Our CTO introduces himself
My name is Mischa Villiger. I have been CTO at ITpoint since 2017, but I’ve been working for the company for much longer—so long, in fact, that my two children, both nearly grown, were born during my time at ITpoint. I enjoy the day-to-day challenges of the dynamic IT industry, where a company like ours has to continually adapt to meet the needs of its customers. It’s not always easy, but it’s exciting. Even before I became CTO, I was able to influence the development of the ITpoint service crew and help shape our service and technology portfolio.
As CTO, I am responsible for the development of our technology and service portfolio. This portfolio needs to support our strategy, create added value for our clients and meet the demands of the market. I am also responsible for solution design. I work closely with my team and our account representatives to create solutions that not only meet our clients’ technological and operational requirements but are also cost-efficient and functional.
One of the greatest challenges of portfolio and solution architectures is the variety of ways in which technology and service elements can be combined. All roads lead to Rome, but there are dirt paths, rails and highways. Trying to rely on old, proven patterns is not always the right approach and can leave little room for innovation. The keyword ‘innovation’ presents another challenge: how can we distinguish short-term hypes from real market trends? Chasing mayflies usually leads to unnecessary costs and frustration.
So, in a nutshell, my job is about gradually working towards long-term targets. Our work is most valuable when we’re able to work closely with (potential) clients and inspire each other (as opposed to receiving a request typed into a form). The more interaction we have with clients, the more suitable our portfolio and architectures will be—and the better the end result. I look forward to getting to know many more clients in the future!