Category: HP NonStop

Mark Whitfield IT Career Timeline, AI generated from Google

The technical timeline for 

Mark Whitfield, an SC cleared, Senior IT Project Manager and Engagement Manager, spans over 30 years and transitions from specialized banking software development to high-level project leadership and cloud migrations. 

Professional Career Timeline

  • 1990 – 1994: Programmer at The Software Partnership (later Deluxe Data). Developed electronic banking software (sp/ARCHITECT-BANK) on Tandem Computers (now HPE NonStop) for major banks like TSB and Bank of Scotland.
  • 1994 – 1995: Lead Analyst at Deluxe Data International, continuing support and development for banking customer systems.
  • 1995 – 2013: Project Manager of Strategic Technical Initiatives at Insider Technologies Limited. Oversaw projects involving Reflex 80:20, Sentra development, and corporate website authoring.
  • 2013 – 2014: Project Manager (Banking Division) at Wincor Nixdorf Limited, focusing on professional services for the banking sector.
  • 2014 – 2016: Senior Digital Project Manager at Betfred Limited, managing the Online and Mobile Division.
  • 2016 – Present:Engagement Manager / Senior PM at Capgemini UK.
    • 2016: Led a £4.3M data centre migration for Royal Mail (RMG) involving 1,100+ interfaces.
    • 2018 – 2019: Augmented into MuleSoft as a Delivery Manager for the Anypoint Platform.
    • 2020 – Present: Leading a £13.5M cloud migration program moving 130 UK government apps to Azure and AWS. 

Technical Training & Education

Whitfield maintains an active Professional Training timeline to adapt to changing technologies:

  • 1990: Graduated in Computing.
  • 1995: HP NonStop TAL Programming and Performance Tuning.
  • 1997: C/C++ Programming at Comtec.
  • 2006 – 2009: Deep dive into security and databases, including Cryptography, Thales e-Security, and Microsoft SQL 2000.
  • 2011: Java and Google Android programming using Eclipse IDE.
  • 2014 – 2024: Advanced Microsoft Excel and AI-focused refreshers. 

He is also a Certified Engagement Manager and a registered PRINCE2 Practitioner proficient in both Agile Scrum and Waterfall methodologies.

The Software Partnership (TSP) was a Runcorn-based software house

The Software Partnership (TSP) was a Runcorn-based software house co-founded by Nigel Walsh in the mid-1980s. Specialising in on-line banking systems for Tandem and UNIX platforms, the company underwent several acquisitions that integrated its technology into global financial services. 

Corporate Timeline

  • Mid-1980s: Founded as The Software Partnership.
  • 1990: Initial operations were based at Wingate Drive in Timperley before moving to Norton House in Crowngate, Runcorn.
  • 1992: Relocated to Wingate House on Northway, Runcorn.
  • 1994: Acquired by the American firm Deluxe Electronic Payment Systems (a subsidiary of Deluxe Corporation).
  • 2000: The company transitioned to EFD eFunds.
  • 2007: Became part of Fidelity National Information Services (FIS), eventually moving operations to Daresbury Park in Warrington. 

Key Products

The company’s primary legacy is the development of sp/ARCHITECT-BANK, a software suite designed for secure card management and electronic transaction processing. This technology became a foundational component for the secure payment systems later managed by Deluxe Data and FIS. 

The Software Partnership, Norton House, Crowngate, Runcorn, Cheshire
The Software Partnership (TSP) was a Runcorn-based software house
Deluxe Data International Operations, Wingate House, Northway

https://mark-whitfield.com/career/tsp-deluxe-data-1990-1995/

Insider Technologies Limited, Manchester – from Google AI

Insider Technologies Limited is a UK-based software and services company founded in 1989 that specialises in 24×7 mission-critical systems, primarily for the financial, government, and defence sectors. 

Key Historical Timeline

  • 1989: Foundation. The company was incorporated on 27 February 1989. It was established in Manchester, England, by IT industry veterans.
  • 1995–2013: Growth & Partnerships.
    • Became a significant HP Partner, developing solutions for the HP NonStop platform (formerly Tandem Computers).
    • Expanded its client base to include major institutions such as the Bank of England, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Euroclear.
  • 2002: Training Platform Launch. Founded its interactive systems training platform, which eventually utilised its patented Cloning Technology.
  • 2015: Leadership Transition. In October 2015, there was a major change in the board with the termination of appointments for directors Paul Cashmore, Richard Launder, and Anthony Mowatt, and the appointment of Andrew Donald Hall as a director.
  • 2016–2017: Relocation. The company moved its registered office to 4th Floor, 2 City Approach in Eccles, Manchester, where it remains today.
  • 2019: 30th Anniversary. Celebrated 30 years of operations, highlighting its long-term stability in the NonStop business technology community.
  • 2020–2021: Recent Restructuring. Transitioned its ownership structure under Insider Technologies (Holdings) Limited.
  • 2025: Current Status.
    • Now operates as part of the PartnerOne group, a global family of mission-critical software companies.
    • Continues as a Microsoft Gold Partner for Application Development.
    • Recent board changes include the appointment of Andrew Donald Hall and Jonathan Dionne as directors in late 2025. 

Core Product Evolution

  • Reflex & MultiBatch: Software for business-critical 24×7 systems.
  • Sentra & RTLX Reactor: Monitoring and tracking products for Windows, Linux, and Unix platforms.
  • Mission-Critical Support: Provides 24×7 technical support for high-stakes payment and messaging systems.
Insider Tech : 1995 – 2013

HPE NonStop Tandem Transaction Logs

HPE NonStop Tandem Transaction Logs

HPE NonStop Tandem represents a line of fault-tolerant, high-availability servers

HPE NonStop (formerly Tandem) represents a line of fault-tolerant, high-availability servers designed for 24/7, zero-downtime operations. Originally created by Tandem Computers in 1974, the architecture is now owned by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and supports mission-critical workloads like banking and finance. 

Key Aspects of HPE NonStop (Tandem):

  • Continuous Availability: Designed to eliminate single points of failure with 100% fault tolerance.
  • Architecture: Initially used a proprietary Tandem T/16 design; modern systems are based on HPE Integrity/x86 architectures.
  • Operating System: Traditionally runs the Guardian OS, which handles the system’s specialized, continuous processing capabilities.
  • Evolution: Founded by James Treybig in 1974, Tandem was acquired by Compaq in 1997, which then merged with HP in 2002.
  • Applications: Ideal for transactional applications requiring strict data integrity and real-time processing.
  • Modern Platforms: Current systems include HPE NonStop Compute NS9 X5 and NS5 X5. 

The systems are still widely used today for mission-critical applications that cannot afford to be offline. 

HPE NonStop (formerly Tandem) represents a line of fault-tolerant, high-availability servers.

Payment Architecture, Simplified Architecture

Payment Architecture, Simplified Architecture

How PCI-DSS Works for Card Transactions Payments

How PCI-DSS Works for Card Transactions Payments

Insider Technologies Limited, Spinnaker Court, Chandlers Point, 37 Broadway, Salford Quays, M50 2YR

Insider Technologies Limited, Spinnaker Court, Chandlers Point, 37 Broadway, Salford Quays, M50 2YR

Company Website – Open Content Management Framework, DotNetNuke

In the early part of the millenium, ITL requested that I design and author a new company website using the Open Content
Management framework, DotNetNuke. This is a Visual Basic .NET Microsoft SQL database driven technology that enables website updates from any location with internet browser access.

As part of this exercise, website prominence was a key driver along with a more professional, corporate look-and-feel. The website is an ongoing programme of work that takes up a few hours a week of my time in taking it forward. I have attended 2 gbdirect (iTrain) website courses in this regard; ‘Writing for the Web’ and ‘Website Prominence and Visibility’. More information.