our data center to prepare the monthly maintenance window. This is done most effectively on-site and also establishes trust on a personal level.

In a nutshell: "My Place to be"

I often find myself driving to work with a smile on my face. My tasks at OPTANO are as varied as they are interesting and challenging. OPTANO put a great deal of trust in me and my work from the very first day and that makes me feel rather proud. A high regard and recognition for the work you do are two principles that OPTANO takes seriously – they aren’t just on paper – and I admire that. I also like the close team spirit and the little rituals which have been established. I enjoy working here – it’s my place to be.
 
And if my working day sounds interesting and you think you would enjoy it as well, we just so happen to be looking for another IT-Administrator. Go to our Careers section to learn more about the job and how to apply. We look forward to your application!

More interesting articles

The process industry has highly complex workflows. OPTANO can generate solutions to the most difficult workflow problems using mathematical optimization.

Read more »

We explain how optimized deployment and route planning works and the advantages it offers.

Read more »

How can value chains be structured optimally and be ecologically sustainable? Analytics can help and even offer a competitive edge.

Read more »