In the interview with Christopher Müller-Dönnhoff, Designer, Developer & New Work Enthusiast at TWENTY |20, the somewhat different IT provider!

TWENTY |20 GmbH & Co. KG offers cloud and hosting solutions tailored to individual requirements, addressing areas where hyperscalers typically reach their limits. With "Managed Applications" and "Managed Private Cloud," the company expands pure infrastructure operations with services that save customers a lot of time, money, and nerves. The lived DevOps philosophy bridges the gap to software development, enabling the entire digitalization chain to be offered from a single source.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Christopher, for some time now we’ve been on a first-name basis, and I find that very appropriate. Thank you for that. When you gave your talk at the Messe Essen, there wasn’t even a standing room left—your presentation was so popular and well attended. What sets you, TWENTY |20, apart? What do you do differently from other companies?

Müller-Dönnhoff: Thank you, Michael. For us, it’s not just about business goals; we also focus on the personal satisfaction of every individual within and around TWENTY |20. Work should be fun and meaningful—after all, it’s a significant portion of our lives. That’s what we strive for, and over the years, this has created a wonderful community that we’re proud of and that gives us a lot in return. Additionally, we’re not interested in conforming to rigid business conventions; we simply want to be the people we are. That’s why it feels natural for us to quickly switch to first names.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Your portfolio includes important services for the upper mid-market. What are the core elements you offer here? Are there specific focal points, or should the entire portfolio be seen as a whole?

Müller-Dönnhoff: At its core, we provide hosting services and custom software development, viewed through the lens of the DevOps philosophy. For our customers, this means that entry is possible at any phase (consulting, development, hosting, operations). A project might begin with classic consulting, transition into the development of custom software, which is then hosted and operated by us. Another customer might bring their existing enterprise software, which we host and operate on our geo-redundant, highly available cloud platform. This could later lead to another project. So, we take a holistic perspective. Long-term, strong relationships with our customers and partners are very important to us.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Let’s take a closer look at the services. What should I understand by “Managed Applications on Steroids”?

Müller-Dönnhoff: With this, we express the "expansion" of our offering compared to classic infrastructure outsourcing. Often, it’s not just about replacing on-premise with cloud. We provide valuable added benefits for our customers by taking over the operation and handling the maintenance of the components. Provided the technical foundation of a software aligns with our expertise, we can also offer (further) development for it.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Many companies prefer off-the-shelf software to save costs. In your opinion, what are the advantages of custom software development?

Müller-Dönnhoff: Digitalization is complex, and every company has different requirements. Our experience shows that off-the-shelf software always lacks a certain degree of "fit." While this may not be a problem, it can lead to endless adjustments and bending of the software beyond its intended purpose. At that point, the original idea of cost savings turns into its opposite. Sometimes, there simply isn’t a software solution on the market for specific problems. That’s when custom development becomes the only option.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Can you give me a best practice example?

Müller-Dönnhoff: The term "best practice" assumes that there’s already a ready-made solution for every problem. We’re a bit skeptical of that concept and prefer approaching tasks with an open mind and a blank slate. Thanks to the diverse expertise of our team, we create creative and efficient solutions. I could give you several successful examples that ultimately led to happy customers, but that would go beyond the scope here.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: From what I understand, you also see hosting solutions as part of a comprehensive concept. Why is that an advantage, and what does that look like?

Müller-Dönnhoff: Hosting is an important, though only one, cog in the wheel of digitalization. It’s often underestimated that simply outsourcing IT components, for example to a hyperscaler, isn’t enough. While this reduces the amount of hardware in your own company, the workload only decreases marginally. Instead of focusing on content management to ultimately contribute real added value to a company’s business success, internal IT departments still have to deal with operations, monitoring, maintenance, and further development. We want to take that burden off their shoulders.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: In recent years, you’ve evolved from a classic SAP consulting firm into a “different kind of company.” How did that happen, and—even more importantly—what are the advantages for you and your customers?

Müller-Dönnhoff: Many of us previously worked at large companies and no longer felt comfortable in the hamster wheel between billability and target agreements. Since the start of our transformation process in 2014, we have been guided by the question of how we can work together differently, with a high degree of personal responsibility, appreciation, and on equal footing. We have already achieved a lot, but we always see new potential. With our customers, we are genuine originals, do not put on airs, and do not conform to supposed business conventions. We quickly bridge distances and aim to work in a solution-oriented manner. Our “relaxed” approach is appreciated, and collaboration is simply more fun. By the way, we have documented a large part of our previous insights in our “New Work Recipes,” a recipe box to inspire and motivate other companies to engage with New Work. We give away the “New Work Recipes” at our trade fair stand.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Christopher, I’m incredibly excited about the keynote in Munich. It’s bound to be very exciting. What topics will you focus on?

Müller-Dönnhoff: It will again be about how to establish “happiness” and “sense of purpose” in the world of work. I will draw on the path we have taken so far, but also address the influences of Corona and dare to look into the future. It will definitely be exciting again.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Thank you for this great conversation…

Further information at:
www.twenty20.de
www.new-work-rezepte.de

The interview was conducted by Managing Director and Organizer Michael Mattis

Contact:

Christopher Müller-Dönnhoff

TWENTY |20 GmbH & Co. KG
Hausinger Straße 6
40764 Langenfeld

mobile: +49 (0) 175 561 17 24

e-mail: cmd@twenty20.de
web: https://twenty20.de