Category: Tandem

Mark Whitfield, Career Progression at Insider Technologies from 1995 to 2013

Mark Whitfield spent 18 years (August 1995 – September 2013) at Insider Technologies Limited (ITL) in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester.

Mark Whitfield, Career Progression at Insider Technologies from 1995 to 2013
Mark Whitfield – Career Progression at Insider Technologies from 1995 to 2013

During this tenure, he progressed from a Senior HP NonStop Developer and Team Leader into a Product Manager and PRINCE2-certified Senior IT Project Manager.

Insider Technologies Limited - ITL Career Progression & Roles 1995 thru 2013
Insider Technologies Limited, ITL | Career Progression & Roles | 1995 thru 2013

Detailed Chronological Timeline (1995–2013)

1995–1996: Reflex 80:20 Core Engineering & Event Console

  • Reflex 80:20 Core Development. Whitfield joined ITL as a Senior Programmer to build SCOBOL requesters and update COBOL85 servers on Tandem K-Series Tandem mainframes. These modules polled CPU, disk, and process health metrics to feed a Windows 3.1 GUI front end.
  • Guardian Security Layer. He designed and built two SCOBOL requesters and a PATHWAY server to authenticate Guardian users. This added role-based task ownership and execution security to the Reflex console.
  • HP NonStop EMS Event Viewer Console. Following formal Transaction Application Language (TAL) training at HP High Wycombe, he engineered a TAL PATHWAY server using Subsystem Programmatic Interface (SPI) calls. This enabled multi-user EMS event filtering, token breakdown, and automated alert triggers via email or SMS.

1996–1997: Graphical Status & Service Monitoring

  • Graphical NSK Status Monitor. Promoted to Team Leader, Whitfield designed ITL’s first SQL database project alongside a TAL PATHWAY server. The system grouped NonStop objects into a “Windows Explorer” style drill-down tree for operations bridges at clients like the Bank of England.
  • Cross-Sectional Service Monitor. After completing C/C++ training in London in March 1997, he led the development of ITL’s first NonStop C and C++ PATHWAY servers. Using embedded SQL and Boolean rules, the software correlated component health across multiple nodes to warn of business service degradation.

Aug 1997 – Nov 1997: CRESTCo (Euroclear) London Placement

  • Volume & Benchmark Testing. ITL contracted Whitfield on-site for three months at CRESTCo (now Euroclear) at St. Katherine’s Dock, London. He wrote custom volume-testing and benchmark software in COBOL85, NonStop SQL, and TACL.
  • Hardware Validation. His benchmarking suite validated the performance of CRESTCo’s Stock Settlement application on the UK’s first newly installed Tandem S7000 G-Series ServerNet nodes against legacy K-Class systems.

1997–1998: Management Information Systems (MIS) Reporting

  • First Project Management Assignment. Returning from London as a Product Manager, Whitfield led the project to add MIS reporting to Reflex 80:20.
  • Cross-Platform Relay Architecture. He architected PATHWAY servers to extract NonStop metrics and relay them to a Windows Microsoft SQL Server database. This enabled historical tabular and graphical performance trend reporting.

1998–2001: Product Management & Enterprise Integrations

  • Multi-Product Lifecycle Ownership. Appointed Manager of Operations Products, he oversaw 6 to 8 NonStop and Windows developers across four core software products under strict ISO9001 quality standards.
  • Enterprise Framework Integrations. He managed the integration of Reflex 80:20 with IBM Tivoli Enterprise Manager and B&B COMMAND/POST (later BMC Patrol), alongside comprehensive NonStop file monitoring and site-swap disaster recovery features.
  • MultiBatch & Central Bank Telemetry (1999–2001). Whitfield oversaw real-time telemetry, automated file monitors, and MultiBatch job scheduling deployments for the Bank of England and Deutsche Bank to support Euro-zone cross-border transaction auditing.
  • International Training & Conferences. He delivered on-site Reflex 80:20 training for Shell in the Netherlands (February 1999) and Deutsche Bank in Salford Quays (November 2000), while representing ITL at the South African Tandem User Group (SATUG) in 1999.

2002–2003: HP OpenView Certification & Reflex ONE24 Launch

  • HP OpenView Operations (OVO) Smart Plug-In. Following research at HP OpenView Universe in Lisbon, Whitfield managed the engineering of a 2-way Smart Plug-In (SPI) linking Reflex 80:20 with HP OVO. He oversaw acceptance testing at HP Labs in Fort Collins, Colorado, securing the world’s first official HP certification for a NonStop OVO Smart Plug-In.
  • Reflex ONE24 for BASE24. He architected low-CPU PATHWAY servers using XPNET APIs and Insession ICE DDL libraries to “listen rather than interrogate” ACI’s BASE24 payment engine. He deployed Reflex ONE24 and trained staff at LloydsTSB (March 2003), Bank of Ireland, Bank of Valletta (Malta), and Commercial and Piraeus Banks (Greece).
  • LloydsTSB OISS Bid. He led the technical gap analysis and costing for a major bid to replace LloydsTSB’s legacy OISS operations tool managing 5,000 ATMs with Reflex ONE24.

2004–2007: RTLX Reactor & Retail Banking Rollouts

  • RTLX Reactor Development. Whitfield joined the core team building Real-Time Log eXtraction (RTLX) as an add-on to ITL’s Windows-based Sentra console. The system used ITL’s proprietary FastPipe TCP/IP protocol to stream BASE24 ATM and POS transaction logs (TLF / PTLF) from NonStop to Microsoft SQL Server.
  • UK Clearing Bank Deployments. Working with joint architects at Alliance & Leicester (now Santander) in Bootle and HSBC in London, he designed real-time browser dashboards and SQL Reporting Services outputs. He launched RTLX internationally at the 2006 European BASE24 User Group (EBUG) in Lisbon.
  • Bespoke Acquiring Monitoring (2007). Following EBUG engagements in Lisbon and Istanbul, he helped secure and deliver a customized RTLX deployment for a major Sheffield-based bank. He authored the Technical Interface Specification to parse proprietary TLF/PTLF layouts and built graphical “hypervisor” displays tracking retailer authorization and denial rates.

2008–2010: XPERT24 & Global Payment Expansion

  • HSBC Mainframe Rollout (2008). Whitfield headed the delivery team implementing enterprise ATM and POS monitoring across HSBC’s heavily customized BASE24 mainframe environment.
  • XPERT24 Product Architecture. He wrote the technical design and program specifications for XPERT24 (XPNET Performance Monitoring and Tracking) and managed its acceptance testing at ACI Worldwide in Watford.
  • Corporate Web Presence. In 2009, ITL tasked him with designing, authoring, and optimizing the corporate website (insidertech.co.uk) using the .NET SQL DotNetNuke CMS framework.

2011–2013: Al Rajhi Bank Mega-Project & Strategic Integrations

  • PRINCE2 & Agile Formalization (2011). Whitfield formalized his delivery methodology by qualifying as a Certified PRINCE2 Practitioner (May 2011), completing Agile Scrum training, and earning ITIL Foundation certification (January 2012).
  • Al Rajhi Bank Riyadh Rollout (2011–2013). For his final major ITL initiative, he made multiple trips to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to manage the deployment of RTLX Reactor for Al Rajhi Bank’s BASE24 Classic estate. The project engineered optimized parsing to ingest and query multiple terabytes (10 years’ worth) of tape-archived ATM and POS transaction logs, earning a feature in the global HPE NonStop journal The Connection in 2013.
  • Global Enterprise Integrations & 24/7 Support. Through September 2013, he managed SLA monitoring and framework integrations for Global Payments and Standard Chartered, while providing 24/7 specialist support for Bank of England, RBS, Euroclear, and Thales e-SECURITY cryptographic gateways (SRM and SafeSign).

Core Technical & Methodological Stack at ITL

  • Platforms & Hardware: Tandem / HP NonStop (K-Series, ServerNet S-Series, Itanium J-Series), GUARDIAN / NSK OS, Windows NT/2000/XP, Unix/Linux.
  • Payment & Monitoring Software: Reflex 80:20, Reflex ONE24, RTLX Reactor, Sentra, XPERT24, MultiBatch, ACI BASE24 Classic & BASE24-eps, XPNET, HP OpenView Operations, IBM Tivoli, Thales HSM8000 / PayShield 9000.
  • Languages & Databases: TAL, NonStop C/C++, COBOL85, SCOBOL, TACL, PATHWAY, ENSCRIBE, NonStop SQL, Microsoft SQL Server, ASP.NET, Java, Crystal Reports, BIRT.

Mark Whitfield, Career Progression at Insider Technologies from 1995 to 2013 above

Mark Whitfield – Companies worked with since 1990

Since graduating in 1990, UK-based Senior IT Project and Engagement Manager Mark Whitfield has worked with over 65 employers, banking institutions, enterprise clients, third-party technology suppliers, and training providers.

Mark Whitfield, Companies worked with since 1990
Mark Whitfield | Companies worked with since 1990

His career spans software engineering on legacy Tandem / HPE NonStop mainframes through to enterprise digital transformation, cloud migration, and API-led integration delivery. All organisations documented in his career portfolio on PROject Templates are detailed below.

Employers & Direct Career Roles (1990–Present)

  • The Software Partnership (TSP) / Deluxe Data International Operations (1990–1995). Worked in Runcorn, Knutsford, and Poole as a Programmer and Lead Analyst. He engineered early desktop electronic banking software (sp/ARCHITECT-BANK) on Tandem Computers.
  • Insider Technologies Limited (ITL) (1995–2013). Spent 18 years in Salford Quays scaling from Senior Programmer to Product Manager and IT Project Manager. He delivered HPE NonStop monitoring (Reflex), batch scheduling (MultiBatch), and ATM/POS log extraction (RTLX, Sentra) solutions.
  • Wincor Nixdorf UK (2013–2014). Operated as an Agile IT Project Manager based in Woking, Bracknell, and Halifax. He managed ATM hardware and software transitions across major UK retail banks.
  • Betfred (2014–2016). Served in Wigan as Senior IT Project Manager for Betfred Online and Mobile. He led Agile Scrum deliveries across sportsbooks, virtual gaming, mobile apps, and payment gateways.
  • Capgemini UK (2016–Present). Works out of Manchester and London as an SC-cleared Engagement Manager and Delivery Manager. He oversees hybrid cloud migrations (AWS, Azure), Power Platform deployments, and enterprise integrations across private and public sectors.
  • MuleSoft, a Salesforce Company (2018–2019). Augmented from Capgemini into MuleSoft as a Delivery Manager. He oversaw Anypoint Platform portfolios, discovery workshops, and outcome-based delivery plans.

Banking, Financial & Payment Clients

  • Al Rajhi Bank (Saudi Arabia). Led on-site consultancy and Agile Scrum delivery in Riyadh to parse 10 years of archived ATM/POS transaction logs into the RTLX querying suite.
  • Alliance & Leicester (now Santander). Delivered enterprise transaction and payment monitoring software solutions during his tenure at Insider Technologies.
  • Bank of England. Managed enterprise-grade IT infrastructure and critical transaction platform solutions.
  • Bank of Ireland. Provided HPE NonStop system management and payment application monitoring consultancy.
  • Bank of Scotland. Developed core sp/ARCHITECT-BANK electronic desktop banking code on Tandem mainframes.
  • Bank of Valletta (Malta). Delivered critical path payment monitoring and SLA tracking utilities.
  • Barclays Bank. Worked on-site in Knutsford and Poole developing the Barclays Business Master II (BBM II) electronic banking and batch billing modules, alongside later digital transformation deliveries.
  • Commercial Bank of Greece. Implemented HPE NonStop ATM/POS transaction monitoring and system management tools.
  • CRESTCo (now Euroclear UK & International). Completed an on-site consultancy placement in London in 1997 to build high-volume performance and throughput benchmarking software for their Stock Settlement application.
  • Deutsche Bank. Delivered high-volume financial transaction and infrastructure software solutions.
  • Girofon (Denmark). Engineered sp/ARCHITECT banking code and Periphonics touch-tone interactive voice response (IVR) balance-checking software.
  • Global Payments. Delivered browser-enabled Real-Time Log Extraction (RTLX) and transaction monitoring systems.
  • HSBC. Deployed RTLX transaction querying software and HPE NonStop payment monitoring solutions.
  • Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) / Lloyds TSB. Managed a £5m+ Wincor Nixdorf workstream on-site in Halifax for the Self-Service Software Replacement (SSSR) ATM estate upgrade, alongside earlier RTLX and BASE24 monitoring projects.
  • Piraeus Bank (Greece). Supported payment application monitoring and infrastructure optimization during his Insider Technologies tenure.
  • Rabobank (Utrecht, Netherlands). Developed sp/ARCHITECT-BANK electronic banking logic and later provided HPE NonStop monitoring consultancy.
  • Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Engineered and deployed mission-critical electronic banking transaction logic on Tandem mainframes.
  • Standard Chartered. Delivered SLA and transaction monitoring solutions for critical payment platforms.
  • TSB. Developed early desktop corporate banking software modules (COBOL85 and NonStop SQL) at The Software Partnership.

Enterprise, Aviation, Automotive & Public Sector Customers

  • Aerospace & Defence Sector Clients. Served as Senior Project Lead managing SC-cleared client-side project tracking, multi-million-pound budgets, and structured gateway deliveries.
  • Heathrow Airport. Managed critical middleware, software, and infrastructure implementations via Capgemini UK.
  • Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). Acted as Capgemini Project Manager leading a large-scale Agile system integration, supply chain data pipeline, and middleware programme.
  • Local Regional Government (LRG). Led public sector digital programmes, including a Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM discovery and build for citizen issue tracking.
  • NATS (National Air Traffic Services). Managed critical infrastructure platform monitoring and enterprise systems delivery.
  • Royal Mail Group (RMG). Directed large-scale IT shipping, hybrid cloud migration, and backend network tracking updates.
  • UK Central Government (UK Gov). Spearheaded multi-million-pound public sector application estate migrations and managed delivery under the UK Government CHIP Framework.

Third-Party Suppliers, Vendors & Technology Partners

During his roles at Betfred, Insider Technologies, and Capgemini, Mark managed external software suppliers and integrated third-party platforms:

  • Gaming, Sportsbook & Data Suppliers (via Betfred). Managed third-party delivery pipelines for Activewin, Appsflyer, Degree53 (UX agency), Finsoft, IGT, In Game Media, Income Access, Ineda, Inspired, Intelligent Payments (Myriad), iovation (fraud detection), Onionsack, OtherLevels, Playtech, Satellite Information Services (SIS), StreamUK, Virgo, and Virtue Fusion.
  • Enterprise Hardware & Middleware Partners. Integrated and certified solutions alongside ACI Worldwide (BASE24, XPNET), Boole & Babbage (COMMAND/POST), Hewlett Packard Enterprise / Tandem Computers (HPE NonStop, HP OpenView Operations), IBM (Tivoli, WebSphere MQ, AIX), Microsoft (Azure, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, SQL Server), Oracle, Periphonics / Nortel (VPS voice systems), Thales e-Security (HSM8000, PayShield 9000, SafeSign), and Wolters Kluwer (Enablon).
  • Industry User Groups & Conference Bodies. Presented and collaborated with banking delegates through BITUG (British Isles Tandem User Group), EBUG (European BASE24 User Group), ITUG (International Tandem User Group), and SATUG (South African Tandem User Group).

Training Companies & Educational Institutions

Mark’s formal education and documented professional training history span the following institutions and training providers:

  • Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) (1988–1990). Graduated with Distinction (1st overall in cohort) in a two-year BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computer Studies.
  • Capgemini University / Campus (2016–Present). Completed Advanced Engagement Management Certification Level 2 at Serge Kampf Les Fontaines (Chantilly, France), alongside internal UK Business Unit and e-learning modules.
  • Comtec Computer Training (1997). Completed formal C and C++ programming certification.
  • HP NonStop UK Education Centre (1993–1995). Completed technical mainframe courses in Guardian Principles, Performance Analysis and Tuning, and TAL Programming.
  • IIL UK Education Centre (2000). Attained Orange Belt certification in the Microsoft Project ’98 Certification Series.
  • ILX Group (2011). Completed accredited PRINCE2 Foundation and PRINCE2 Practitioner certifications under Cyril Caulkin.
  • iTrain Education (2009). Attended London courses on Writing for the Web and Website Promotion and Visibility by Design with Dave Fisher.
  • Microsoft Training & Udemy (2022–2024). Completed online certification for AZ-900 Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals and refresher courses in Microsoft Excel.
  • Outsource (2001). Completed in-house Sales and Marketing training delivered by Peter Donovan.
  • Periphonics / Nortel (1994). Trained on VPS 7000/9000 Series Voice Processing Application Development (VOS 4.3).
  • Pinnacle Corporate Limited (2019). Completed Resilience and Peak Performance training led by Richard Reid at Capgemini Manchester.
  • QA Training (2009). Completed Microsoft SQL 2000 Transact-SQL (M2071) training in Leeds.
  • RADTAC (2011). Completed in-house Agile Scrum framework training.
  • Remarc Technologies Training (2007). Completed course 2310B (Developing Microsoft ASP.NET Web Applications Using Visual Studio .NET) in Leeds.
  • SkillPath Seminars (1999–2006). Attended Manchester workshops on Managing Multiple Projects, Successful Project Management, and Designing Good Marketing Literature.
  • Thales e-Security (2006). Completed in-house Cryptography training led by Tim Fox.
Mark Whitfield, Senior IT Project Manager, Companies worked with since 1990
Mark Whitfield | Senior IT Project Manager | Companies worked with since 1990

Mark Whitfield – Companies worked with since 1990 above

Mark Whitfield, HPE NonStop Tandem experience since 1990

Mark Whitfield is an SC-cleared Senior IT Project and Engagement Manager with over three decades of professional experience (1990–present) deeply rooted in fault-tolerant HPE NonStop (formerly Tandem Computers) NonStop Kernel (NSK) systems.

Mark Whitfield - HPE NonStop Tandem experience since 1990
Mark Whitfield, HPE NonStop Tandem experience since 1990

His career timeline transitions from hands-on platform engineering to enterprise product management, infrastructure monitoring, and high-value digital transformations.

💼 1. Early Engineering & Banking Foundations Era (1990–1995)

Operating as a Programmer and Lead Analyst for The Software Partnership (TSP) (acquired by Deluxe Data International in 1994), Whitfield engineered foundational multi-user electronic corporate desktop banking platforms prior to mainstream internet adoption.

  • Core Platforms & Applications: Worked extensively on the sp/ARCHITECT-BANK Engine—built natively for Tandem Mainframes—which later evolved into the globally utilized CONNEX Advantage payment platform.
  • Blue-Chip Deliveries: Wrote, optimized, and deployed mission-critical transaction logic for major financial institutions including TSB, Bank of Scotland, Rabobank (Utrecht), Girofon (Denmark), and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
  • On-Site Bank Implementations: Conducted direct, client-facing system code configuration and delivery on-site at the Barclays facility in Knutsford for the Barclays Business Master II (BBM II) system.
  • Tandem / NSK Subsystems & Toolset: Natively programmed inside the Tandem Guardian OS environment using COBOL85, TAL (Tandem Application Language), NonStop SQL, and Screen COBOL (SCOBOL) for 6530 terminal setups. He heavily utilized critical platform utilities like PATHWAY (OLTP middleware), SCF, FUP, INSPECT, and XPNET.

🚀 2. Enterprise Product Management & Systems Automation Era (1995–2013)

During his 18-year career at Insider Technologies Limited (ITL) in Manchester, he scaled from Senior Programmer to Lead Designer and ultimately IT Product & Project Manager, overseeing the full software development lifecycle (SDLC).

  • The Reflex Platform (Reflex 80:20 & Reflex ONE24): Co-developed and managed high-availability diagnostic plugin modules to monitor platform health across Guardian operating system workloads.
    • Console Module: Engineered real-time filtering and tracking of Tandem EMS (Event Management Service) logs.
    • Status Monitor: Monitored complex hardware/software system layers (CPU, Disks, Processes, WebSphere MQ, XPNET, TCP/IP).
    • Service Monitor: Constructed rule-based, multi-line logic engines to track general enterprise SLA metrics.
  • CRESTCo (Euroclear) Benchmark Consultant (1997): Handled a highly specific consulting placement at CRESTCo in London to architect custom high-volume performance testing and throughput benchmarking utilities within their live Tandem mainframe clusters.
  • High-Value Integrations: Led payment engine configurations, technical cross-platform rollouts, and electronic transaction utilities bridging BASE24, EPS, and MultiBatch backend systems.
  • Global Deployments: Commanded the rollout of the RTLX (Real-Time Log Extraction) Reactor Suite for global networks like Al Rajhi Bank (Saudi Arabia), transferring critical mainframe transaction logs into modern open databases.
  • Thought Leadership (2013): Authored an architectural white paper in The Connection (the global HPE NonStop professional journal) titled “Episode IV – A New Hope”, establishing a blueprint for streaming legacy mainframe architecture data into modern, open Big Data systems.

🛡️ 3. Modern Enterprise Leadership & Digital Transformations (2013–Present)

Transitioning into high-stakes executive consultancy across Wincor Nixdorf, Betfred, and Capgemini UK (where he serves as a Senior Engagement and Delivery Manager), Whitfield blends classic high-availability Tandem architecture expertise with modern governance frameworks.

  • Core Banking Swaps: Managed a £5m+ HP NonStop core swap and log monitoring infrastructure overhaul for major retail banking giants, maintaining 100% operational uptime.
  • Hybrid Cloud Architecture: Spearheaded secure cloud integration programs, bridging legacy, fault-tolerant mainframe clusters (like HPE NonStop X frameworks) securely with modern cloud fabrics and API environments, including AWS, Azure, and MuleSoft API-led layers.
  • Cross-Sector Governance: Deployed high-availability service assurance and agile programs for highly regulated organizations such as Lloyds Banking Group, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Royal Mail Group, and the Bank of England.

Mark Whitfield, HPE NonStop Tandem experience since 1990 above

Mark Whitfield, project work at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data

During the early stages of his IT career from 1990 to 1995, Senior IT Project Manager Mark Whitfield worked at The Software Partnership (later acquired in 1994 by Deluxe Data International Operations) based in Runcorn, UK.

It is important to note a key factual clarification: during this specific tenure (1990–1995), Mark Whitfield did not yet hold the title of IT Project Manager. Instead, he worked as a Junior Programmer, Programmer, Senior Programmer, and Lead Analyst, laying his technical foundations on highly resilient electronic banking systems before transitioning into senior project management later in his career.

Mark Whitfield - project work at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data
Mark Whitfield | project work at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data

Below is the comprehensive chronological breakdown of the IT projects, technical architectures, and delivery duties he fulfilled at the Runcorn office.

Phase-by-Phase Project Breakdown (1990 – 1995)

1. Lead Analyst | Customer Support & Enhancements (1994 – 1995)

  • Application Focus: Supporting live sp/ARCHITECT-BANK Direct Electronic Banking applications across major clearing banks in England, Holland, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia.
  • Periphonics Voice System: Managed the Customer Acceptance phase and production installation of phone-banking software enhancements for a major clearing bank in Denmark. The integration layered a Periphonics touch-tone voice response unit over an HP NonStop host database to provide balance inquiries and statement ordering.
  • Core Responsibilities: Resolving critical system failures, tracking diagnostic performance errors, deploying patches, and providing 24/7 on-call technical infrastructure support.

2. Senior Programmer | Client Customisation & Release Management (1994)

  • Application Focus: System modifications for a prominent clearing bank based in Holland.
  • Core Responsibilities: Supervising code base updates triggered by client acceptance criteria. He utilized the version control environment CONTROL to regulate builds, managed technical release documentation, and simulated incoming PC interfaces via the sp/TESTBED harness utility.

3. Programmer | Core Transaction & Host Interface Development (1991 – 1994)

  • Denmark Phone Banking (1994): Independently coded new transactional handler engines on the HP NonStop server architecture, extending remote banking functionalities.
  • Saudi Arabia Batch Host Interface (1993 – 1994): Architected and coded file-transfer batch automation jobs utilizing TCP/IP connections between HP NonStop environments and corporate host bank mainframes. Programmed automated TACL scripting configurations inside NETBATCH schedules to refresh core SQL tables with balance sheet, security, calendar, and transaction payloads.
  • Standard Product Standardisation (1993): Evaluated code repositories from previously deployed architectures to isolate viable standalone software modules, constructing a unified baseline product release for future development teams.
  • Barclays Billing System Deployment (1993): Completed a 3-month on-site development deployment for Barclays Bank in Poole, Dorset. Designed and deployed a batch analytics and report infrastructure utilizing MULTIBATCH and BCOM communication protocols to calculate customer account utility fees and file transfer billing metrics.
  • Terminal Management & Authorisation System (TMAS) (1993): Coded front-end message processing scripts to handle real-time merchant electronic point of sale (EPOS) financial handshakes.
  • IBM/Tandem Mainframe Integration (1991 – 1992): Designed multi-platform batch file integrations between HP NonStop modules and backend IBM mainframe environments using BCOM. Wrote internal logic checks to audit high-value domestic and cross-border commercial bank payments prior to host clearance.

4. Junior Programmer | System Testing & Initial Builds (1990 – 1991)

  • Reporting & Event Management System (EMS) (1990 – 1991): Programmed audit reports extracting localized banking system logs using structural programming language logic linked to custom event filtering arrays.
  • Barclays BusinessMaster II System Testing (1990): Executed end-to-end integration scripts for the bank’s administrative interface screens, utilizing INSPECT tools to debug data pathways across system components during client acceptance reviews.

Technical Environment Stack

The mission-critical banking architectures delivered out of the Runcorn location utilized a specialized, high-availability platform stack:

Mark Whitfield project work at The Software Partnership, Deluxe Data
Mark Whitfield | Project work at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data | Norton House, Crowngate, Runcorn
Mark Whitfield, Project work at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data, Wingate House, Northway, Runcorn
Mark Whitfield | Project work at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data | Wingate House, Northway, Runcorn

Mark Whitfield, project work at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data above

Mark Whitfield, IT project work at Insider Technologies, Salford Quays

During his 18-year tenure (1995–2013) at Insider Technologies Limited (ITL) in Salford Quays, UK, Mark Whitfield transitioned from a core technical engineer into strategic project management. He specialized in high-volume transaction monitoring, infrastructure optimization, and service management utilities built heavily for critical financial and corporate frameworks.

Mark Whitfield - IT project work at Insider Technologies, Salford Quays
Mark Whitfield | IT project work at Insider Technologies, Salford Quays

A detailed breakdown of his core IT project delivery timeline at Insider Technologies includes the following key initiatives:

1. Reflex Monitoring Suite R&D (1995–1996)

  • Technology & Platform: Tandem GUARDIAN O/S, Reflex tracking console (Reflex 80:20), automated system diagnostics.
  • Languages Used: NonStop C, C++, TAL (Transaction Application Language).
  • Client & Budget: Internal ITL Product R&D Capital Expenditure.
  • Overview: Focused on foundational software design and the development of early-stage platform health metrics, diagnostic tools, and transaction monitoring modules.
  • Key Achievements: Co-developed the foundational diagnostic plug-in tracking architectures for ITL’s flagship monitoring console suite.
  • Landscape: Driven by early globalization and expanding commercial banking needs, shifting code architectures from isolated local tools to client-server diagnostics.

2. CRESTCo Infrastructure Integration (1997–1998)

  • Technology & Platform: Tandem S7000 processing hardware nodes, volume stress-testing utilities.
  • Languages Used: TAL, NonStop C, SQL.
  • Client: CRESTCo (now Euroclear).
  • Overview: Acted as a technical infrastructure consultant tasked with evaluating, benchmarking, and optimizing software performance on newly deployed mainframe processing arrays.
  • Key Achievements: Ran rigorous volume benchmark code and strict system stress-testing across live processing nodes to protect critical equity settlement pathways.
  • Landscape: Pushed by accelerated European financial integration and the urgency to securely standardize cross-border equity settlements.

3. MultiBatch Telemetry & Tracking Protocols (1999–2001)

  • Technology & Platform: MultiBatch scheduling architectures, real-time automated file monitors, transaction log extraction pipelines.
  • Languages Used: TAL, COBOL85, ENSCRIBE.
  • Client: Bank of England and Deutsche Bank.
  • Overview: Project managed multi-organizational real-time telemetry deployments to secure critical path settlement systems.
  • Key Achievements: Oversaw the technical delivery and deployment of automated job scheduling utilities and file monitoring systems across distinct cross-border central banking platforms.
  • Landscape: Shaped by the launch of the Euro currency zone, which required massive scaling and tight auditing of cross-border financial transactions.

4. Hewlett-Packard (HP) NonStop Certification Initiative (2002–2003)

  • Technology & Platform: HP OpenView Operations (OVO), Enterprise Manager, Smart Plug-In (SPI) framework for HPE NonStop mainframes.
  • Languages Used: NonStop C, C++, Java.
  • Client: Hewlett-Packard (HP).
  • Overview: Managed the complex compliance, verification, and engineering lifecycle required to gain enterprise ecosystem validation for ITL software.
  • Key Achievements: Secured the world’s first officially certified HP OpenView Operations 2-way Smart Plug-In (SPI) built specifically for NonStop mainframes.
  • Landscape: Marked by the consolidation of corporate enterprise IT frameworks, pushing hardware vendors to offer “single-pane-of-glass” tracking tools across legacy platforms.

5. ATM Log Extraction Deployments — RTLX & Sentra (2004–2007)

  • Technology & Platform: RTLX (Real-Time Log eXtraction) Reactor, Sentra, browser-enabled monitoring consoles.
  • Languages Used: C++, Java, ASP.NET, SQL.
  • Client: HSBC and Alliance & Leicester (now Santander).
  • Overview: Implementation of automated real-time transaction log extraction and audit protocols across massive retail banking environments.
  • Key Achievements: Scaled data collection pipelines into unified browser dashboards, protecting high-volume, critical consumer cash-machine networks from systemic gaps.
  • Landscape: Fueled by the explosion of point-of-sale (POS) card transactions and physical cash machine usage, forcing banks to implement strict regulatory audit trails.

6. Cross-Border ATM & POS Monitoring Expansion (2008–2010)

  • Technology & Platform: BASE24 Classic, BASE24-eps, high-volume transaction telemetry engines.
  • Languages Used: SCOBOL, PATHWAY, C++, SQL.
  • Client: Al Rajhi Bank (Saudi Arabian Retail Bank).
  • Overview: Appointed as Project Manager overseeing a complex international rollout of high-volume transaction tracking software.
  • Key Achievements: Successfully deployed infrastructure-wide monitoring capabilities for multi-thousand node POS and ATM environments abroad.
  • Landscape: Driven by rapid technological development and economic expansion in the Gulf region, creating a demand for localized, modern financial stability tools. [1]

7. Corporate Framework Integration Projects (2011–2013)

  • Technology & Platform: IBM Tivoli, XPERT24, ACI’s XPNET framework, Service Level Agreement (SLA) monitoring suites.
  • Languages Used: NonStop C, C++, Java.
  • Client: Global Payments and Standard Chartered.
  • Overview: Managed software integration pipelines connecting native ITL payment transaction monitors with external multi-platform enterprise corporate frameworks.
  • Key Achievements: Bridged historically siloed legacy monitoring environments into consolidated ITIL dashboards, ensuring complete visual oversight over critical payment pipelines.
  • Landscape: Influenced by the post-2008 financial crisis, forcing financial organizations to prove absolute monitoring over failure risks and operational resilience.

Mark Whitfield, IT project work at Insider Technologies, Salford Quays above

Mark Whitfield - HPE NonStop project work at Insider Technologies, Salford Quays
Mark Whitfield, HPE NonStop project work at Insider Technologies, Salford Quays

Mark Whitfield, HPE NonStop Tandem Experience since 1990

Mark Whitfield is an SC-cleared Senior IT Project and Engagement Manager with a career spanning over 30 years (1990–present) focused on fault-tolerant HPE NonStop (Tandem) NonStop Kernel (NSK) systems.

Mark Whitfield - HPE NonStop Tandem Experience since 1990
Mark Whitfield | HPE NonStop Tandem Experience since 1990

His background bridges low-level system programming with enterprise project delivery and hybrid cloud modernization.

🛠️ Core Technical Toolset

  • Languages & Scripts: TAL, COBOL85, NonStop C/C++, Screen COBOL (SCOBOL), and TACL.
  • Databases & Middleware: NonStop SQL, Enscribe, and Tandem PATHWAY.
  • Utilities: SCF, FUP, INSPECT, and XPNET.

⏳ Chronological Career Highlights

  • Engineering & Electronic Banking (1990–1995): Worked with The Software Partnership and Deluxe Data International, engineering pre-internet desktop banking systems like sp/ARCHITECT-BANK for TSB, Bank of Scotland, and Rabobank. Led core architecture and mainframe coding for the Barclays Business Master II platform and built IVR suites for Girofon in Denmark.
  • Product Management & Monitoring (1995–2013): Spent 18 years at Insider Technologies Limited (ITL) transitioning from Senior Programmer to IT Product/Project Manager. Co-developed the Reflex 80:20 diagnostic suite to monitor transaction logs on HPE NonStop systems integrated with ACI Worldwide BASE24. Acted as a technical consultant for Euroclear (CRESTCo) performance benchmarking on S7000 hardware and managed software lifecycles for clients like HSBC and Al Rajhi Bank.
  • Enterprise Leadership & Hybrid Cloud (2013–Present): With organizations like Wincor Nixdorf, Betfred, and Capgemini UK, he has combined mainframe expertise with Agile and PRINCE2 frameworks. Key achievements include leading a £5m+ HP NonStop core swap and log monitoring overhaul for retail banking, as well as connecting legacy HPE NonStop X environments to cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and MuleSoft.

Mark Whitfield, HPE NonStop Tandem Experience since 1990

Mark Whitfield – IT Project Manager Overview

Mark Whitfield is an SC-cleared Senior IT Project Manager and Engagement Manager based in Wigan near Manchester, UK, with over 35 years of experience across the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). He is currently employed at Capgemini UK (2016–present) and formally augmented into MuleSoft (a Salesforce company) as a Delivery Manager.

Mark Whitfield Senior IT Project Manager Agile, PRINCE2 and Waterfall
Mark Whitfield | Senior IT Project Manager | Agile, PRINCE2 and Waterfall

He is also widely known as the founder and author of PROject Templates, a popular resource platform featuring over 200 tailored, editable Microsoft Office templates for project delivery.

Career Timeline & Milestones

  • 1990–1995: Began his career as a systems programmer at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data, developing electronic banking code for international banks on Tandem Computers.
  • 1995–2013: Spent 18 years as a Product and Project Manager at Insider Technologies Ltd.
  • 2013–2016: Handled Agile PM roles at Wincor Nixdorf and Betfred, managing digital sportsbook transformations.
  • 2016–Present: Joined Capgemini UK as an Engagement and Delivery Manager.
  • Recent Deliveries (2020–2026): Spearheaded a multi-million-pound Public Sector Enterprise Application Estate Migration, managed the UK Government CHIP Framework under strict active Security Check (SC) protocols, and stepped into his active position at MuleSoft overseeing the Anypoint Platform portfolio.

Core Expertise & Delivery Frameworks

  • Methodologies: Expert across hybrid delivery models, blending rigid structure with flexibility using Waterfall, PRINCE2 7th Edition, Agile Scrum, Kanban, and Lean frameworks.
  • Technical DNA: Deep enterprise systems engineering background covering HPE NonStop (Tandem) mainframes, C/C++, COBOL, NonStop SQL, BASE24, cloud migrations, and API-led system integrations.
  • PM Toolkits: Created an extensive open repository containing RAID logs, Gantt charts, Plan on a Page (POaP) layouts, RACI matrices, and financial trackers used by thousands of digital project leaders worldwide.

Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013

A HPE NonStop article I wrote in 2013 while I was working for Insider Technologies Limited in Salford Quays. I was working with a bank client in Saudi Arabia at the time who required a browser based solution for querying terabytes of transaction log data downloaded from a HPE NonStop mainframe. I themed the article on sci-fi movies. PDF version – page 12.

Episode IV – A New Hope
(…for both Archived Legacy and Real-Time Transactions and NonStop EMS Alerts)

7. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal

A long time ago (well, 2010) at an EBUG conference far, far away (I guess it depends on where you’re coming from but anyway, Madrid)…

1. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
2. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
3. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
4. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
5. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013