Name: Marius Østby
Age: 44
Role/Title: Lead Infrastructure Engineer
Where do you live (city): Oslo
Where are you from: Oslo
Why did you choose Sicra?
I was recruited among beer and darts. It seems solid both professionally and socially - so why not?
Which technologies do you work with?
Azure, Entra, Powershell, Bicep/Terraform, Github, Azure Devops, Sentinel, Log Analytics, Azure policy as code, identity security, FinOps
Do you have experience with SCCM, app-v, Citrix, AD on-premise but it's been a long time (7-8 years).
What does a typical workday look like for you – or how do you think it will look at Sicra?
Writing IaC code, building pipelines, writing policies, following up on events in Sentinel, FinOps, planning, delegating, grooming, and way too many meetings have been the norm in recent years.
Everything falls under the umbrella of "Platform building in Azure".
Hopefully, I can continue with aspects within platform building in Azure, as a developer, engineer, or architect. I have built enterprise-scale platforms from scratch twice, and I am happy to build new ones again.
What do you think is success when doing what you do and why?
Success is creating a solution that not only works but scales, withstands the test of time, and is easy to maintain.
I usually say that simplicity is the highest form of elegance.
What drives you at work and in your role, what is fun?
Taking a big problem (e.g., getting rid of 1800 VMs on-premise, replacing Citrix with AVD) - breaking it down into a series of smaller problems - solving them one by one - you get a drive and momentum from it, then it's alright to go to work.
A combination of challenge in the form of problem-solving and continuous progress is the optimal.
Which app (can be anything) do you use the most, and why?
Discord - keeping in touch with friends, gaming, etc. I actively try not to use my phone too much, staying away from social media.
What is your favorite quote?
"A camel is a horse designed by a committee" - unknown origin
Do you have any favorite podcasts? Or a book you would recommend?
"The Lucifer Effect" - Philip Zimbardo, about human nature
Is there anything else fun we can know about you?
Skilled cook, loves to travel. Well-versed in Oslo's restaurant scene.
What do you prefer?
Home office or the office?
Mix - I like working from home but it's nice to meet physically from time to time.
Biometrics or code?
Biometrics.
Face ID or Touch ID?
Face ID.
Vipps or Cash?
Vipps.
Gaming or TV?
Gaming.
Book or podcast?
I like both.
Vacation in Norway or abroad?
Abroad.
