Andreas, consultant

Large changes are best made one step at a time

Andreas Olsson likes to tweak and trim to get that little extra. He is happy to help customers with container solutions and automation projects, and recommends them to take one step at a time. "If you want too much at once you can get stuck."

There is a lot to be gained from the cloud, containers and automation. But it is often best to start your journey on a slightly smaller scale and take one step at a time, according to Andreas. He believes that many organisations get stuck on their way to the cloud because they want to do too much at the same time.

"In that case it is better to first create virtual servers in a cloud environment, then help the customer to analyse which parts to start moving before expanding at a reasonable pace ."

RedBridge Consultants

Specialist on the load balancer Big-IP

One of Andreas' specialties is to work with a load balancer called Big-IP. Load balancers are used to distribute and balance the traffic that enters a site with multiple servers, in order to supercharge your uptime.

"If a server goes down, traffic is sent to one of the other servers that are still up. But that's just one of the things you can do with Big IP, which is a very powerful tool," says Andreas.

"You can also use it to, for example, make upgrades of your applications in a controlled way without having to take down the service."

Tweaking and trimming

Andreas consultant colleague, Anders Nygård, certifies that Andreas is a star on Big IP.

"It is a load balancer that almost every major web site uses today and which, in the simplest case, is quite easy to use. But you can tweak and trim the tool to get a lot more out of it if you know what you are doing, and that's where Andreas really shines."

Anders has worked with Andreas for a long time and says:

"Andreas always listens to the customer and tries to find a solution that translates the their wishes into a technical solution. He has the patience to listen until he understands, no matter how tech savvy the customer is. He is also a person who always makes sure things get done."

Reality - a good school

Those who encounter Andreas on a regular working day often believe that he has attended a technical university, but he hasn't. On the other hand, he has attended courses in, for example, Linux and Windows, and considers breadth of knowledge as his greatest strength.

"I am a so-called “trial-and-error person”, he says himself. I started at an early age and sat and played with the computer in my room. Simply put, I am self-taught and have learned from reality."

To him it has been an advantage.

"After all, I have encountered the problems in reality. Someone who has only read about them in books does not know exactly how it works in practice."

Saw RedBridge as masters

Eight years ago when he came to RedBridge it was through the referral of a friend. He submitted his resume and became very flattered when he was finally offered a job.

"I really saw RedBridge as a champion on Linux and I wasn't sure I was in the same league as those who worked here."

But when he started working, he realised that the atmosphere was generous and that his colleagues wanted to share what they knew. It was easy to enter and access to all the gathered knowledge. Since joining, Andreas has learned more about container technology and has been able to translate his knowledge into practice, helping customers.

"That's how I've come to the conclusion that many people want to do too much at once. When expanding in new areas, it's always best to start small and then expand."

The good atmosphere at work is one of the things he likes best about being at RedBridge. That, and the new challenges and problems that are constantly emerging to be solved.

Do you want to ask Andreas something? Write your question here.