Christine Talks About Leadership, Technology and the Future of IT
16. Jan 2025 | 5 min.
16. Jan 2025 | 5 min.
Hello Christine, nice to have you here. Please introduce yourself briefly and explain your role at avodaq.
I’d love to. I’m Christine and I live in Munich. Before I moved at the beginning of last year, I worked at our Frankfurt office. I’ve been with avodaq since April 2021. My job interview took place under the special conditions of the coronavirus era – in a well-ventilated and therefore freezing cold room in Munich. It was a pretty unusual start back then.
I started at avodaq in the Advanced Solutions (AS) division as Manager Collaboration. In this role, I was responsible for the strategic direction of the team as well as managing the people – there were five teams at the time. One focus of my work was the development of the long-established business area into cloud and Microsoft solutions. When Marc Schmidt, the previous manager of the entire AS department, was appointed COO, he asked me if I would be interested in taking over. This was an exciting challenge for me, which I gladly accepted.
Today, as Senior Manager Advanced Solutions, I am responsible for all the technical areas we cover in customer projects – in addition to collaboration, this also includes infrastructure, security and project management. Everything that happens between order entry and completion of the project is handled by the technologies, products and people in my department.
„At avodaq, you have the freedom to realise things if you justify them well - you can tackle and shape things. That's exactly the kind of opportunity I'm looking for: you're expected to take care and take responsibility, but you also get the chance to make a real difference and take opportunities.“
Christine Thews, Senior Manager Advanced Solutions
Ultimately, you are responsible for our core business. What technological developments do you see in our three architecture topics?
Cybersecurity is currently the market driver – we are seeing this worldwide. Companies are under great pressure to protect themselves against attacks. In 2024, the legal requirements for prevention measures were tightened significantly once again. As an IT service provider with a strong focus on IT security and security advisory, this naturally suits us. I am convinced that security will remain the key topic for us this year. We are no longer dealing with petty criminals, but with highly professional organisations that act like companies – including accounting and management. The threats are evolving rapidly. It’s a game of chicken and egg, in which we as an IT service provider are required to continuously keep our expertise up to date and advise our customers accordingly and with foresight.
We are seeing different developments in the area of Collaboration. While public sector clients continue to rely heavily on on-premises solutions, industrial customers are heavily migrating to the cloud. Data protection plays a major role here, especially because many cloud providers are based in the USA. AI is playing an increasingly important role. Noise suppression or automatic transcription of meetings, for example, are already commonplace. Such functions offer real added value and show how AI can provide practical support in everyday life.
In the area of Infrastructure, the move towards software-defined networks is well underway, making networks easier to manage and thus enabling companies to react more quickly to changing requirements. This is the next step after classic network designs. Hybrid scenarios are another major topic. Many companies now store some of their data in the cloud, while sensitive information remains in their own data centers. The challenge is to connect these hybrid networks seamlessly, while keeping an eye on the cost-benefit balance. A lot is happening here and it remains exciting to see how this area will continue to develop.
How do we identify upcoming trends and sales opportunities? How do we decide which topics to pursue?
We have developed considerably in this area. In the past, we often reacted to customer demand. A customer requested a solution, we threw ourselves into it and invested a lot in training. Sometimes that worked well, but it often remained one customer project. That doesn’t make sense strategically in the long term, nor is it economical. There is a lot going on in IT, but you can’t jump on every topic.
We have therefore launched the Architecture Business Review (ABR). The ABR team consists of representatives from all value-adding areas at avodaq: Sales (What are the future needs of our customers?), Technology (What are the current trends, what is relevant?), Service (What do we need to consider in Service?) and Partner Alliances (Is our partner portfolio well positioned?). This team meets regularly throughout the year for each of our technologies and develops ideas and concepts where they see potential for avodaq. The final ideas are presented to a board consisting of the management board and department heads. This is where the final decision is made as to which topics will be pursued and which will not (for the time being). When a proposal goes through the process, specific targets are set that must be achieved within a certain period of time.
Is there a successful project that you can name?
Yes, avodaq Incident Detection & Response (IDR) is a successful solution that was developed within through ABR process. It is a comprehensive security solution that optimally combines all relevant components: Cisco products, our services and a managed service that acts proactively and continuously supports the customer. A model for success – we have already won three customer projects in a short space of time. This clearly shows that the ABR process also works in practice.
IDR enables cyber threats and security incidents to be recognised, specifically investigated and effectively defended against. All information is collected on a central Extended Detection & Response (XDR) platform and the results are then made available in case-related recommendations for action.
What role will managed services play in the future and how will our customers benefit from them?
By proactively providing services for our customers, we create long-term relationships. Customers who outsource their IT to a service provider can concentrate on their core processes. This is exactly where we come in – we provide the infrastructure and also take care of sustainable operations. The shortage of skilled labour is further increasing the demand for managed services. Companies are increasingly reliant on external support. The advantage for our customers is that we can work more closely with them and recognise their needs at an earlier stage, rather than just reacting to requirements.
Service often only becomes relevant when something doesn’t work. The question many customers ask is: ‘Why should I pay for something I don’t need? But if the service is missing and a problem arises, it can quickly become very expensive. The challenge is to show customers that the proactive model is cheaper in the long term. A comparison with insurance helps here: It is better to pay regularly in order to be covered in the event of an emergency.
How do you personally see the future of IT and avodaq’s role in it?
Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) will shape the future of IT – whether we like it or not. The security aspect also plays an important role. The shortage of skilled labour will be with us in the long term, but the more AI we can use, the better this issue can be solved. This doesn’t just affect IT, but also many other sectors. I am convinced that this is the only way to compensate for the shortage of skilled labour in various sectors.
The topic of security will always be with us. This is where avodaq can act as a strong partner – by advising our customers, offering them the right solutions and supporting them closely in order to keep pace with the speed of change. The shortage of skilled labour will further accelerate this change.
avodaq is very well positioned as a Digital Business Partner, and this is certainly the right strategy for the future: to be the partner that our customers can rely on, to provide them with comprehensive, forward-looking advice, and to know exactly what we are doing. Our advantage is, that we do not just offer standard solutions like the big providers, but develop business cases that create real value for our customers.
Christine, thank you very much for your time and the exciting conversation! We are excited to see what the year 2025 has in store for us.
Christine Thews has more than 16 years of experience in IT. She started her career as a technology consultant at Siemens and later moved to the headquarters, where she developed global professional services for technicians. She then worked at T-Systems for eight years, where she was responsible for the Communication, Collaboration and Voice portfolio.
Looking for new challenges outside of large corporate structures, Christine moved to avodaq. Here she brings her passion for people management, strategic development and actively shaping the future of the company. In her spare time, Christine is a keen golfer – first in Mainz, now in Munich.