Service Manager Katharina: Bringing people and systems together

Asset Management. Sounds fascinating, but what does it involve exactly?

voestalpine group-IT GmbH, a global IT partner within the voestalpine Group, not only processes huge volumes of data, but is regularly required to come up with creative solutions. Just the right job for Katharina, who has been interested in technology since her childhood, giving her the opportunity to prove her logical thinking skills. She has always been passionate about working out sustainable ways of doing things better, and of making (working) life easier for people.

Katharina started her career with an IT apprenticeship including school leaving certificate. She gained her first professional experience working for IT companies based in Mauthausen and Salzburg for several years, where she started to hone her skills. But then she felt her home in Austria’s Mühlviertel region calling. She returned to Upper Austria to take over management of her company’s site and service desk, where she automated processes and established an asset management system. However, the ambitious IT expert was keen to go further. She focused on consulting and took charge of service management and process automation for major customers.Although it was an exciting period, Katharina still felt something was missing. “I simply wanted to go back to seeing and feeling how my work was directly advancing the company in which I worked,” Katharina explains. So she started looking for a new job and happened to come across voestalpine. Katharina has now been part of group-IT since July 2022. And as several of her friends also work at the company, she quickly felt at home there.

Today, Katharina’s role in Asset Management is to manage the database and the many interfaces in the background, while continuing to make the system as user-friendly as possible. If a piece of equipment has not correctly been registered in the system, then neither software nor access rights can be issued to new employees. Katharina also ensures the best possible levels of data quality, because it could be very costly for the company if, during a license check, it was determined that no valid data could be provided.Furthermore, all services are billed internally and externally according to these data. IT security is another area that profits from Katharina’s input.

The asset manager particularly enjoys working at the interface between technology and its users: She brings people and systems together, and places great store in direct discussions and valuable exchanges of information. “There is always the potential to improve, and ways for me to help my company colleagues save time and hassle. For example, when there is the option to automate something so you no longer need to manually input data, then you should take that opportunity,” says Katharina. The successes which give the asset manager her daily motivation come from turning a complex plan into the best possible solution. “It’s been truly exciting and a cool experience so far in the short time I’ve been in group-IT. It’s great being part of major developments, being listened to, and seeing how all levels and management structures communicate as equals,” says Katharina.

Katharina’s passion for IT also shapes her leisure time. She is a member of a computer club—Austria’s oldest LAN association—and enjoys talking about the latest technologies with other members. But when she wants to turn off completely, she turns to sport, whether diving at home in lake Attersee, or in Egypt, Thailand, or Croatia, or playing tennis and running. She also enjoys going to concerts and music festivals, relaxing to everything from rock and electro to hardstyle.