Rockstars are not always center stage. They are sometimes behind the scenes. Bringing recognition to a backstage powerhouse, Mike Wieberg takes his place in the Talent Spotlight.
Mike wears dual hats at Data Gumbo as a DevOps Engineer and IT Systems Administrator. Along with administering the cloud platform that runs Data Gumbo’s distributed ledger technology, and building and maintaining the continuous CI/CD integration and deployment pipelines, Mike is also in charge of managing all aspects of the tools at Data Gumbo, security protocols, and desktop support.
It is frequently said that Mike has a very logical mind that helps him connect the dots and see how something works. Paired with his ability to adapt and eagerness to learn new things, Mike is a force to be reckoned with.
Welcome to the Talent Spotlight, Mike!
What do you like most about working at Data Gumbo?
While our team is small, we are very dynamic and collaborative with a great culture. I really enjoy supporting my team members and helping improve our product offerings.
What I enjoy the most about my work—besides the people—is the research. There is a certain thrill to the hunt of figuring out the solution to a challenge whether that is finding the source of why something is breaking, troubleshooting bugs, or discovering the best solution for new infrastructure needs. I’m constantly learning new skills and expanding my knowledge every day.
Are you drawn to any particular phase of product life cycles more than others? And why?
I love starting a new project and really understanding customer pain points so we can make software that fixes their problem. I also find the testing phase fun because it's a true opportunity to learn so much from the results. I love it when I see the light bulb come on in someone’s head when they understand the full potential of what smart contracts can accomplish.
Do you have a favorite piece of technology that you use today?
We are using a lot of cool technology for DevOps today, and it is exciting to be building a new kind of SaaS software using the latest tools and techniques.
If I had to pick one, I’d say using Kubernetes is key to ensuring our product offering is scalable and easier to manage and maintain.
Wearing the hat of a Systems Admin, what is one piece of advice you can provide to a colleague in need of tech support?
The best advice I can provide is patience. It is easy to get flustered when something is not working right, especially when you are working within tight deadlines. By slowing down and providing a full picture of what is going on and what you were doing before the issue occurred, it will allow your IT Admin to properly analyze it and properly fix the problem vs. covering it up with a bandaid.
The ultimate question—Mac or PC?
I’m team PC. Mac fits more of a niche market while PCs are more universal. You can mold a PC to what you want, and with a Mac, you cannot.
It’s true, you can customize a MAC during the ordering process, and in my experience, that’s where the customization stops. It is pre-configured, out-of-the-box, and you have to abide by Mac’s rules.
With a PC, you can add more RAM to the computer a year later. You can go to any PC/electronics store and purchase all of the parts to make the PC what you want. The bonus is a lot of admin management tools and processes are designed with PCs in mind.
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: Mike Wieberg | LinkedIn
