Meet Mike Shirkin

Mike is a Database Architect for our Development team and has been with Trintech for over 21 years. Mike currently resides in the greater Baltimore area and enjoys photography and spending time with his wife and two children.

Mike: Congratulations on being selected for the Trintecher Spotlight for December!

Mike S.: Thank you!

Mike: Let’s start with a few easy questions. What is the most memorable trip that you have taken?

Mike S.: That would be Rome. I’ve done quite a bit of travelling, but spending time in Rome, walking the streets, and taking in all of the history has to be my favorite.

Mike: That sounds like a great time! Where do you want to head next?

Mike S.: My wife and I want to rent a car and drive up and down the California coast. Like many, we had a trip planned in 2020 but had to cancel due to travel restrictions. It’s an area of the country that we’ve never been to, so we’re looking forward to going soon.

Mike: That sounds fantastic. Outside of travelling, what are your other interests?

Mike S.: Outside of my kids, my main hobby is photography. I have quite a few cameras and love taking pictures. I started out taking pictures when one of my kids was taking ballroom dancing and they didn’t allow flash photography. That got me interested in low-light photography. Now I photograph everything: landscapes, portraits, and animals.

Mike: Outstanding. I can’t wait to see some of your photos. Shifting gears, what would you say is the best part about your job at Trintech?

Mike S.: The variety. I’m a jack of all trades and my position allows me to work on all types of projects. Today I could be developing something in PowerBuilder, tomorrow I could be writing Java code or optimizing a stored procedure in Oracle. Trintech provides me with the opportunity to work with so many different technologies, which is exciting and challenging. I also get to see the results of my work and how it is used in the real world through my interactions with our customers, which is very rewarding.

Mike: As a jack of all trades, what is your key to success?

Mike S.: I believe what makes me successful is staying customer-focused and providing solutions to issues that customers might encounter when working with our products.

Mike: That customer focus, along with your long tenure within the company, has allowed you a unique perspective within the industry. What changes have you seen since you joined Trintech?

Mike S.: The customer’s volume for data has grown substantially and that drives us to keep up with the demand for higher volumes and better performance.

Mike: How does that demand drive your work?

Mike S.: We’re constantly working to improve the existing software, refactoring old code, and modernizing existing applications with new technologies. For example, upgrading Java is one thing we’ve completed recently to remain in compliance with our security features and stability. Another way we’re working to meet our customer’s increased demands for higher volumes of data is through our launch of Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) for our ReconNET and Cadency products.

Mike: For those that are uninitiated, what is Data-as-a-Service?

Mike S.: Our Cadency suite contains multiple databases on the back end, like Certification, Journal Entry, and Close. DaaS allows our customers to maintain a data warehouse in the cloud so they can consolidate that data within the data warehouse. They can then run reports across all those multiple data sources from a single system. So, the customer can create their own analytical reports using PowerBI, Tableau, or any other analytical tool they choose.

Mike: How does this move into the Data-as-a-Service space benefit our customers?

Mike S.: The biggest benefit I see for our customers is access to all of that data from a single access point combined with the flexibility of pulling that data into the analytics tool of their choice. It’s so powerful and so much better than what we can do with standard reports out of the application. Customers know their data better than we do, so DaaS puts the power in their hands to report on the information that is most meaningful to them. We’re partnering with Snowflake for the data warehouse side of the service, which is another benefit for the customer because it is 100% cloud-based, which means the customer can access this data anytime, anywhere.

Mike: Where can our customers get more information about Trintech’s Data-as-a-Service?

Mike S.: There is a great blog post on the Trintech website that provides additional insight into the data-related challenges finance organizations are facing and capabilities of the DaaS solution.

Mike: As we finish up, what advice would you give your younger self?

Mike S.: Exercise more and stay healthy. You only live once and it’s important to take care of yourself.

Mike: Excellent advice. Mike, thank you so much for speaking with me today.

Mike S.: You’re welcome!