It all started with a question: How can we make managing Alfresco installations easier? When Alfresco introduced its Docker distribution and Google Cloud launched its Vision API, Mike saw an opportunity to experiment. His curiosity led him to Kubernetes, and what began as a technical exploration quickly turned into a bigger idea: What if we optimized Alfresco for Google Cloud instead of just lifting and shifting it?
And that’s how Mike and his team ended up redesigning Alfresco with Google Cloud’s managed services, creating a scalable, standardized, and easier-to-maintain solution. After proving it internally, they pitched it to a trusted client. It worked. That first step turned an experiment into a real solution.
With no roadmap to follow, they figured it out themselves—digging into Google Cloud documentation, learning Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, and service management on the fly, and refining the approach as they went.
What made this possible wasn’t just technical skill, but Mike’s curiosity, determination, and problem-solving mindset. He didn’t just accept the status quo, he questioned, explored, and iterated until he found a better way.
In the end, this experience was what really pushed us to bet on Google Cloud in Spain. It was the spark that led us to fully commit to this path, eventually creating WAVE, our dedicated Google Cloud solutions cell in Santander, and kickstarting what has become a great partnership with Google.
The key? Autonomy. They didn’t wait for instructions: they explored, learned, and built something better by taking ownership of the challenge. Mike’s ability to take initiative, his belief that there was always a smarter way, and his persistence in making it happen were what truly drove this success. His story is a perfect example of how autonomy fuels innovation. When people are given the freedom to experiment, trust their instincts, and take responsibility, the results can be groundbreaking.
Go back to autonomyHave a autonomy story to share—yours or someone else's?
We want to hear it!
