What does a CSI Employee do at MID?

Hey Rudi! You’ve been working as a solution engineer at MID for five years now and you’re part of the CSI team. MID focuses on IT solutions in BPM, EAM and Data, offering consulting services, its own tools and custom software solutions. So, what exactly does your CSI team do – and what does CSI even stand for?

Our CSI team is made up of 7 people. In simple terms, we develop custom software solutions for our clients in our core areas – EAM, BPM and Data – and make sure these solutions fit perfectly into their existing IT systems. That’s where the name CSI comes from “Customization and Systems Integration”. We first need to understand what the client actually needs for their software solutions. Only when we fully grasp their challenges can we create the right solution and successfully integrate it into their IT environment.

So yeah, CSI makes a lot more sense now, right? So you’re doing custom software development at MID?

Exactly – but that’s just one part of my job. We don’t just jump right in and develop a new software straight away. First, we sit down with the client and do a requirements analysis to figure out what the solution needs to do. We need to understand what exactly the customer requires so that we can fix their existing problem. If the analysis shows that a custom solution is required, then we start to develop a new feature that meets their requirements exactly.

Another big part of my work is developing plug-ins for our tool Innovator. These are tool extensions written in C# that our users can work with. But whether it’s custom solutions or plug-ins, our job doesn’t stop at development: We support our clients all the way – from installation and setup to configuration and integration. Basically, we’re there to help, from the first meeting to the final rollout.

Sounds like a pretty diverse and challenging role. How did you become a senior solution engineer?

I got into IT pretty early. First, I trained as an IT administrator, then studied Business Informatics. During my studies, I worked as a student at MID in the CSI area, which was a great way to see how theory works in real life. Even back then, I got to help develop plug-ins, which was super exciting for someone just starting out to be directly involved in customized projects for our clients. I even wrote my bachelor dissertation on Business Model Canvas at MID. That gave me the chance to connect with different teams at MID and learn more about various projects. One of those projects turned into a major client initiative about Business Model Canvas, and I got to contribute directly. The plug-in we built back then is still in use today, with new features added over time. It helped me grow my programming skills and made me feel proud to contribute to MID’s success. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better start.

That’s a great story – starting early in IT and growing with MID. What made you stay after your bachelor’s degree?
From the beginning, I was impressed by the team spirit at MID. Even as a student, everyone was super helpful and supportive. You can really feel that people work together as equals here and that helps us grow as a team and individually. I quickly realized that my skills were being encouraged and developed, so I jumped at the chance to start full-time as a solution engineer after graduation. Now I’ve been in this role for over five years and recently became a senior solution engineer. I still enjoy the work just as much as I did at the start. That’s thanks to the amazing team and the variety of client projects, which keep things fresh and let me work with the latest tech. Plus, MID gives me the flexibility to work remotely and manage my own schedule, which helps me balance work and personal life. And thanks to summer parties, Christmas events and regular team events, we still stay connected and get to meet new colleagues. The relaxed atmosphere makes it easy to chat with anyone – no matter their role.

What advice would you give someone interested in a job like yours? What should they bring to the table and what can they expect day-to-day?
If you want to be a solution engineer, you definitely need to enjoy programming. But that’s just one part of the job. You also need to like working with clients because regular communication is key to understanding their unique needs and finding the right solutions. Experience has taught me that you need to ask questions, analyze and dig deep. If you don’t fully understand what the client wants, you won’t be able to deliver the right solution. The variety of tasks and projects means you’ll constantly be learning and working with new technologies – no two days are the same. And if you’re thinking about joining the CSI team at MID, I can tell you: you won’t get stuck in a rut; you’ll keep growing and developing your skills. We always have varying jobs on offer in the software development department. So go ahead and check out our current job openings – maybe you’ll be the next one to join the team!