Martin Stummer

What are your responsibilities at VACE?

I am responsible for procurement at VACE. If someone needs a new computer or their cell phone has made an involuntary acquaintance with the force of attraction, I am their contact person. The focus is on IT, but of course I also fulfill more unusual requests. For our external IT customers, I support the technicians and sales with the configuration of IT hardware and licenses. Speaking of licenses, these have become a real challenge in recent years. The days when you simply took a box off the shelf and a CD plopped out of it are gone. Today, you have to deal with cryptic license keys, subscriptions and service contracts. 

What do you value most about your work?

The variety.

Of course, not every morning is full of exciting projects, but it never gets boring and even the little things can be fun. It doesn't always have to be the big server on the cutting edge of technology, it's quite enough to help the colleague with the broken mouse out of trouble as quickly as possible. That brings me to the second aspect I like about my job: communication. I like to talk a lot, sometimes maybe even too much, and that's important for this job. I need to find out from colleagues and customers what they want and more importantly what they need. That's because it's not necessarily the same thing, and since IT equipment in particular is basically always needed "yesterday" and of course should preferably cost nothing at all, communication with suppliers is of course also necessary.

How do you rate your work-life balance?

I was 8 years old when a Commodore 64 (yes, I'm from the Stone Age) was put under my tree for Christmas. Since then, computers have never left me and it was clear that I would end up in IT one way or another. At my home, computers, gadgets and game consoles from different decades are piling up. Even the above mentioned C64 still exists. Especially in home office, the transition between work and hobby is then rather fluid, often only a change at the entrance of the monitor. A circumstance that annoyes my wife much more than me.  
As a father of two daughters, I also appreciate the very flexible working hours and the generally very family-friendly atmosphere at VACE! 
When I do turn off the screen sometimes, I like to go diving or get on my bike. Recently, I've also discovered archery for myself.