Matthias Strubel

Senior Systems Engineer and Architect with 15+ years of experience in mainframe migration, container orchestration and systems integration across banking, insurance and industry.

Key Skills

Technical Skills

• Mainframe environments: z/OS, z/VM, Linux on IBM z (s390x), COBOL, JCL, REXX, Assembler
• Mainframe migration and rehosting: Rocket Software EnterpriseServer, TMAXSoft OpenFrame
• Container and DevOps: OpenShift 4, Kubernetes, Docker, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions
• Messaging infrastructure: IBM MQ (z/OS and Linux), ActiveMQ Artemis, RabbitMQ, MQTT
• Scripting and automation: Bash, Perl, Python
• System integration: OpenLDAP, DB2 for z/OS, Linux (RHEL, SLES)

Certifications

• EMA Certified IBM Mainframe System Specialist (PDF)
• TmaxSoft OpenFrame Solutions Specialist Certificate (PDF)

Personal Skills

• Fast analytical thinking combined with a good intuition for application behaviour
• Strong teamworking skills, also in distributed and international environments
• Creative and persistent approach to complex technical problems

Current Projects

• 01/2022 - present ; Banking sector, Rocket Software EnterpriseServer production operations and rehosting environment
• 01/2022 - present ; Banking sector, OpenShift 4 platform operations and application migration
• 03/2023 - present ; Akademie der Bildenden Künste Nürnberg, Linux-based training platform for the department of Networked Materiality
• 2024 - present ; common.garden with artist Constant Dullaart, infrastructure operations and software architecture modernisation
• 10/2024 - present ; batcontrol — open source Home Assistant add-on for price-driven battery storage control

Project History

• 03/2021 - 09/2021 ; AXA Switzerland, feasibility study and pilot for mainframe-to-cloud migration
• 02/2020 - 02/2021 ; R+V Allgemeine Versicherung AG, IBM MQ for z/OS upgrade v8 to v9.1
• 10/2019 - 12/2019 ; Postbank AG, beta93 archive data migration
• 09/2019 - 10/2019 ; Performance analysis on a PoC, supporting TmaxSoft Deutschland GmbH
• 06/2019 - 08/2019 ; Developer for the.wrong, worldwide art project
• 02/2019 - 05/2019 ; Deutsche Bundesbank, consulting on z/VM and Linux on IBM z infrastructure
• 07/2017 - 02/2018 ; Finanz Informatik GmbH & Co. KG, mainframe z/OS support for client data integration
• 03/2015 - 04/2017 ; IBM Deutschland R&D, development and support for KVM and Linux on IBM z Systems
• 05/2016 - 11/2016 ; Constant Dullaart & Gemeente Utrecht, Merciless Separation — VPN server infrastructure and replacement scripts
• 01/2015 - 02/2015 ; New York University Abu Dhabi, VPN privacy device
• 08/2013 - 12/2014 ; Volkswagen AG, 3rd level support IBM WebSphere MQ
• 01/2013 - 05/2013 ; SwissRe, system programmer for BMC DB2 administrative products on mainframe
• 08/2010 - 12/2012 ; R+V Allgemeine Versicherung AG, operations and 3rd level support IBM WebSphere MQ

Open Source

• 10/2024 - present ; batcontrol — price-driven battery storage control for Home Assistant
• 01/2012 - 11/2019 ; PirateBox — lead developer
• 06/2013 - 12/2018 ; LibraryBox — development and community support

Presentations

• 02/2019 ; SVA MainframeDayz, Wiesbaden; Overview Linux on IBM z (Handout PDF)
• 04/2016 ; Empalis KVM & LinuxONE Noon-2-Noon, Böblingen; Tools & Utilities (Slides)
• 10/2015 ; MUTEK_IMG, Montreal; Panel: Off-the-Grid — Alternative Networks in the 21st Century
• 04/2015 ; Hacker Hotel, Amersfoort; Hacker meets Mainframe
• 01/2015 ; transmediale, Berlin; Offline Networks Unite panel discussion
• 11/2013 ; FSCONS 2013, Gothenburg; PirateBox workshop

Languages

• German — native
• English — professional proficiency

Pictures are licenced under CC-3.0 share alike, taken from piratebox.cc