About

Cloud · Infrastructure · Data Centre · Automation

Ger Suverkropp

Background

I take senior ownership of cloud, data-centre and infrastructure programmes that have to keep running. 25+ years in ICT, 15+ years in senior delivery roles — typically on complex client or internal programmes. Across the career that includes teams of 6–15 project managers and one test manager.

Recent Getronics work: Cloud Services PMO with P&L for programmes, projects and team; ICE (Integrated Cloud Ecosystem), a private-cloud refresh across 11 data centres on a budget of approximately €11M excluding internal staffing (more than €7M hardware), kept within the approved budget; AOK ZSA portal technical refresh 3.0 → 4.0 (Automation and KaaS, ServiceNow catalogue, new hardware stack); Global DC Estate cost-savings (≈€2.9M annualised avoidance; MD Operations: exceeded expectations); Crédit Agricole named-client support; CMP and TOA, with CloudBolt recommended after the POC and taken into implementation planning.

At BT: a €21M data-centre expansion (two new data halls in the existing Nieuwegein data centre, PUE 2.1→1.2, and a new Rotterdam data centre) and interim DC operations; member of the Cloud Solution Hub SteerCo; COVID cloud compute at 98% success; Philips PIAP (signed client evaluation 9/10, including São Paulo on a very short lead time); Signify Regional Network Hubs; St Antonius (data-room move from the hospital's own site to Groenekan under NEN 7510, zero impact on live services, signed 9/10); Sanquin (2018–2019: network-standard upgrade and dataroom moves to Amsterdam DCs).

I take senior project or programme ownership depending on what the organisation needs. Larger programme volumes ran through other PMs over years.

Working method: hybrid Agile with PRINCE2/ITIL. Multi-vendor, aimed at results that remain after handover.

Results, credentials and cases follow below

Results

€2.9M

Annualised cost avoidance on Getronics Global DC Estate Phase 1 (MRC €242k / YRC €2.91M) with zero impact on live services.

175

Racks ceased in 13 weeks across Colt/AtlasEdge — above the 153 maximum expected (min. 113, threshold 135), with zero impact on remaining live services; MD Operations confirmed the result exceeded expectations.

€21M

BT Data Centre Expansion (2010–2013): two new data halls in the existing Nieuwegein data centre and a new Rotterdam data centre, financed by a corporate partner on contracted footprint and energy.

€11M

Three-year ICE private-cloud refresh across 11 data centres (more than €7M hardware), kept within the approved budget excluding internal staffing.

98%

Success rate on global COVID-19 BT Cloud Compute projects and orders under high time pressure.

13 wks

Phase 1 cease window for the Global DC Estate cost-savings programme (Colt and AtlasEdge, ES/FR/IT/DE/UK/PT).

2.1→1.2

PUE reduction on BT Nieuwegein data centre renewal (two new data halls) — sustainability and efficiency.

9/10

Signed St Antonius client evaluation (Apr 2016) for the Groenekan DC move — 'Excellent. Can and will certainly recommend Ger for similar projects.'

Credentials & tools

PRINCE2 Practitioner · ITIL Foundation · hybrid project management with PRINCE2/ITIL governance.
Information security: ISO 27001/ISMS · ISO 27017 · NEN 7510 · security governance & IT risk · GDPR/data residency · IAM/PAM/WAF/SIEM.
Tools and platforms in recent delivery: ServiceNow, cloud & data-centre estates, container/KaaS environments, automation (incl. CloudBolt/Morpheus evaluations), multi-vendor coordination while the service stays live.

Career

2021 – present

Head of Cloud Programs

Getronics

Cloud Services PMO; P&L for programmes, projects and team; worldwide infrastructure renewal, including ICE (Integrated Cloud Ecosystem) across 11 data centres; coaching senior PMs; KPI dashboards for executives; Crédit Agricole named-client delivery support (confirmed by MD Operations). Programme titles below (ICE, Global DC Estate, AOK ZSA, CMP/TOA) were delivered within this permanent role.

2025 – 2026

Programme Manager – AOK ZSA Technical Refresh (3.0 → 4.0)

Getronics

Full technical refresh of AOK's ZSA portal from 3.0 to 4.0: Automation and KaaS, ServiceNow catalogue refresh, new hardware stack plus decommissioning of the old stack, and security/process standardisation across Getronics, AOK and COLT under live-service constraints.

2024

Global DC Estate Cost-Savings Program Manager

Getronics

Phase 1 Global DC Estate optimisation: 175 racks ceased across Colt/AtlasEdge (ES/FR/IT/DE/UK/PT) — above the 153 maximum expected (min. 113, threshold 135) in 13 weeks; ≈€2.9M annualised cost avoidance; MD Operations confirmed the result exceeded expectations; Phase 2 ACI/OCN executed.

2025 – 2026

Senior Program Manager – CMP & TOA

Getronics

Responsible for implementing Cloud Automation (CMP) and Technical Operations Automation (TOA): CloudBolt vs Morpheus POC, CloudBolt recommended after the POC and taken into implementation planning, board ROI/TCO, ServiceNow automation potential (~€700k INC / ~€378k SR); platform scope includes 4,300+ VMs.

2021 – 2023

Programme Manager – ICE (Integrated Cloud Ecosystem)

Getronics

Technical refresh of the private-cloud stack across 11 data centres, from procurement and installation through testing, customer migration and decommissioning of the legacy environment. Three-year programme budget of approximately €11M, excluding internal staffing, with more than €7M in hardware investment; planning, governance, dependencies, risk and the forecast stayed within the approved budget. Coordinated infrastructure, cloud, network, operations and customer-facing teams, and managed Dell and Cisco on contracts and delivery. Cisco component and chip availability for the ACI stack was treated as a delivery risk. The legacy stack was retired only after migration and acceptance.

2020 – 2021

Senior Project Advisor / Program Manager

BT

Delivery artefacts for managed & hybrid cloud; member of the Cloud Solution Hub SteerCo; security & technology risk governance.

2016 – 2020

Program Manager / Senior Project Manager

BT

Global COVID-19 cloud compute programmes (98% success); feasibility studies and migration roadmaps; Signify Regional Network Hubs.

2018 – 2019

Project Manager – Sanquin (customer)

BT

Upgraded local network equipment to current technical standards; relocated datarooms to new Amsterdam data centre sites; recabled all data racks.

Mar 2016 – Sep 2016

Programme oversight – St Antonius Ziekenhuis (customer)

BT

Guided the critical data-room move from the hospital's own site to DC Groenekan. The move had to meet NEN 7510; care could not stop, and it was delivered with zero impact on live services. Signed client evaluation (Apr 2016): 9/10 — 'Excellent. Can and will certainly recommend Ger for similar projects.'

2006 – 2016

Senior Project Manager

BT

Nieuwegein DC renewal (two new data halls; PUE 2.1→1.2); Rotterdam DC build including CEVA lift-and-shift (programme manager directing the PMs; positive customer feedback); DTCC, the US post-trade infrastructure firm that clears and settles securities trades, as first customer of the new Nieuwegein halls (PUE 1.2); they selected BT for the security of that build (ISO 27001 and TIA-942); written recommendation and VP-level customer feedback. DC Extension 2010–2013: €21M programme; the new facility was financed by a corporate partner on contracted footprint and energy. Delivery under ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 9001 and TIA-942. 6 PMs delivered 60+ related projects over the three-year programme (not simultaneously). Coordinated a 130+ Compute infrastructure portfolio over the tenure. Interim IT Manager Data Centre Services; full BWSE lifecycle; Philips PIAP (signed client evaluation 9/10, including São Paulo); UWV-VMI (2007) telephony recovery to PRINCE2; IBM/ABN AMRO infra projects.

1997 – 2006

Project & test leadership

TAS · CMG · LogicaCMG · CTG · KPN Telecom

Telecom, transport and finance projects; Y2K; governance, PID/RACI; site management and MIS/DBA reporting; LogicaCMG QBS (€1.1M).

Cases

Short accounts of selected programmes and projects in cloud, infrastructure and data centre.

BT Data Centre Expansion

Roles: Program Manager

Challenge
BT needed more data-centre capacity: two new data halls in the existing Nieuwegein data centre and a new data centre in Rotterdam. The programme ran from 2010 to 2013 on a €21M budget. The new facility was financed by a corporate partner on contracted footprint and energy.
Approach
Programme management across the build. Six project managers delivered 60+ related projects over the three-year programme, not at the same time. Third-party build oversight, BWSE responsibility on selected works including security, and interim IT management of Data Centre Services during construction. Network, security and procedures were tested and handed to operations. CEVA was lifted and shifted into the Rotterdam data centre, with the programme manager directing the project managers.
Results
Nieuwegein gained two new data halls and PUE moved from 2.1 to 1.2. Rotterdam opened as a new data centre. DTCC, the US post-trade infrastructure firm that clears and settles securities trades, came in as the first customer of the new Nieuwegein halls. They selected BT for the security of that build (ISO 27001 and TIA-942), with a written recommendation and VP-level customer feedback.
Client impact
A data-centre programme a buyer can hire against: new capacity, a measurable efficiency result, and a named first customer — alongside later cloud and live-estate work.

Global DC Estate Cost-Savings

Roles: Programme Manager

Challenge
A multi-country rack estate (Colt/AtlasEdge; baseline around 385 racks) needed cost take-out without touching remaining live customer and internal services.
Approach
End-to-end Phase 1 programme control — weekly cease coordination across suppliers, CMDB and contractual-threshold reporting, and strict live-service constraints. Phase 2 set up ACI/OCN firewall consolidation and utilisation governance.
Results
175 racks ceased in 13 weeks (above the 153 maximum expected; min. 113, threshold 135); approximately €2.9M annualised cost avoidance (MRC ~€242k / YRC ~€2.91M) with zero impact on remaining live services. MD Operations confirmed the result exceeded expectations.
Client impact
Estate cost reduction the board could see, while continuity stayed non-negotiable — run-and-change under production constraints.

AOK ZSA Technical Refresh 3.0 → 4.0

Roles: Programme Manager

Challenge
Refresh AOK's ZSA portal from 3.0 to 4.0 across Getronics, AOK and COLT without dropping live-service constraints.
Approach
Programme-managed the full technical refresh: Automation and KaaS, ServiceNow catalogue, new hardware stack and decommissioning of the old stack, with multi-vendor RACI/governance and delivery cadence.
Results
End-to-end technical refresh of the AOK ZSA portal 3.0 → 4.0 (2025–2026): Automation and KaaS, ServiceNow catalogue, new hardware stack plus decommissioning, and security/process standardisation across Getronics, AOK and COLT.
Client impact
Multi-party live-service transformation with a standard catalogue and hardware stack across Getronics, AOK and COLT.

St Antonius Dataroom Relocation

Roles: Project Manager · Change Manager

Challenge
Move hospital stacks from the hospital's own site to DC Groenekan. The move had to meet NEN 7510, and clinical operations could not stop.
Approach
Guided the Groenekan move (Mar–Sep 2016) as a controlled implementation in the live environment: migration planning, risk, technical sequencing, testing and handover. St Antonius teams migrated their stacks with zero impact on live services.
Results
Stacks migrated without service disruption. Signed client evaluation (Apr 2016): overall 9/10 — 'Excellent. Can and will certainly recommend Ger for similar projects.'
Client impact
Continuity of hospital IT underpinning care delivery — high-trust proof for healthcare and other regulated live environments.

Sanquin Network Refresh & Dataroom Moves

Roles: Project Manager · Change Manager · IT Manager

Challenge
Bring Sanquin's local network estate to current technical standards and relocate datarooms to new Amsterdam data centre locations, including recabling all data racks, while healthcare operations continued.
Approach
Project delivery via BT (2018–2019) for a Dutch healthcare organisation: network-standard upgrade combined with physical dataroom moves and full rack recabling under live-service constraints.
Results
Local network equipment upgraded to current technical standards; datarooms relocated to new Amsterdam DC sites; all data racks recabled — healthcare operations continued throughout.
Client impact
Continuity-critical infrastructure change for Dutch healthcare — a second named healthcare customer alongside St Antonius.

Global COVID Cloud Compute Delivery

Roles: Program Manager · Project Manager

Challenge
Worldwide surge in BT Cloud Compute projects and orders under COVID urgency, with compressed lead times and normal delivery windows no longer applying.
Approach
As Program Manager / Senior Project Manager at BT, owned implementation and escalation management across strategic, tactical and operational stakeholders, plus portfolio restructuring for customer fit and time-to-value under COVID urgency.
Results
98% success rate on global COVID-related Cloud Compute projects and orders under shortened lead times.
Client impact
Customers got capacity when urgency peaked — reliable delivery under crisis operating conditions.

ICE Private-Cloud Refresh

Roles: Program Manager

Challenge
Refresh the private-cloud stack across 11 data centres and retire the legacy environment only after customers had moved, while Cisco component and chip availability for the ACI stack threatened the timeline.
Approach
Programme-managed procurement, installation, testing, customer migration and decommissioning. Coordinated infrastructure, cloud, network, operations and customer-facing teams, and managed Dell and Cisco on contracts, delivery and the ACI supply constraint.
Results
Three-year ICE programme (2021–2023) across 11 data centres, on a budget of approximately €11M excluding internal staffing, with more than €7M in hardware. Planning, governance, dependencies, risk and the forecast stayed within the approved budget. The legacy stack was retired only after migration and acceptance.
Client impact
A live private-cloud estate renewed across 11 data centres, with the commercial forecast held inside the approved budget.

References

A 2026 performance rating, written confirmation from MD Operations (May 2024), and signed client evaluations. Originals available in interview — not published here.

Contributions have not only met but exceeded our expectations.

MD Operations Written confirmation (May 2024) · Getronics

Excellent. Can and will certainly recommend Ger for similar projects. Overall 9/10.

Client evaluators Client evaluation (signed, Apr 2016) · St Antonius Ziekenhuis

Exceeds expectations, strong performer. Expectations were exceeded in many areas; improvements were looked for and implemented.

Line manager Performance rating 2026 (Operations, Cloud Services, Cloud PMO) · Getronics

The migration was very well received by Sanquin management. Overall 9/10.

Client evaluator Client evaluation (signed, Dec 2012) · Sanquin

I would definitely like to work with Ger again. Overall 9/10.

Client evaluator Client evaluation (signed, Apr 2014) · DTCC

Under very difficult circumstances, Ger managed to meet deadlines. Especially the timely delivery of São Paulo, with an extremely short lead time, contributed significantly to a positive turnaround in Philips' assessment of BT as a supplier and partner. Overall 9/10.

Client evaluator Client evaluation (signed, Mar 2008) · Philips

A very special thanks for putting all your energy into speeding up COVID-19 related projects. I'm very proud of you.