We are proud of our special features for WordPress. A lot of work goes into the Raidboxes dashboard. Marten supports our product development so that you can continue to look forward to exciting features in the future. You can find out more about his work at Raidboxes in our interview.
Raidboxes continues to grow - be part of it
Marten, what will be your first project at Raidboxes?
I immediately got a nice theme: WordPress multisites! If you're using WordPress to create a website for a larger company, for example, or want to integrate multilingualism, you can do this very well with a multisite. As I have heard from my new colleagues, this is also a function that is often requested 🙂 The feature already exists, including multisite domain mapping. But we want to make it even more convenient.
For me, the preparation for the project consists of getting to grips with the existing multisite feature in order to exhaust the possibilities of the system. And to see how we at Raidboxes can best implement the feature for our customers. This includes testing all possible multisite types and understanding how they work (subdirectory, subdomain, multidomain, multinetwork). We then need to plan how to integrate these functions into our system. And what the user interface and usability should look like for the customer.
You have worked in agencies and as a freelance web developer. Why Raidboxes now?
Two points were very important to me: flexibility and the tasks I carry out in the company. As a freelance web developer - but also as a web developer employed by agencies - you are dependent on customer projects. Over the years, I realized that these no longer appealed to me because I was developing someone else's idea. I lost interest in this type of project. This was not only reflected in my work, but also psychologically - through a lack of motivation and listlessness.
Raidboxes as an employer
When I applied to Raidboxes, I didn't have a clear idea of what to expect. However, after the first interview with Matthias and Johannes and after the trial day, it was clear that I wanted to start at Raidboxes. I was impressed by the flexibility, the flat hierarchy and the concept. As I live in OsnabrĂĽck, I now have the option of working in the office in MĂĽnster or from home in OsnabrĂĽck. I also work here with my colleagues on Raidboxes. And no longer on ever-changing customer projects.
What is your first impression of Raidboxes and the team?
My first impression is very positive! I was given a great welcome by the team and already felt very comfortable after the first week. The time and effort that is put into making all employees feel comfortable is more than exemplary. I'm already looking forward to the time ahead!
What is the biggest difference compared to everyday agency life or self-employment?
The biggest difference to the agency is the flexibility due to the holocracy. This results in the opportunity to contribute much more intensively, to advance and discuss ideas. You can take on more responsibility for your own area of work. In an agency, the client decides what is implemented. At Raidboxes, decisions are made by the team.
Difference to self-employment
If I compare the work here with my work as a self-employed person, then of course I have the security as an employee that I receive a fixed monthly salary in my bank account. I don't have to do any customer acquisition, but I still remain flexible. I also have colleagues with whom I can discuss current projects.
With your customers: What were the biggest challenges in hosting WordPress?
In my time as a web developer, I've had the pleasure of putting several websites online and configuring hosting environments. All projects had the same problems:
- Updating the software
- The initial setup of the system and
- Handover to other agencies/freelancers
Whether WordPress or TYPO3, as soon as a security update is released, the system should be updated. Most of my customer systems were with the well-known large hosting providers and were not set up with the 1-click installations. So I had to log in to each system individually and install the updates manually. A huge effort! It was just as difficult to keep track of which website was on which version. And to keep these lists up to date.
However, not only the maintenance of the system, but also the initial setup is extensive. If you want to take everything into account here, then this not only includes a web server such as Apache or NGINX, but also the configuration of the firewall, the optimization of the database server, the PHP processes, etc. in order to achieve optimum performance for the website.
What a good hoster should have
If you have a client who commissions several agencies/freelancers, you may also have to work with them on a project. Here too, the question is how access to the project is regulated. There are certainly more points that I could list here, but that would go beyond the scope of this blog post 🙂
If I were to work as a freelance developer again, my host would have to offer the following points:
- Quick and uncomplicated installation and setup of WordPress.
- Automatic updates for WordPress (security updates and optional functional updates).
- Simple access management (access to WordPress, the hosting portal, the database and the file system).
- Simple backup system in which the backups can also be installed locally on the developer computer.
- A focus on security. Not just for the hosting infrastructure, but for the servers of the WordPress installations themselves.
Just like Raidboxes does with its managed WordPress hosting.
WordPress and TYPO3
You know your way around WordPress and TYPO3. To what extent does this knowledge help you?
TYPO3 is mostly used for larger corporate websites. This has taught me during my time as a web developer what dependencies exist in such projects and how extensive the planning and implementation is. This helps me when planning new projects at Raidboxes, as I can contribute my experience.
You work partly remotely. How do you still want to be close to the team and the sprints?
My experience working from home has taught me what is important to me at work. In the last two years, I've been in an open-plan office all the time. Before that, I spent a year working from home and traveled to the office for a few days every second or third month for important meetings.
An open-plan office and working from home are two completely different worlds. For me personally, a mix of both is the best combination. Working from home allows me to work effectively and concentrate on projects. But I also have the time flexibility there to attend appointments that I would otherwise have to postpone until the morning or evening.
In the office, I can talk to my developer colleagues in person about project-related problems, hold meetings on site and maintain social contact, but also expand it, which I find very important.
How do you manage to concentrate on your job at home?
Having worked from home for over a year and also having to organize my work completely myself as a self-employed person, I was able to develop a system for myself to work effectively and productively at home. Self-discipline is of course one of the biggest factors here, along with a tidy workspace and a precise plan of which tasks need to be completed.
A spatial separation between the private rooms and the office is of course another plus point. During my time working from home, I also worked in a coworking space for a while. For me, however, this cannot be compared to a day in the office, but would only be the mental and physical distance from my private life.
What do you do when you're not working for Raidboxes?
Even in my free time, I can usually be found in front of the PC. Besides PC gaming, I'm currently very interested in game development and 3D modeling. I used to write down my game ideas as text in a text file on our 486 and tried to run them as a file. Now I want to realize them with a 3D engine.
I also run a few virtual servers myself, on which I run services for myself and my family and friends. When I'm not sitting at my PC, I'm out and about on my bike, watching movies and series or traveling.
