IBM Champion Spotlight: Moataz Mousa
The Brain Behind the Reliability of Many Mission-Critical Systems
This month, we are proud to highlight another IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) master from the region: Moataz Mousa, Middleware Senior Advisor at Alinma Bank and a dedicated IBM Champion. With years of hands-on experience on WAS and other key IBM middleware and automation products, he has become synonymous with reliability and forward-thinking solutions for some of the most critical platforms at leading Islamic banks in Saudi Arabia.
A Foundation Built on WebSphere
At the heart of Moataz’s technical journey is WAS, a platform he holds in high regard. “WebSphere Application Server was the first IBM technology I worked on, and it’s still my favorite through all generations until IBM Cloud Pak for Applications and WebSphere Liberty,” he shares. “Through hands-on implementation and countless fixes, I’ve gained deep, end-to-end expertise across the IBM Portfolio of middleware products.”
His advocacy for WAS and IBM Cloud Paks takes shape through community engagement and product feedback, where he helps refine solutions and elevate collective knowledge.
A Commitment to Shared Growth
Moataz is driven by a fundamental belief in the power of shared knowledge and collaborative progress. "I'm deeply committed to mastering new technologies and expanding my expertise, but true growth happens when we learn together," he explains. This belief naturally led him to the IBM Champion program, where he found the perfect platform to share real-world experiences and help others navigate their own technical journeys.
Transforming Challenges into Reusable Solutions
Moataz's approach to problem-solving is both systematic and scalable. "Each year I set different goals, and do whatever possible to hit them," he says. "That's looked like reducing issues, cutting latency on critical paths, and creating reusable playbooks so the wins scale beyond me. The pattern is the same: measure, fix a high-leverage bottleneck, and turn the solution into a standard so the benefits compound annually."
Key proud achievements that reflect his disciplined approach are:
· Led the migration of all IBM WAS servers from old versions to the latest 8.5, resolving application compatibility challenges at Alinma Bank (2014)
· Enabled Active/Active configurations between primary and disaster recovery sites for most WAS and IBM Portal servers (2019)
· Automated integration and deployment tasks to enhance operational efficiency at Al Rajhi Bank (2023)
Beyond Technology
If not in technology, Moataz would be a carpenter, a role that, like his work in middleware, involves precision, structure, and creating lasting foundations.
Finally, His advice to aspiring IBM Champions reflects his own journey: "IBM Champions is the ideal place to learn, share, and lead. You will gain practical know-how, new perspectives, and the momentum to deliver more value in your work with IBM Technologies."
Lightning Round
- Superpower? Systematic fixer with a hacker's curiosity 🔍. I start with first principles, design the smallest experiment, then try at least one non-default path.
- Bucket list trip? Italy, India, Brazil ✈️
- Ice cream or cake? Ice cream 🍦
- Cats or dogs? Dogs 🐶
- Summer or winter? Summer ☀️
- Morning or evening? Evening 🌙
- eBook or paper book? Paper book 📖
- TV shows or movies? Movies 🎬
- A night out or a night in? Night out 🌃
- Cannonball into the pool or dip a toe in first? Cannonball into the pool 💦
- Drive or fly? Fly ✈️
Connect with Moataz Mousa on LinkedIn!
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