Michael Gross
Today, every business is a digital business. After years in IT, I’m convinced optimism is the real engine of progress—and thankfully, it scales.
Who is NL-ix?
Behind the world of the Internet, behind the world of fibers, protocols, peers, and terabytes, there are actual people making it all work. But who are these people? In other words: Who is NL-ix?
Today: 🤝 Michael Gross, Country Manager Germany
Michael Gross was one of those lucky kids who had their hands on a home computer before most people even knew what one was. At 15, while others were just starting to discover technology, he was already discovering programming. This early start marked the beginning of a journey that would take him across continents and eventually to NL-ix, where he now serves as Country Manager for Germany.
Originally from Cologne, Germany, Michael's path through the tech world has been anything but ordinary. His natural curiosity led him to study mechanical engineering with a focus on information technology, and during his university years, he got his first taste of data center operations through a student job that took him into his own university's data center infrastructure.
The real adventure began after university when his hunger for international experience took him across the Atlantic to the United States and then to Brazil. There, working for General Motors, he found himself on a pioneering team introducing SQL databases to improve supply chain management..
When Michael returned to Germany in the late '90s, he landed right in the middle of Berlin's buzzing startup scene. Though the dot-com crash of 2001 brought that chapter to a close, it led to an important realisation - while he understood the technical side of things, his real talent lay in working with people rather than sitting in front of screens.
This insight launched him into a series of roles that kept expanding in scope and reach. He formed and led the information systems presales & consulting practice at Triaton, a newly founded IT subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp, and after an acquisition by HP, found himself managing major customer engagements all across Europe. Stints at Accenture, Unisys, DXC, and IBM followed, always staying close to the sales & consulting side of IT, before eventually making his way to NL-ix in June 2024.
A fortunate part of Michael's work at NL-ix is how it aligns with his personal passion. For thirty years, he's been spending his summers sailing Dutch waters, particularly around the northern islands and in Zeeland. Working for NL-ix means he can combine business trips with his love for sailing – making the commute from Düsseldorf even more worthwhile.
Today, every business is a digital business. After years in IT, I’m convinced optimism is the real engine of progress—and thankfully, it scales.
Michael Gross
Looking back over his years in tech, Michael has witnessed the industry transform time and again. From the mysterious early days when people knew the internet worked but not always why, through the era when IT was considered just another utility like electricity, to the cloud revolution and the rise of social media giants. Now, with AI reshaping everything once again, he sees the industry's constant evolution as one of its most exciting aspects.
Michael has seen first-hand how digitalisation has transformed every sector. Take the automotive industry - cars have evolved from simple vehicles into what Michael calls "iPhones with wheels," complete software-defined mobility experiences that gain value through data and applications rather than losing it through depreciation.
Today, every business is a digital business. Whether it's a major retailer whose checkouts depend on cloud connections, or a streaming service delivering content to millions of viewers, they all need reliable, fast, and secure connections. That's the world Michael operates in at NL-ix. Working with carriers, ISPs, and streaming services but also with enterprise clients across Germany, he's helping build the digital infrastructure that modern businesses can't live without. As he puts it, while the internet connects everyone, NL-ix makes sure those connections work at the speed and scale businesses need.
