Lennart Ohlin has to travel farther since Linde handed over its data centers to T-Systems last spring. From his home in Lidingö, an island in east Stockholm where the Swedish subsidiary of the gas and engineering company is based, the Senior Systems Engineer now has to travel to T-Systems offices in Bromma, district in the western part of the Swedish capital. Driving in rush-hour traffic can be nerve-wracking – but the 56-year-old has neatly sidestepped that problem. “I ride my bike. It’s much faster.”

Ohlin is attached to Lidingö. He grew up here; his family lives here. And he was also attached to Linde. He joined gas company
AGA in the late 80s, as a fresh-faced vocational training graduate. His main task back then was a data operator: mounting reels of magnetic storage tape on gigantic IBM mainframes. In 2000, AGA was acquired by the Linde Group.

Ohlin was one of two people who boldly switched once they learned Linde was transferring its data centers to T-Systems. His original team comprised five people, but three tried their luck with an internal transfer or another employer. “No one wants to be outsourced,” says Ohlin. “But only later do you realize what opportunities it offers. 23 years is a long time – but it was the right time and the right chance.”

Work -life balance wins

Ohlin began to research T-Systems on the Internet. “I had no idea how huge this organization was. And that’s when I thought it would be great to work at the forefront for a leading IT provider.” He and his co-worker were immediately given a crucial new role: as technical liaisons between their new company and their former employer – with its almost 48,000 employees worldwide. Their very first project, migrating over 350 Linde servers to a T-Systems’ data center in Germany, was challenging. “During the transition period, I actually had two jobs: my old one and the new one at T-Systems,” says Ohlin.
But he has no regrets about his decision. “This job is much more stimulating. I never know what the day will bring. That’s exciting, and I like that.” Ohlin unwinds in the great outdoors – at his country home on an island in the Stockholm archipelago, on deer hunts or fishing trips. Odd hobbies for an engineer? Ohlin just laughs. He isn’t interested in rigid categories. From Lidingö to Bromma, from tape reels to laptops, from Linde to T-Systems – whatever changes, he knows you simply have to find a way to make it work for you. “I only have these options because I work in IT,” he says. “I can even work on my laptop in the heart of the forest. Now that’s the life – pure freedom!”