Meet Ger

Who are you – Ger Kirwan Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer

Meet Ger - Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Unum. Ger’s main area of work involves working with Unum’s Cloud providers such as AWS and Azure. Ger works with teams across campuses in Carlow, Ireland and the US (Portland, Chattanooga & Columbia) as well as and with their offshore partners.

Ger works with teams on both new and existing applications, supporting the advancement of applications into the cloud while meeting a high-level of security and compliance standards.

The Cloud Infrastructure team support the organisations' digital transformation by harnessing the power of cloud technologies for enhanced performance, reliability, scalability and innovation.

How did Ger start with Unum?

Ger was working in Dublin, which was approximately a 4-hour round trip commute each day with public transport. His friend got a job with Unum and introduced him to the technology centre in Carlow town.

He was initially intrigued due to the location, which is about a 5 to 8-minute drive from his home. Keeping an eye on types of job roles and opportunities available on campus, he realised not only could he cut the commute but also the right opportunity could advance his skills and develop his IT career. A job and career he initially thought would never be available outside of Dublin.

So, what attracted Ger to Unum Ireland in Carlow?

Apart from the proximity to his home and the end of the dreaded commute, Ger also found a role that matched his skillset at Unum. A role in which he has grown and developed in; to date Ger has had three different and diverse roles. There is always a challenge, which he loves as it keeps him on his toes and offers a “feeling of freshness.” He enjoys working on new projects with new people and discovering and developing new technologies. He is passionate about the adoption to cloud technologies, particularly in conjunction with AI – Artificial Intelligence.

Continuing to learn and develop new skills are essential, considering the continuous transformation within the technology industry, this is particularly relevant within Unum.  In addition, the opportunities available in terms of scope and breath of work has supported Ger’s career progression, experience and keeping him up to date with the latest technologies.

He also enjoys the flexibility of his role, as Unum offers hybrid working as a benefit and flexibility during the working day with core hours.  Ger enjoys living and working in Carlow and has more time to focus on his hobbies plus having access to some great cafes and lunch spots due to office location helps.

Ger has grown his career at Unum and developed into his role as a Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, the location is a nice bonus that has given him back time in his day and supports his lifestyle!

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